How was the 1920s a decade of change?
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Monday, November 16, 2015
1920s Online Discussion
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The Automotive industry brought multiple social changes to the 1920's. According to History.com, the air was becoming polluted with emissions from the gas-powered vehicles. Also gas-powered cars also caused a major demand for oil which started pushing the use of world resources. The Encyclopedia of American Business History states that motor companies advertised to women and tried to produce cars that appealed to women. Taken from The 1920's “A women admitted she would stop eating to pay for gasoline to fuel her car. It also says that many people who did not own baths owned at least one automobile. The motor car industry brought many social changes both good and bad.
ReplyDeleteEconomic and technological changes were also brought on in the 1920's. Since the assembly line was created mass production allowed for the price of cars to drop. This made an automobile more affordable for the average person. The Ford Motor company website explains that Ford gave $5.00 a day which was double the wage during at the time. He did this so his workers would be able to afford the newer models he kept producing. Since automobiles were becoming more popular the government passed the Federal Highway Act. This allowed roads that were easier to drive on to be built rather than muddy roads made for horse drawn wagons. Horse drawn wagons were very unsafe which made motor companies to bring new safety advances. Cars being produced came with mechanical brake son all four wheels instead of two. Safety glass that did not shatter was put into the front of a closed vehicle. Closed vehicles protected passengers and drivers from all types of weather including sun and rain. These economic and technological advances in the automobile industry allowed for the 1920's to be a decade of change.
It's crazy the things people had given up for cars and fuel, like food and baths!
DeleteAmerica in the 1920s changed in many ways due to multiple reasons. From new technology to new beliefs, this decade saw plenty of change and reform. One product that changed America dramatically was the automobile. It was already around for about 20 years at the time but it had its largest impact in the '20s.
ReplyDeleteHenry Ford's new assembly line produced vehicles at a much greater rate than before. They were also being produced cheaper which made the automobile an affordable item versus a luxury. Due to now being cheaper, most of Americans were now able to have cars and loved them. One woman was known to have a car but no bathtub, and when questioned about it she said "You can't get to town in a bathtub." People began going on drives for leisure as well and exploring their surroundings. Americans started to view cars as a necessity and teens viewed them as a way to get away from parents.
At the time automobiles surpassed steel as the largest factor of the American economy. Cars were selling fast like hotcakes. Many companies rose up such as Ford, Chrysler, Dodge, and General Motors.
Besides cultural and economic changes, automobiles also led to overall changes in the country. Paved roads and highways were being created at a rapid rate to accommodate the increase in vehicles and to make getting from point A to point B quicker. Gas stations started sprouting up in large numbers across the nation due to cars having internal combustion engines that required gasoline to operate. And due to an enormous number of vehicular injuries and deaths, automobile licensing and safety regulations came into place.
What cars were around before the 1920's?
Deletewhat was the exact cost for cars and gas?
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ReplyDeleteThe 1920 brought with it the house hold radio. This revolutionized communication and how how people received information. In the encyclopedia USA Twenties there was a picture of a family sitting around a radio in the living room and enjoying the sounds form it. This one picture shows just how popular radios were and how it wasn't just one person in the family that used it but rather the entire family.
ReplyDeleteRadio now had become a big thing in normal life and so more and more radio stations had been given licenses. The licenses were needed due to the war, so that no radio waves were being blocked or interfered with. Normal broadcasting of radio stations included popular music such as jazz or other things like skits, comedy, church, sports, news, and other music. Radio was improved again by tuning waves to two specific channels named AM and FM. FM radio was used for more music because it had a better sound quality and AM was used for call in stations and sports or announcers. In the later 1900's many families had at least 5 radios in the house (not including car radios). The 1920's had changed the culture of America with the radio.
How expensive were radios during the 1920's?
DeleteThis is Michael Costa not some random person named James. The 1920s was the decade of fads and trends. So many of the fads and trends that came in to play in the 1920s inspired so many of the things that we do today. Like jazz music for example, jazz music was created from a mix of ragtime and Dixieland in the 1920s. Although jazz music isn't as big as it is today, there are still jazz musicians that are releasing music. Jazz music also helped break the "social norm" of predominantly white performers and let some Black performers like Luis Armstrong get some spotlight.
ReplyDeleteSome crazy changes were how people in the 1920s their free time. Those weird looking crossword puzzles that you always see your grandparents doing were created in the 1920s. Actually the first crossword puzzle book was published in 1924. Also Mah-jongg was introduced to the US in 1922. Mah-jongg clubs became extremely popular among older women and college students. Another huge "fad" were dance marathons called "derbies". In those derbies you would just dance until you cant dance no more. the last person dancing wins. Although these were very popular, they got outlawed because they were considered dangerous because people wouldn't stop to eat food or drink water.
