1. Consumerism in the 1920s
History 12

2. Outline
Last class we looked into isolationism in the United States from both a contemporary and historical perspective.
Today, we are going to examine consumerism.
Our outline for today is:
A definition development
A discussion on commercials
An activity on consumerism perspectives

3. What is consumerism? In groups, develop a definition of consumerism.
Write it on the board.
Consumerism is the culture or ideology of excessive consumption of material goods or services.

4. Commercials Today What is a memorable commercial?
Try to find it on your device. Share with a partner.
What is the purpose of the commercial?
What makes the commercial effective?

5. Commercials 1920s
We are going to watch a silent commercial from the 1920s.
Pay attention to the visuals that are used, and how the information is conveyed.

6. Discussion
How did the producers hope to motivate the viewers to buy the products?
What did they use as visual enticement?
What information did they convey?
Which of the ads was most successful, in your opinion?
How do they compare with advertising today?

7. Perspectives
Mass-produced consumer goods like automobiles and ready-to- wear clothes were not new to the 1920s, nor were advertising or mail-order catalogues.
But something was new about Americans' relationship with manufactured products, and it was accelerating faster than it could be defined.
Not only did the latest goods become necessities, consumption itself became a necessity, it seemed.
Was that good for America? Yes, said some—people can live in unprecedented comfort and material security. 
Not so fast, said others—can we predict where consumerism will take us before we're inextricably there?
We are now going to explore some of these varying perspectives.

8. Group Share
Build a group with one person from each document (4 members).
Explain your document to the group by sharing points from your Document Form.

9. T-Chart
Using the information from each document, develop a t-chart that outlines positive and negative aspects of consumerism.

10. Exit Slip
To what extent is consumerism prevalent in contemporary society? Explain.
What are some positive and negative attributes of consumerism contemporarily?

11. Summary
Today we talked about consumerism and considered the varying perspectives that people from the 20s had on the concept.
Next class we will examine the societal divisions that were prevalent during this era.