1. Called ‘The Jazz Age,’ by Fitzgerald

2. Background Info
When WWI ended, disillusionment spread among the generation that had gone to war. They became known as The Lost Generation.
This disillusionment lead them to want change, to want fun and gratification.
They rebelled against the norms of accepted behavior. For example: women cut their hair for the first time in history, they had short “boy” cuts.

3. The 1920's were a prosperous time known as the Roaring Twenties, the Jazz Age, and the Age of Wonderful Nonsense.

4. Interesting Statistics
The population of the US was 106,521,537 people. In the year it was 281,421,906 people.
The average yearly income was $1,236. In the year 2000 it was $28,272.
The price of a gallon of milk was $.58. Today it is $2.25.
Men lived about 54 years. Women lived about 55 years. Today men live about 74 years, and women live about 79 years
A public school teacher earned about $729 a year. Today the average salary for a teacher is $42,898.
It took 13 days to reach California from New York driving on 2 lane roads. Today it takes 4 hours by plane.

5. Prohibition
In 1919, the 18th Amendment passed the Act of Prohibition, which made the making of, the transportation of, and the selling of alcohol illegal.
The intent of the Amendment was to lower the crime rate and to improve the general way of life, but the opposite happened.

6. Crime actually increased as people rebelled against not being able to buy alcohol.
People began making homemade alcohol using equipment called stills. This homemade alcohol was sometimes called bathtub gin.

7. Numerous illegal bars called speakeasies were created to provide drinks for the people who wanted alcoholic beverages.

8. Gangsters profited during this decade by smuggling alcohol and distributing it to different illegal businesses.
Al Capone from Chicago was one of these gangsters. He made $105 million a year smuggling alcohol.

9. Women received the right to vote by the 19th Amendment, and their traditional behavior became more open and free.
During the 1920s women asked guys out. They wore the new flapper style of clothing and were more assertive.
They took the same jobs as men, but still fought for equality in the workplace.

10. Fashion Flappers were considered reckless rebels.
They had short sleek hair.
They wore a shorter than average shapeless shift dress. They wore make-up and put it on in public.
They exposed their legs in public.
They put their cigarettes in long holders to smoke them.
They enjoyed doing the new dances, such as the Charleston, in the jazz clubs.

11. Men took their fashion ideas from the sports or gangster heroes of the day. Men wanted to appear “dapper.” Baggy pants, polished shoes, and a handkerchief in the pocket let others know that this man was someone to pay attention to. The baggy ‘zoot’ suit was worn for fancy occasions.

12. New Inventions
Henry Ford began mass production of the "Model T" automobile, the first car priced so the average man could afford one.

13. Other well-known inventions of the decade included band-aids, kleenex, and zippers.

14. New food products introduced during the 1920's included Welch's Grape Jelly, Wrigley's chewing gum, and the Eskimo ice cream pie.

15. The main form of entertainment was listening to the radio
The main form of entertainment was listening to the radio. Entire families would gather around the radio and listen to the popular shows. Popular songs included “You’re the Cream in My Coffee,” “Lady-Luck Blues” by Bessie Smith, “California, Here I Come!” by Al Jolson, “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin, “It Had to Be You.” and “Yes, Sir! That’s My Baby!” by Carlton Coon and Joe Sanders.
Entertainment

16. Silent movies became "talkies" when sound was finally added
Silent movies became "talkies" when sound was finally added. Charlie Chaplin, the Little Tramp, was one of the most famous stars in motion-picture history. He wrote and directed nearly all of his films, and composed the music for all of his sound pictures.

17. The best movies of the decade were "Treasure Island" and "Ben Hur
The best movies of the decade were "Treasure Island" and "Ben Hur." Favorite actors were Rudolph Valentino as the Sheik, Clara Bow as the "it" girl, Mary Pickford, and Al Jolson, the star of the "Jazz Singer."

18. In 1924 Alvin Kelly, also known as Shipwreck Kelly, decided to attempt to sit on a flagpole in response to a dare from a friend. He sat upon the pole for 13 hours and 13 minutes. Within weeks hundreds of people were trying to become the “King of the Pole.” One man sat for 12 days, another for 17, and another for 21 days. Huge audiences would gather to watch the sitter. In Atlantic City, New Jersey, Kelly reclaimed the title by sitting atop a flagpole for 49 days in front of 20,000 people.
Flagpole
Sitting

19. The series of steps are thought to have originated with the African-Americans who were living on a small island near Charleston, South Carolina. In 1922/3, it was introduced to the theater going public at the New Amsterdam Theater in New York In the 1920's, women who did the Charleston were called "Flappers" because of the way they would flap their arms and walk like birds while doing the Charleston. Many men of the period wore raccoon coats and straw hats.
The
Charleston

20. For Children Only
Favorite children's books were "Winnie the Pooh," "Bambi," "Dr. Doolittle," and "The Velveteen Rabbit."

21. Favorite toys included the new baby doll that said, "mama," paper dolls, and teddy bears for the girls. Boys played with metal trucks, Tinker toys, and Erector sets.

22. Popular children's games were marbles, jump rope, roller skating, and Statues.

23. Mickey Mouse, Little Orphan Annie, and Felix the Cat were popular cartoon characters.

24. Slang Words All wet Applesauce describes a wrong idea or person
He's all wet.
All wet
what you say when you are angry
"Oh, applesauce!"
Applesauce

25. The Big Cheese The Cat’s Meow Cheaters Jake the most important person
the boss
The Big Cheese
something splendid or wonderful
the best
The Cat’s Meow
Cheaters
eyeglasses OK
Everything is Jake.
Jake

26. Dogs Giggle water Heebie jeebies jalopy moll feet alcohol
A scary nervous feeling
jalopy
An old car
moll
A gangster’s girlfriend

27. pushover scram swell upchuck Someone easily convinced leave wonderful
vomit
upchuck

28. Important People
Amelia Earhart was the first female aviator to cross the Atlantic Ocean and the first woman to fly solo. She disappeared in 1937 in an attempt to be the first woman to fly around the world. No trace of Miss Earhart or her plane have ever been found.

29. Babe Ruth was the greatest slugger in baseball history
Babe Ruth was the greatest slugger in baseball history. His record of 714 regular-season home runs wasn't broken until 1974 by Hank Aaron. He was named to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936.

30. Red Grange was one of the greatest football players of all time
Red Grange was one of the greatest football players of all time. He became known as the Galloping Ghost when he scored five touchdowns on his first five carries in one game.

31. Other Important people
Charles Lindbergh
Bessie Smith
Louis Armstrong
Etc, etc.

32. Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was one of the great writers of the Jazz Age.
F.Scott Fitzgerald began his career as a writer of stories for mass-circulation magazines.
He was one of the main writers for “The Saturday Evening Post.”
The publication of his novel, This Side of Paradise, made him famous overnight, but his classic is considered to be The Great Gatsby. Most critics believe he modeled this story after his own life.

33. Right Now Assignment
Answer the following: We often hear about The American Dream? What is it? What do you think when you hear the phrase.
One paragraph
Be prepared to share 

34. Homework Read Chapter one.
Be prepared to answer questions or take a quiz tomorrow.