04.03 Cultural Changes of the 1920s
04.03 Assignment
Use what you have learned in the lesson to complete a photo story about this period in which you choose five artifacts and demonstrate how they contributed to the atmosphere and culture of the 1920s. You should use a variety of artifacts, which can include photographs, video, sound recordings, excerpts from the literature of the period, song lyrics, or any other ideas you have about 1920s culture.
Step 1
Research and choose five artifacts using books, videos, or online audio sources and links. Some sites that might be helpful are:
The Library of Congress
The Roaring Twenties
The History of the Roaring Twenties
PBS
Cornell University New Student Reading Project
The five artifacts you choose will help you illustrate the cultural changes of the 1920s. Out of the five, you must have an artifact for each of the following:
Prohibition
Harlem Renaissance
Fundamentalism
New Roles for Women
The fifth artifact can be one of your choosing.
Step 2
Create your photo story.
Identify each artifact with a title and write at least two complete sentences describing the relationship of the artifact to the cultural changes of the 1920s.
Your description should be informative and engaging so use examples and vivid language to make your points.
Don’t forget to cite your sources!
04.03: Objective
What Contributed to the Social Changes of the 1920s?
A black-and-white photo shows seven basketball players who appear to be dancing with their arms jutting out and leg bent behind them. A woman is instructing the players. A piano player is playing music to which they are dancing.
Basketball players learning the Charleston
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Few decades in history have had a greater impact on American life than the “Roaring Twenties.” With his election in 1920, President Warren G. Harding promised a return to “normalcy”—the peaceful way of life before the turmoil of World War I. However, life in the United States was anything but normal during this period. As more modern cultural trends began to emerge, Americans found themselves divided between traditional values and a newly emerging popular culture.
As the 1920s arrived, society underwent enormous changes. Gangsters took control of alcohol sales, and crime increased. Women, who had left traditional roles to work in war industries, now had political and economic power. Economic opportunities in the North drew some African Americans away from the segregated South.
Cities became crowded and dangerous—yet exciting—destinations for millions of Americans. Artists, musicians, and writers found inspiration there. A booming economy made some of these social changes possible. New technology increased productivity. Workers’ wages went up, but their hours went down. For the first time, many Americans could buy consumer goods and pursue leisure activities. Few Americans wanted to return to the “normal times” they had experienced before World War I. They wanted to experience the “roar” of modern life.
In this lesson, you will learn more about the societal changes that followed World War I. To demonstrate your understanding of these changes, you will create a photo story about life during the 1920s.
Sneak a peek at the assignment.
Objective 04.03 Cultural Changes of the 1920s
After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
assess how new attitudes following World War I impacted society
determine the role of the arts in 1920s American society
analyze how Fundamentalist Americans resisted the trends of the 1920s and advocated returning to more traditional ways
04.03 Cultural Changes of the 1920s: Prohibition
How Did Banning Alcohol Affect Life in the 1920s?
A black and white photo shows two men pouring illegal liquor from a wooden barrel into a manhole in a city street. Two policemen watch the men.
Police in New York City watch federal agents pour liquor
into a sewer following a raid on a “speakeasy.”
Library of Congress [LC-USZ62-123257]
One of the signature elements of life during the Roaring Twenties was prohibition. Supporters of banning alcohol had fought for prohibition for decades. Many believed that alcohol was at the root of family conflict, violence, and crime. Some who supported prohibition and opposed immigration blamed alcohol abuse on certain immigrant groups.
Support for prohibition increased during World War I. Soldiers in training were not allowed to drink alcohol. The grain used to make alcohol was needed to feed the troops overseas.
Many states passed their own prohibition laws. In 1919, the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed, making it illegal to produce, sell, or transport alcoholic beverages in the United States. Congress then passed the Volstead Act to help enforce the amendment.
Prohibition reduced some health problems related to alcohol abuse. However, it also contributed to a rise in other social problems. Some people made their own liquor, called “bathtub gin” or “moonshine.” Large smuggling operations developed, and distributers began illegally shipping alcohol from Canada and other nations. These smugglers, known as bootleggers, sold alcohol to nightclub owners who ran “speakeasies.” These places were illegal bars where alcohol could be bought.
A bar chart shows the yearly murder and assault rate by firearms per 100,000 people. The years shown are 1910 to 1943. There is a dotted line between the years 1919–1920 and 1933–1934 with the text ‘Prohibition Begins’ and ‘Prohibition Ends’ respectively. The bars show a steady increase in crime from 1920 to 1933 from slightly over 11 per 100,000 to 16 per 100,000. These rates are higher than the rates on either side of the time period shown.