Lastly, i know for a fact that we all love movies.Well if it wasn't for a very special movie called "The Jazz Singer" we might still have to just watch silent movies. "Talkies" (movies with sound) actually were not that popular back in the early 1920s, and 40% of the Hollywood talent didn't speak english. Also people didn't know how actors would adapt to the change from silent movies to talkies in general. The Jazz Singer though became an instant hit and got everyone to fall in love with talkies and is the reason why we have movies with sound now.
How did the actors adapt to the change from silent movies? Was it an easy or hard transition in their opinion?
DeleteIn one of the articles I read, it talked about how jazz music was very popular during the night life.
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ReplyDeleteThe 1920s were a decade of change culturally. An example of this would be Charles Lindbergh. Charles Lindbergh was an aviator, inventor, and writer. Lindbergh in the 1920s was famous for flying across from New York to Paris nonstop. It took Lindbergh 33 and a half hours to fly to Paris. This moment changed the world culturally. Lindbergh became an instant celebrity. Lindbergh's actions were an act of heroism risking his life. Crowds were cheering for him internationally.
ReplyDeleteLindbergh is an example of cultural change because he became a celebrity. The country needed a celebrity because the world was recently at war. Lindbergh would be famous across the country and internationally. Lindbergh was essentially being famous for something other than a politician. The 1920s needed a celebrity because with Lindbergh people wouldn't be focused on bad things at the time like politics, crime, or prohibition. Lindbergh would basically distract people from the real world. Lindbergh also brought heroism. Being a hero was huge. People would look up to Lindbergh for his actions. Fly across the Atlantic was risky at the time but Lindbergh accepted the challenge. Many tired to attempt it but some disappeared or died on the journey. Yet, Lindbergh succeeded the challenge. With Lindbergh's flight it would also pave way for more improvements in aviation. Others would try to do what he did. The 1920s was a decade of change due to Lindbergh being a hero/celebrity and helping aviation by his flight.
What challenges did he experience during the flight?
DeleteDid others who tried to do it after him succeed and/or follow what he did?
DeleteIn what ways did Lindbergh differ from those who failed in their attempts to accomplish such a flight.
DeleteIn the early 1900’s The Eighteenth Amendment (Amendment XVIII) of the United States Constitution effectively established the prohibition of alcoholic beverages in the United States by declaring illegal the production, transport, and sale of alcohol. This amendment was ratified in 1918, and repealed in 1933. Prohibition was intended to improve the lives of all Americans, to protect individuals and their families as well as society at large from the terrible effects of alcohol abuse. Alcohol was a very popular beverage and would be drunk at any time of day. Milk would spoil; water wasn't always clean so many had alcohol. Beer wasn't so harmful compared to rum and whiskey, those if had often can lead to disease and death.
ReplyDeleteAl Capone and many other bootleggers saw making profit from selling alcohol illegally during prohibition. Even when alcohol was illegal people went out of their way to get it knowing the consequences. The transportation, manufacturing, and selling of alcohol was banned. Even though it was illegal for the product to be distributed people would find ways to consume the product after the movement. Rather than the government making money, bootleggers made profit illegally.
What were the consequences of having alcohol?
DeleteDid alcohol sales increase because women started to freely drink?
DeleteHow much effort and attention was put into stopping illegal sales of alcohol during this time.
DeleteJazz became popular during the 1920’s. Many people would go to live jazz concerts during that decade. Some of the top jazz musicians at the time were King Oliver, Bix Beiderbecke, and Fletcher Henderson. The invention of the radio also made it possible to listen to jazz without going to live performances.
ReplyDeleteBecause jazz was a completely new type of music, many older people disliked it. Many people considered jazz music to be vulgar because of the way people danced to it. Jazz was a huge part of the roaring twenties when America was a rich country. The lifestyles of the 1920’s led to the Great Depression.
How were those who enjoyed Jazz music treated by others, such as older people?
DeleteIn one of my researched articles, they discussed how people loved Jazz music and how popular it was.
DeleteWhat type of music had previously been popular before jazz and how did the culture of that genre of music and the view of it differ from that of jazz?
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ReplyDeleteThe decade of 1920's was a decade of change; the 1920's influenced the world as we know today. The twenties were a time of economic and social growth for many Americans, but it also was a time of many significant improvements of film. According to the article “Movies in the 1920s”, the 1920’s film production increasingly focused on the feature of film and the sound on film technology became the greatest achievement. The 1920's movie fans experience was largely dominated by the art of silent film but also saw the introduction of the sound-on-film technology. Most of the studios started to convert from silent to sound film production at that time.
