Introduction

In Chapter 24, we will consider the cultural contrasts of the 1920s. Although every era has its contradictions, the 1920s reveal the turbulent transition America experienced as it emerged, relatively unscathed in comparison with the rest of the world, from World War I. American economic production exploded, particularly in the consumer goods sectors. Refrigerators, radios, watches, and especially automobiles were unleashed on the public in unprecedented numbers. Cars in particular changed the lives of Americans, making them, especially young Americans, more mobile and independent. Advertising also emerged as a crucial industry because it shaped American desires and interests; the advertisement below expresses the influence the two industries had on the American economy in the 1920s. Yet a deep attachment to traditional values and ideals remained strong in the 1920s as well. Many Americans still lived in relatively rural areas. They believed in the literal truth of the Bible, and they disapproved of the teaching of evolution in public schools. They succeeded in passing the Eighteenth Amendment prohibiting the manufacturing and sale of liquor. Many of them believed the United States had taken in its share of immigrants and that the federal government should dramatically curb immigration. Some joined the Ku Klux Klan, which reached the height of its power in the North and the South in the 1920s, in an effort to reassert the values of small-town America. These contrasts made the cultural adjustments of the 1920s difficult, but the economic collapse at the end of the decade threw the country into a crisis that made the 1920s look like a "cakewalk" in retrospect.

The Web activities and additional research links for this chapter will examine the emerging cultural, social, and intellectual conflicts in modern America.

Web Activities 

1.  The automobile had a dramatic impact on American culture after World War I. To learn about how Henry Ford made autos affordable for most Americans, begin with two brief biographies of Ford and his company, Henry Ford and the Model T and The Life of Henry Ford. What made Ford succeed to a degree far beyond any other automobile manufacturer? Read one author's opinion in Why Henry Ford Had A Better Idea. From The Life of Henry Ford Site, click on the icon that says "Learn more about the Model T." Then scroll down and click on "The Model T Road Trip." Take the road trip with this fictional family of 1919. What surprises you about their car buying and traveling experiences? How easy was it for them to get from Michigan to Philadelphia?

2.  Another new business that played a prominent role in reshaping American culture in the 1920s was the film industry. Go to Film History of the 1920s and read the introductory essay there. How did the film industry's production methods mirror those of the automotive industry? What were some of the problems of the industry in the 1920s? How did European movies differ from American productions? After the Hollywood drug and sex scandals of the decade, the studios gradually agreed to regulate themselves in an effort to avoid federal regulation. Read Hollywood Censored: The Production Code. What were the Don'ts and Be Carefuls outlined in the code? How do you think these movies, along with the debates about their content, affected American culture

3.  The advertising industry had existed in the U.S. since the late nineteenth century, but it emerged as a more prominent industry in the 1920s as companies began to produce more consumer products and needed assistance in selling them. Go to Ad*Access' listing of 1920s Beauty and Hygiene advertisements. Browse through the advertisements listed on this page. What do these ads sell to customers besides the product itself? Whom do they use to sell these products? What message do they send to their readers

4.  During the 1920s, black Americans became more prominent in American arts and politics than they had been for decades before. Marcus Garvey created the Universal Negro Improvement Association. Read the two introductory essays on Garvey and the Association. What events and demographic changes in the U.S. sparked the "back to Africa" movement? Now go to the March 1925 edition of the Survey Graphic Magazine. Read the first four articles by Alain Locke, James W. Johnson, and Charles Johnson. What made Harlem different from earlier black communities? Who was the New Negro? How do the philosophies of these men differ from that of Garvey? Scroll down to part 2 and read the poems under the heading Youth Speaks. What themes do these poems address? Finally, scroll down and read the Portraits of Negro Women by Winold Reiss. What does this article say about the status of black women in Harlem?

5.  Read the story of the campaign for the Eighteenth Amendment in Ohio? What groups fought on the two sides of this struggle for Prohibition? Click on the advertisements for the campaign to ban liquor. What issues do they emphasize? Now go to the website on fads of the 1920s(scroll down). Read the section on Booze/Prohibition/Capone. How did the Eighteenth Amendment make life easier for gangsters such as Capone? Why did "the noble experiment" fail?

Additional Research Links

• These two sites, Aimee: A Short Biography and The Kidnapping of Aimee Semple McPherson, provide contrasting perspectives on the life and "kidnapping" of Aimee Semple McPherson. Which story seems more credible to you?

The Roaring Economy

• Go to the AFL-CIO 100 Years of Struggle and Success site. Click on 1920-1929. How did the labor movement fare during the 1920s?

A Mass Society

• Read about flappers and 1920s culture. What about the flappers, and the New Woman in general, frightened traditionalists of the 1920s?
• The 1920s was the first era in which athletes became celebrities on the scale we know today. This essay on 1920s sports highlights the heroes of the 1920s (among others Jack Dempsey, Red Grange, Gertrude Eberle, Bobby Jones and especially Babe Ruth) and provides links to individual sites for anyone who wants further information on an individual athlete.
• Read about Charles Lindbergh and his plane before and during their historic flight. What experiences prepared Lindbergh for his transatlantic flight? How were flyers generally employed during the 1920s?
• The Lost Generation. Read about the arts and culture of Paris and Berlin in the 1920s. Why did alienated American artists and writers flock to these cities, particularly Paris?
• Find additional information on the writers and artists of the Harlem Renaissance. What factors converged to cause such an outpouring of culture from such a relatively small neighborhood?

Defenders of the Faith

• Sacco and Vanzetti. Read about the trial and execution of two Italian aliens and how they became a symbol for American bigotry in the 1920s. What caused such a xenophobic wave in the U.S. in an era when the U.S. economy thrived?
• The Scopes Trial. Read about another of the prominent trials of the 1920s. What role did the media play in these proceedings?
• Read this report on the history of the Ku Klux Klan. What explains the resurgence of the Klan in the 1920s, when it reached its highest membership totals, especially in the North?

Republicans Ascendant

• What exactly was the Teapot Dome Scandal (click on the link next to Warren Harding)? What did it come to symbolize to the American public?

The Great Bull Market

• The Crash of 1929. What combination of economic conditions caused the Crash?