Murder and Assault Rates
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Alcohol smuggling became a big business soon after the 18th Amendment was ratified. Because so much money could be made through illegal liquor operations, major crime organizations developed. Al Capone, one of the most notorious gangsters in American history, made millions of dollars a year in Chicago. He and his associates bribed officials or frightened them into looking the other way.
Federal agents, led by a special agent named Eliot Ness, found it difficult to do their jobs because of a lack of public support. Nevertheless, they arrested violators and destroyed illegal liquor supplies and equipment. They also closed down speakeasies. Despite the efforts of law enforcement agents, violent crime increased.
Prohibition continued throughout the 1920s despite many Americans’ objections. Eventually, the government determined that the law was not enforceable. The 18th Amendment was repealed by the 21st Amendment in 1933.
04.03 Cultural Changes of the 1920s: Women’s Attitudes
How Did Women’s Attitudes Change Society in the 1920s?
A black and white photo shows a young woman smiling as she sits at the controls of a forklift. Mail bags are on the platforms in front of her.
A Woman Railway Worker
Drives a Forklift
Select to Enlarge
By 1920, more than half of the population of the United States lived in urban areas. Many newcomers to cities had left farms and small towns to build new lives. New jobs had been created by the economic growth of the early 1920s. Young people, including many women, rushed to fill them.
The change in women’s roles was in many ways the most apparent of any social change. With the vote and increased economic power, women asserted themselves. Though many women remained the primary caretakers for families, many believed that the time had come for women to be equal with men in every area of society.
A woman dressed in the ‘flapper’ style has red hair cut short and curled forward on her cheeks. She is wearing makeup. Her dress is low cut with single straps, showing her bare arms and shoulders. She wears bracelets and has manicured nails. She is holding a cigarette holder with a cigarette in it.
A 1920s Flapper
Select to Enlarge
More women went to college during the 1920s than ever before. As a result, women entered the workforce in fields such as nursing, teaching, and social work. Some also went into politics, but few went into fields like law or medicine. Women still faced discrimination in these typically male-dominated fields.
Some social changes were more visible. Some young women rejected traditional expectations for appearance and lifestyle. They cut their hair short and wore short dresses and makeup. They went to nightclubs, where they smoked cigarettes and drank illegal alcohol. These rebellious young women, known as flappers, met with disapproval from Americans with more traditional beliefs.
The image of the flapper was often used to capture the essence of the decade. Flappers were popularized in magazines, movies, and books. Despite becoming a popular symbol of the 1920s, most American women were not flappers. Their lifestyle was something most women, particularly those who lived in rural areas, only read about.
04.03 Cultural Changes of the 1920s: Popular Culture
How Did Popular Culture Change During the 1920s?
Jazz music was not just a major part of the Harlem Renaissance. It swept the country, leading to a greater acceptance of African American culture. In fact, the 1920s are nicknamed the Jazz Age because of the popularity of jazz music. But there was much more to the popular culture of the 1920s.
View each slide below to explore the different aspects of American culture in the 1920s.
Text Version
04.03 Cultural Changes of the 1920s: Reactions
How Did Americans React to the Changes of the 1920s?
For some Americans, the 1920s were alarming. Urbanization and the shift away from traditional values worried them. They began focusing heavily on religion as a source of stability in their everyday lives. Many of those who were most uncomfortable with the Jazz Age were rural, white Americans who held fundamentalist beliefs. Fundamentalism is a religious viewpoint based on the belief that biblical events happened exactly as described.
Billy Sunday
04.03 Cultural Changes of the 1920s: Assignment
What Do I Submit?
In the lesson, you read about the many cultural changes of the 1920s. Imagine you are opening an American history museum. You are creating an exhibit about the cultural changes of the 1920s and you want to create a compelling visual presentation to get museum-goers excited about your exhibit.
Use what you have learned in the lesson to complete a photo story about this period in which you choose five artifacts and demonstrate how they contributed to the atmosphere and culture of the 1920s. You should use a variety of artifacts, which can include photographs, video, sound recordings, excerpts from the literature of the period, song lyrics, or any other ideas you have about 1920s culture.
Instructions
Step 1
Research and choose five artifacts using books, videos, or online audio sources and links. Some sites that might be helpful are:
The Library of Congress
The Roaring Twenties
The History of the Roaring Twenties
PBS
Cornell University New Student Reading Project
The five artifacts you choose will help you illustrate the cultural changes of the 1920s. Out of the five, you must have an artifact for each of the following:
Prohibition
Harlem Renaissance
Fundamentalism
New Roles for Women
The fifth artifact can be one of your choosing.
Step 2
Print iconPrint the assignment.
Image preview for” use what you have learned in the lesson to complete a photo story about this period in which you choose five artifacts”
APA
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