1920s: Traditionalism vs. Modernism

Norman Rockwell’s America Norman Rockwell was one of the most famous artists in the 1920s Painted the cover of the “Saturday Evening Post” magazine What values do these images from his 1920s covers convey to you?

Other Views of the 1920s “Life” magazine was another very popular magazine in the 1920s What values does this cover convey to you? Traditionalists: deep respect for long-held culural and religious values Modernists: people who embraced new ideas, styles, and social trends This “culture war” has continued until today. What topics divide traditionalists and modernists today?

Changing Demographics “Demographics” = statistics that describe society 1920s: US society became more urban farm families moved to cities Immigrants came to cities Urban wages rose 37% in 1920s; prices stayed steady Farm product prices fell as demand from WW1 fell Small towns suffered from farm foreclosures and falling income In rural areas, religious fundamentalism became popular: interpret Bible literally and treated as authority

Prohibition (1920-1933) “Prohibition:” sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol was illegal (18th Amendment) “Volstead Act” provided legal definition of intoxicating liquor Alcohol consumption did fall, but not by much Organized crime grew ( “bootleggers” like Al Capone in Chicago) to distribute alcohol (often from Canada) “Speakeasies” were illegal bars Prohibition encouraged illegal behavior from people who ordinarily obeyed the law Federal government only prosecuted large-scale organized transporters

The Scopes Trial Evolution had become accepted by most urban Americans Fundamentalist Christians viewed evolution as an attack on the literal interpretation of scripture Tennessee outlawed teaching of evolution ACLU encouraged teacher John Scopes to teach evolution Guilty verdict, but trial exposed fundamentalists’ refusal to accept widely held scientific theories, lessening fundamentalist influence ($100 fine was overturned, because judge, not the jury,had awarded it.)

Evolution and Schools Today 1968: Supreme Court ruled that states could not impose religious views in schools (and so could not outlaw teaching of evolution) 1971: Supreme Court developed the “Lemon Law” which ended Louisiana’s requirement that creationism be taught along side evolution. To be constitutional, a government action must have a secular, or nonreligious, purpose. neither help nor hurt religion. not result in an "excessive entanglement" of the government and religion. Recently, some states have tried to require teaching of “Intelligent design” along with evolution 2007 Gallup Poll findings