 With the consumer revolution of the 1920s, American wages grew 30%, but the standard of living remained the same. This provided more disposable income.  Americans used this disposable income for leisure activities such as spectator sports, movies, and radios/phonographs.  The first movie with sound was The Jazz Singer in  Both movies and radio helped create a shared culture because of its mass distribution.

 The popularity of spectator sports grew in the 1920s– baseball, football and boxing.  No other sports star was as iconic as Babe Ruth.  Mass media also helped capture the major events of the time period, such as Charles Lindbergh’s solo flight across the Atlantic in his plane, The Spirit of Saint Louis.

 Women’s roles changed socially, politically and economically during the 1920s.  Socially, women had more freedom. The symbol of social change for women was the flapper– a young woman who wore short dresses and had short hair.  Politically, women gained the right to vote in With its passage, women became more politically active.  Economically, women returned to housework, but benefitted from the emerging modern conveniences.

 Art and literature changed after the war to reflect new ideas and thoughts of the American people.  Art reflected the uncertainty of what direction to go after the war, conflicting with traditional artistic themes.  Similarly, postwar writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald and T.S. Eliot reflected a growing disconnect in traditional ideas. They wanted their writings to reflect new ideas and influences.

 The prominent African American leader of the 1920s was Marcus Garvey.  Unlike Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois, Garvey wanted the races to be separate.  Garvey promoted black nationalism and organized a “Back to Africa” movement.  However, when Garvey was deported back to Jamaica on mail fraud, the movement died.

 Jazz, a musical style that blended African and European forms of music, emerged from New Orleans in the 1920s.  Major musicians included Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, Duke Ellington and George Gershwin.  It was not limited to a specific race.  Jazz moved North during the Great Migration as African Americans looked for industrial jobs.

 The Harlem Renaissance was an expression of African American culture in the United States by poets, novelists and writers.  Langston Hughes, Claude McKay and Zora Neale Hurston to name a few.  Major themes from the Harlem Renaissance included the diversity of African American life and the desire for freedom of expression for both men and women.

 How did the 1920s symbolize a changing culture? Provide two examples as evidence, and explain HOW they demonstrate change.