1. The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald Published in 1925 Background Information

2. Prohibition Forbidding of the manufacture, sale, or transportation of alcoholic beverages. Amendment 18, Prohibition of Liquor, passed in 1919 Amendment 21, Repeal of Prohibition, passed in 1933

3. Roaring Twenties Despite the law, the 1920’s era became known for its illegal activities (bootlegging, speakeasies) Called the Roaring Twenties for its emphasis on excitement and wild living

4. Crime Prohibition gave many gangs and underworld figures opportunity to become established in black market dealings and illegal production of liquor (bootlegging) Speakeasies (illegal bars) were common and successful

5. The Great Depression Began with Stock Market Crash in 1929 Diverted attention from liquor problem to economic one People suggested that new source of taxes could be those on alcohol

6. Customs of the Times Smoking Betting laws No air-conditioning Common use and availability of trains Relative newness of the automobile Absence of the civil rights laws Women referred to by their husbands’ names: Daisy Buchanan is known formally as Mrs. Tom Buchanan

7. The Great Gatsby Recounts lifestyles of wealthy on East Coast during 1920’s Homes along Long Island Sound own the beach in front of their property Servants: Nick has a Finnish woman who cooks and cleans for him; Buchanans have a butler

8. 1919 World Series Meyer Wolfsheim, Gatsby’s underworld connection - patterned after real-life Arnold Rothstein, gambler and mobster allegedly responsible for fixing the 1919 World Series. The Chicago White Sox agreed to throw series in exchange for money Black Sox Scandal - team referred to as the Black Sox after the series because they were accused of damaging the image of their team 1921 - 8 players banned from game for life

9. World War I Nick and Gatsby comment on their role in the army in World War I – Nick says he was in the Ninth Machine-Gun Battalion in France – Gatsby tells Nick he was a captain and, following the battles in Argonne in France, took command of a machine-gun division.