By Tad Lupold

Thesis  The roaring twenties is when the economy improved greatly and new entertainment made life for Americans better.

Problems after the war  Economic Recession followed the war  Because of war the economy expanded rapidly  Munitions Factories shut down  Workers lost their jobs  Solders found it difficult to find work  During the war labor unions made a no- strike pledge  Disputes lead to many strikes  1919 four million workers, 1/5 labor force, had strikes

The Red Scare  Fear of communism  Americans were afraid that another revolution was beginning  Anarchists, people who oppose all organized government, caused a series of bombings that caused more fear then ever

Women  19 th Amendment  First election 1920  Joined political groups  First women governors: Nellie Tayloe Ross from Wyoming and Miriam “Ma” Ferguson.  Younger generation, some called Flappers  Became the symbole of women in the 1920s

Prohibition  Prohibition is a total ban on alcoholic drinks.  Saloons shut down, arrests declines for drunkenness  The law was impossible to enforce  Easy to smuggle alcohol across the border  Liquor smugglers, called bootleggers  Each town had speakeasies which were illegal taverns that served liquor 

Trasportation  The automobile changed the lives of Americans by becoming an symbol of independence and freedom. It also created more jobs for people that needed them, such as road side restaurants, gas station, and cabins sprang up all along the road.

Entertainment  The radio – instant success, almost every family could afford one. It became the leading supplier of entertainment. It gave Americans opportunities to hear the sports games and to hear the political conventions.

Entertainment  The movies - were another form of entertainment. It provided an escape from everyday life. Millions of Americans went to the movies at least once a week. The first films were silent and in 1927 the first major talkie, as people called them when they came out, was a sensation.

The Jazz Age  Economy soared  Young people expressed their joy of life through dance  Dances, lindy hop, black bottom, and breakaway  New music-jazz  Created by black musicians  Jazz quickly spread

Literature  Hemingway The sun also rises Young Americans who drifted around Spain A Farewell to Arms Growing antiwar sentiments of his time  F. Scott Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby Captures the good life of the wealthy

Industrial growth  At the end of the war industry and agriculture was in extreme recession  Didn’t last long, between 1922 and 1928 in rows around 70 percent  Prices dropped  Income was rising which gave more money for people to spend  To encourage spending some businesses offered installment buying

Booming stock market  Strong economy  Many people invested in stock markets  Stock values were rising

Trouble  Farmers were one of the groups that did not participate in the good times  Before war farmers took out loans  After war the prices went down and some were not able to pay back their loans  High debt

Election of 1928  Republicans held throughout the 1920s  Republicans choose Herbert Hoover  Demicrats nominated Alfred E. Smith  Smith was the first catholic to run  Immigrants, Catholics, and urban residents for smith  Rural residents and protestants for Hoover  Smith won the largest cities, however he lost every state but Mass.  Hoover won and entered the white house in 1929

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