1. Culture, economics, and major movements of the decade
The roaring ‘20s
Culture, economics, and major movements of the decade

2. Business & Urban life Free market flourished Major industries
Laissez-faire approach by the gov’t
Tariffs on imports & lower domestic business tax
Major industries
Chain stores & convenience markets (five and dimes)
Airplane
Used for mail delivery, weather forecasting, transportation
Automobile
Began mass-production (Henry Ford)
By the late ‘’20s, there was 1 car for every 5 people in the U.S.

3. Business & urban life Cars changed the way people lived
Vacations/day trips
connected rural areas to cities
gave new freedom to women
led to urban sprawl (workers could live outside the city & commute in; metropolitan areas & suburbs grew around cities)

4. Business & urban life Personal finances
Avg household income grew by 35% in the 1920s
New, smarter advertising reached millions of consumers
Increased mobility (cars) & home-delivery
People could now buy more luxury & convenience goods
Homes, cars, electrical appliances, variety of clothing
Installment plans allowed consumers to pay for their purchases over a period of time
Businesses pushed these to sell higher priced items
Convenient? Or short-sighted?

5. Life under prohibition
18th Amendment – 1920
Began the era of Prohibition – illegal to make, sell, or transport alcoholic beverages
Supporting legislation = Volstead Act
Many states already had such laws
Temperance movement
Alcohol was encouraging the ills of society
WCTU
Lack of public support
Many did not see drinking as a problem
Used in celebrations and business settings

6. Life under prohibition
Led to a rise in crime
People invented ways to avoid the law
Bootleggers – people who illegally smuggled alcohol
Speakeasies – hidden bars & clubs that sold alcohol
Organized crime
People like Al Capone ran vast business networks, making a fortune off supplying illegal alcohol during Prohibition

7. Life under prohibition
The “noble experiment” largely failed
May have caused more problems than it solved
Law enforcement powerless to keep control
Repealed by the 21st Amendment in 1933
Some positives – e.g. contributing to the changing role of women
More liberated, more equal in work, marriage, and society in general
Progress made through encouraging and avoiding this law
Interesting facts
Mixed support from Presidents
Hoover supported it, FDR opposed it
Capone estimated to have made $60 mil/year in his bootlegging industry
Drinking was not actually illegal
Some states continued prohibition after 1933 (MS  1966)

8. Science & religion Fundamentalism was growing
Protestant religious movement based on literal biblical interpretation
Many were skeptical of scientific discoveries & theories
Participation in mass culture
Billy Sunday’s southern speaking tours
Aimee Semple McPherson’s radio broadcasts
Key point of controversy was the theory of evolution

9. Science & religion
Debate over evolution led to the famous Scopes trial of 1925 (aka “Monkey trial”)
TN law (Butler Act) made it a crime to teach evolution in public schools
John Scopes broke this law in his bio class and was arrested
Defense = Clarence Darrow (ACLU)
Argument: the law violates separation of church & state and Scopes’s right to express his professional views
Prosecution = William Jennings Bryan
Argument: communities can set standards for public schools
Bryan called as an “expert” witness on biblical text; forced to admit there could be different interpretations of the Bible; bit hit to fundamentalist thinking

10. Science & religion Result: Trial was followed closely by the public
Radio broadcasts; court proceedings moved to an outdoor stage
Result:
Prosecution won
“The judge made clear to the jury that…the only issue in question was whether or not Scopes had presented evolution as fact — and he had admitted as much. The teacher was found guilty and fined $100 for his transgression. Later, on appeal, the Tennessee supreme court upheld the constitutionality of the law, but reversed Scopes’ conviction on the technical point that the fine had been excessive.” -
Other states discouraged from passing similar laws
Butler Act repealed in 1967
Edwards v. Aguillard in 1987, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled
7 - 2 that mandatory creation science in public schools was unconstitutional