ReplyDeleteThe 1920’s was also the decade of the “Hollywood”. By the 1920’s, Hollywood had become the world’s largest producer of films, it was the world's film capital. It has the greatest studio system and star system, Hollywood had many remarkable technicians including cinematographers, editors, screenwriters, and set designers. The Hollywood had become one of the world’s leading film producers and this was largely due to the introduction of the studio system and star system. Nearly all American films were produced in Hollywood and Hollywood has controlled the majority of stars and the movie theaters, such as Warner Brothers, MGM, Charlie Chaplin, and Rudolph Valentino. One more interesting fact, the international Academy of Motion Picture and Science was also formed in 1927, today, known as the Oscars.
What was the most popular genre for movies?
DeleteIn one of the articles I read, it talked about how women started to be in Hollywood and how Clara Bow was Hollywood's "it girl".
DeleteIn the early 1920's American citizens experienced a separation of classes and unfair treatment toward immigrants. The Sacco-Vanzetti case was an example of both issues. Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were italian immigrants and considered themselves anarchists. The two men were charged with the armed robbery and murder of two men at a shoe company in Braintree, Massachusetts. Many arguments presented during their trial were disproved, and the evidence against the two was not solid and reliable. Many witnesses had stories that did not match up. Because of this, the case became one of international concern, as they were victims of prejudice.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it faded after 1920, The Red Scare had caused a wide spread concern among Americans when it came to foreigners and immigrants. Many believed that the two were convicted because of their ethnicity rather than the evidence that was found. On August 23rd, 1927 the two men were executed by electric chair. The Sacco-Vanzetti case shows that the 1920's were a decade of unfair treatment and discrimination.
After the 19th Amendment was created and passed, women suddenly branched out and had a drastic change to their apparel, attitudes, and working style. Many people found this new change to be a statement to the women movement.
ReplyDeleteDuring the 1920’s women had a drastic change in their style. Before the early 1920’s, women dressed in very conservative dresses, skirts, and shirts. During this time period, women dressed in short dresses, all dolled up, and with very short hair styles. Women were soon called “Flappers” for this new style change. Women were viewed to have a boyish look with this new style. This was viewed as a statement and step towards the women movement. “The Flapper still flaunted the makeup and tight dresses, but the Flapper's new lifestyle was drinking, smoking, and intercourse” (Dictionary of American History). Women also became very confident, independent, and free. Women would smoke and drink with no care in the world. Women also had sexual intentions. Their sexual life was liberated. The term "plastic" was used for all the free, confident, liberated women in the 1920's. Birth control was given out to girls. Many women and girls attended to sporting practices like tennis. The new women changed to better and happier women with the sexual liberation. For work, women worked in the house. They sewed, cleaned, baked, etc. "Woman, Modern: Housewife and Consumer/ Sexual Freedom.", discussed how women were the “full of life” housewives. Everything women did around the house was done with a smile. Many women went to bakeries to buy breads for dinner. This decreased the employment for women in bakeries.
Overall through the 1920’s, the new change in women was very recognized. Women were known for dressing very eccentrically and for their short bobbed haircuts. They were confident, independent, and powerful. Women showed they could do things men do. The women of this time, made a social statement by this change.
I read that some people thought the women who partied and drank and smoked threw every decent standard away. Did you find anything like that?
DeleteThe "Lost Generation" was the generation that had grown up during or directly after the end of the first World War. Many great authors were part of this generation, such as Ernest Hemingway and E.E. Cummings. This generation was greatly opposed to the post-war ideas, believing that the US was not sophisticated enough or cultured. The writers of this generation moved to Europe to make a living.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest change that this caused was in the literary scene. Authors wrote about their discontent with American culture, and it spread. Recurring themes also appear in their books and novels. Characters would enjoy luxury that would be improper to the American middle class, and were disconnected from spirituality, especially after what the had seen during battles in WW1. This generation saw whatever was wrong with America and publicized it, bringing forth new ideas about how people live.
~Mac
The Lost Generation is term describing those coming of age during World War 1. It is most commonly used to describe the American authors and poets whose works were published after this time. Some famous and well known authors, involved with the lost generation, are Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, E.E. Cummings, and Hart Crane. Gertrude Stein was the one who came up with the phrase during a conversation with Ernest Hemingway saying, “You are all a lost generation”. Ernest Hemingway at the time had many new novels being published and he actually made it a popular concept when he included it as an epigraph in his novel The Sun Also Rise.
