1. The Roaring 20s The 1920s was a time of exciting social change and profound cultural conflicts. For many Americans who were consumed and ruled by traditional values, the 1920s represented a liberation from their past. With the growth of cities, rise of a consumer culture, an upsurge of mass entertainment and a revolution in “morals and manners” American citizens started to take a closer look at their role in society.

2. The Roaring 20s This time period was also one of prosperity as America emerged from World War I and into a new beginning. Free from the destruction that ravaged so many other countries during the war, America would begin to emerge as a leading global power.

3. Challenges to Traditional Values At this point in America’s history, conservative values often governed the average citizen’s life. However the myriad changes during the twenties would result in a battle between Traditionalists and Modernists. For example, issues such as gender roles and what should be taught to children in schools were often the focus of these debates.

4. Women’s Suffrage At this point in American history the idea of “separate spheres” dominated gender roles with the belief that women and men had clearly defined, yet separate roles to fulfill. In 1920, the 19 th Amendment would be passed which gave women the right to vote. Although voting numbers would be low at first, this new found freedom would begin to allow women to challenge many of the traditional roles they found themselves in.

5. Women’s Suffrage Women started to be involved much more heavily in the workforce and as a result produced a much higher income than they were accustomed to. Throughout the 1920s, the number of working women would increase by 25%.

6. Flappers Along with their new found identity in the workplace, a “new breed” of women was about to be created known as the flapper. These women would start to push the issue on what had been become traditional dress. Now women would be seen wearing much shorter skirts that revealed the knee and dresses where their arms were bare. Flappers also began to wear very noticeable lipstick, smoke cigarettes in public places, as well as consume alcohol.

8. Flapper At the end of World War I, legislation had been passed that made contraception legal if prescribed by a doctor. Women now had much more control over their future and were not as confined to the role of a housewife. Almost all women would approve of birth control and the birth rate in America would decline 20 percent between 1920 and 1930.

9. Darwin’s Theory of Evolution The Theory of Evolution was not created during the 1920s, but was certainly publicized and focused on by many anti- evolutionist groups.

10. Darwin’s Theory of Evolution The inclusion of evolution in public high schools and universities led many Christian leaders to view this as an attack on their religion and a reason why many youth were losing their faith in the Bible. By 1925, the anti-evolutionist movement, spearheaded by William Jennings Bryan, was able have legislation passed in 15 states that banned the teaching of evolution in schools.

11. State of Tennessee vs. John Scopes John Scopes, a 24 year old Biology teacher in Dayton Tennessee, disagreed with the new laws. He would argue that it was not fundamentally possible to teach biology without teaching evolution.

12. State of Tennessee vs. John Scopes After two weeks of questioning different witnesses, Clarence Darrow, the chief defense attorney, finally called for William Jennings Bryan to come to the stand as an expert on the Bible. Darrow carefully and expertly questioned Bryan and made him look very vulnerable. Bryan even admitted that not everything in the Bible should be taken literally. This represented a huge blow to the anti- evolutionist campaign.

13. State of Tennessee vs. John Scopes The decision of State of Tennessee vs. John Scopes would eventually favor on the side of anti-evolutionists but support for banning evolution in schools would start to dwindle. The verdict fined John Scopes $100 dollars and when later sent to the Supreme Court of Tennessee they would dismiss the case altogether while commenting that “Nothing is to be gained by prolonging the life of this bizarre case.”

14. State of Tennessee vs. John Scopes Of the fifteen states with anti-evolution legislation pending in 1925 only two states would go on to enact laws that restricted the teaching of evolution. This trial symbolized a significant shift in attitudes and beliefs in American society. This trial was seen as a backlash against the liberal changes that were slowly but surely changing society.

15. Mass Media and Communication Throughout the 1920s there was an incredible increase in the amount of media that was available to the average American. As technology continued to improve, American citizens found themselves spending less time on daily activities, and paying more attention towards leisure. Therefore, a new mass-produced culture was about to be accelerated at a rate that had not been seen before. Americans would now receive their news and information via radio, tabloids, and movies.

16. Radio At the beginning of the decade America was about to shift from a print-based culture into an electronic culture. The use of the radio came on the scene originally as a way to broadcast the news to American citizens. Local newspapers would actually pay to have their newspaper read to reach a much broader range of audiences.

18. Radio In response, the radio started to become a national obsession and by 1923 roughly 3 million Americans owned a radio in their household. Three large corporations – General Electric, Westinghouse, and the Radio Corporation of America- came together to form the first official radio network, the National Broadcasting Company (NBC).

19. Radio A new type of music known as “Jazz” was popularized through the use of the radio. This type of music is often accredited to African Americans but both black and white Americans enjoyed and increased the popularity of this musical genre.

20. Movies In the midst of increasingly widespread entertainment, movies made one of the most significant improvements by adding sound. Americans now flocked to their local cinema to see famous actors and actresses perform on the big screen.

21. Movies Movies were able to reach a vast array of different social classes by showing many different types of movies as well as offering some comical humor to more serious issues. During the Great Depression, movies were able to act as an escape from the harsh realities of life.

22. Newspapers and Magazines During the 1920s newspapers often took part in what was known as “jazz journalism.” This type of journalism tended to focus much more on entertainment stories with an emphasis on photography rather than the written word. Newspapers also started to consolidate and form chains that would be printed in many different cities.

23. Newspapers and Magazines But as much as newspapers were being read, many Americans also turned their gaze to that of the magazine. While newspapers had certainly been in existence for quite some time, the magazine started to specialize in certain interests that would appeal to the American public. These magazines would start to shape many of the cultural norms that Americans adopted as well as sparking new fads and interest in the lives of celebrities.

24. Rise of the Ku Klux Klan In 1915, a pro Ku Klux Klan movie called Birth of a Nation was created and sparked a resurgence of this group throughout much of America. As one of the largest social movements of the 20 th Century the Ku Klux Klan reached as high as 5 million members during its peak. This resurgence of the Klan focused their motto around “100% Americanism” and attacked not only African Americans, but also Catholics, Jews, immigrants, and aliens.

25. Rise of the Ku Klux Klan In 1926, 50,000 Klansmen marched on Washington as a sign of power and a means to recruit more followers to their cause. Going against everything that was not American, Klansmen would threaten or even physically harm many immigrants that came to Northern states. However scandal and corruption within the organization led to their decline as the 1920s came to a close in both membership and influence.

26. Prohibition In 1919, the 18 th Amendment, which prohibited alcohol from being produced, transported or sold, would be passed by Congress much to the dismay of many Americans. Although alcohol consumption and arrests for drunkenness would decline after the law was enacted, many Americans were at conflict with the controversial law.

27. Prohibition For many American’s alcohol’s illegality actually increased its appeal. “Speakeasies” or establishments that served illegal alcohol were present in almost every major city. As a result, many major gangs would facilitate the smuggling of alcohol and some generated as much as $60 million dollars a year.

29. Prohibition However, as the Great Depression started and alcohol consumption levels continued to rise, the 21 st amendment would be passed in 1933 that would officially repeal the 18 th amendment. Prohibition was now seen as a relic of the past.