ReplyDeleteThe American authors felt a bohemian lifestyle would be far more appealing than remaining in a place where virtuous behavior no longer existed, faith in religion was broken, and a connection to morality was questionable at best. They would express this in their writings and when published, it would give the audience different perspectives to view. This shows how the literature changed during the 1920s because now authors were writing against America lifestyles and people were noticing. Eventually most of the writers would immigrate to Europe because it was better than living in America.
Advertisings popularity grew immensely in the 1920s. There was only a short economic depression after World War I before it took a turn for the better, in fact it was thriving. Businesses took advantage of this and began creating a wide variety of products. Everyone wanted to have the latest and greatest product so they could make a beneficial profit from the spending consumers. In order to spread word of their product businesses turned to advertisers.
ReplyDeleteAdvertisements were in newspapers, magazines, and on the radio. Radio was also a rising product at the time. Businesses branded their products to create a name for themselves in their advertisements. Advertisements glamorized products. For example Lucky Striker cigarettes. Smoking was made to show class and wealth. Some businesses also used famous faces to bring in consumers. Amelia Air-Hart was the face of the Lucky Strikers cigarette advertisements. By the end of the 1920s advertisers supplied practically every big brand business.
The 1920's was the era of independent women. Women in the 20's were known as flappers. Flappers changed society's views on the traditional women. They cut their long locks into short boyish bobs, they were no longer wearing long conservative dresses but wore short flashy dresses. They were also banding their chests to give them a more boyish look even though they started to wear more makeup. Flappers were very active in the night life at the club, they started to drink and smoke and be more sexual to others. The sexual freedom of the women encouraged the use of birth control to all women. Women discovered the freedom of their life to go along with the freedom of their new look. Women started getting day jobs, getting an education and learned they do not need a man to control their life. Employment of women increased from 8.3 million to 10.6 million between 1920-1930 and also the enrollment of women in colleges doubled in the time period. "Bolder, freer, better educated than her foremothers, the much-discusses "new women" of the 1920's self-consciously discarded the restraints on behavior that had earlier seemed indispensable to the preservation of female morality."(A New Women Emerges After World War One)
ReplyDeleteDuring the 1920's, women made a cultural change in their everyday lives. They were no longer following "dress codes" from past generations, they started to smoke, drink and sexual free. They also freed themselves from men, by getting an education and a job. Flappers to the society were known as very independent women.
As the world progressed through the aftermath of World War I the United States underwent an economic boom throughout the majority of the 1920’s. This increase in economic prosperity resulted due to an increase in productivity and efficiency through the implementation of the assembly line as well as the use of payment plans allowing for a larger base of consumers for the multitude of products being created. Additionally, through this use of payment plans the debt of American consumers increased, businesses prospered, and a greater number of businesses became publicly traded leading to a rise in the stock market. Finally, as the stock market grew more popular and the economy continued to prosper many individuals, companies, and banks drew upon bank loans to invest in the stock market and through such speculation stock prices soared resulting in a market bubble to be burst in 1929. This burst and subsequent crash occurred in the wake of increased volatility of the market in September, 1929 and a loss of confidence in the market by investors as described by federalreservehistory.org.
ReplyDeleteAs the confidence dropped, panic ensued and what was once an economic boom resulted in a mass rush to withdraw from the market and restrict losses upon the surplus of loans made. Such a panicked rush to sell was described by the account of a margin clerk at the time in which a lack of information led to increased panic as to whether the investors had gotten out of the market before losing their life savings. Additionally, as the selling rush continued the market went into free fall with attempts to repair the situation failing as the confidence in the security of such a volatile market could not be restored. While this event of the 1929 stock market crash was initially thought to be a contained event, it soon affected the rest of the nation through businesses and banks failing due to their investments in the stock market at the time which then led to increased unemployment and the Great Depression. Overall, the 1920’s was a decade of economic change as both the stock market and national economy transformed from the bustling, productive economy seen throughout the majority of the decade to the unemployment and economic constrain described within the Great Depression.
The 1920s brought a lot to the world, and a lot changed in this time period. This era was known for the controversy of Darwin's Theory of Evolution, and the belief that God is the sole creator of all life on Earth. By 1920 Darwins book explaining his theory of evolution had been around for over 60 years. However, a theory isn't necessarily the truth. In 1925 the Tennessee house of representatives proposed a law against teaching the theory of evolution. This law was passed (75-5 vote) under the name of The Butler Bill. Later in 1925 a man named John Scopes tested the law by teaching his students (only as a substitute) about the theory of evolution. On July, 15 1925 judge Raulston overruled the defenses claim of the Butler Bill as unconstitutional. Even though forcing a child to believe in something they may not believe in is against the First Amendment. This trial was the first trial ever broadcasted on the radio in history, and in the end scopes was convicted and charged a 100 dollar fine.
ReplyDeleteThis case differs a lot compared to how school is now. In todays public schools teachers aren't allowed to teach about religion, because kids are wanted to believe in what they want to believe or what they are raised to believe. In biology classes today students learn a lot about Darwin's theory of evolution, and whether you believe in it or not, you have to learn about it.
What did John Scopes teach his students as a substitute in 1925 to test the law, and how did it go?
DeleteThe 1920s was an era of change for the sports industry. In the 1920s many sports became serious and popular, the sports that changed the most were football, baseball, and boxing. These sports were looked at differently before the mid 1920s. For example boxing was looked at as a repulsive sport made for criminals and uncertain characters, it wasn't until the government interfered with the sport to stop the gambling around it that people fell in love with it and almost all males would participate in it. Football was merely a hobby, men would get together in the morning and make up some plays and use it in the afternoon. It was until Joe E. Carr an experienced sports promoter transformed the league. In 1921 the league was renamed to the National Football League. It became very popular and was started to be played at the high school and collegiate level. The stands were crowded at almost all the football events at all levels, college's students and alumni would fill the stands so much that they started building stadiums for the fans. By the end of the 1920s college football brought in and estimated amount of $21.5 million, $4.5 more than professional baseball that year. The game of baseball changed when everyone started to watch or listen to him on the radio. People would stop what they're doing just to listen, this is how the term "couch potato" was made. The biggest thing that caused this golden age for sports was that after the war America was eager to work and to play. Prosperity, or at least the expectation of prosperity, characterized the nation. Citizens in increasing numbers were leaving farms to take jobs in the burgeoning industrial cities, and Americans' personal incomes improved significantly. By 1925, 40 percent of workers in the United States earned at least $2,000 annually which would adequately if not extravagantly support a family of four and many enjoyed shortened workweeks, which gave them increased leisure time. America wanted to spend money and that's where the attraction to sports came in and that it sprouted up so quickly.
ReplyDeleteIn the 1920s the KKK were a bad bunch of people to be around. They were crooked and brutal especially immigrants including Black, Latino, and Asian descents. the rise of the KKK in the 1920s was caused by a rise of European immigrants at the time. The KKK started at around 400,000 in 1917 all the way to 2,000,000 by the end of 1920. These guys were not your average ghost you see on Halloween asking for candy. They would barge into corner store demanding protection money from immigrants. The KKK act similar to modern day gangs. Shootings, kidnapping, murder, and corrupting government officials. The KKK is known with 16 accounts of corrupting and rigging elections. With all the documents i observed I have to say that in my opinion the KKK were just simply a large group of southern men who use aggressive force to show their feelings about the so called "unwanted rise in immigrants.
ReplyDeleteWhat methods did the KKK use to spread the word and expand from 400,000 - 2,000,000 in just 3 years?
DeleteBaseball in the 1920's we looked at as a beacon of hope for all classes and races. One of the topics it went in depth on was the Cleveland Indians when they had a 5-2 victory over the Brooklyn robins in the World Series. Babe Ruth was one of the most iconic players in baseball history and he played some of his best years during the 1920's. People would look up to babe Ruth as a hero. During the Great Depression baseball is something that would bring people together of all classes and races. Baseball started to get more popular as time went on and now it is one of the most well known sports in the world.
ReplyDeletewhy was Babe Ruth considered one of the most Iconic players in the game at the time?
DeleteThe newly introduced movie industry and its crowd appealing flics made the amount of trips to the theater explode, and this led to many changes in America. The 1920's was a decade of great change, innovations, and expansion for the movie industry which led to the growth of attendance at the theaters. The new films of the time recorded with sound after “talkies” had everybody excited to check out the theaters. The demand for more show times from the people was what helped out the industry mostly, resulting in a big step forward for the industry due to the technological change in theaters.
ReplyDeleteA cultural change was present as well after it became a more popular social outing to visit the movies in spare time. The movies eventually became a frequent social outing for many people in America, a positive social and cultural change that the movie industry needed in order to keep progressing with their steady improvements was had. Distribution, exhibition and production were controlled separately by different groups of producers in the early years of the film industry. When these grew a dictatorship was formed with all 3 functions to maximize the profits that came in from vertical integration, which had a positive impact on the economics of America. The 1920’s was a decade of technological, economic, and cultural change, made happen by the manufacturers and salesmen who started producing the first movies.