Lindsay-+Life+in+the+Twenties

=__**Life in the Twenties**__=


 * P R O H I B I T I O N**

In January1919, the sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages were banned with support of progressive reformers. Many reformers thought that prohibition reduced the efficiency of soldiers and workers when it was a crucial period for them to be focused on the war. Moreover, they thought that alcohol was a huge impact to crime, family violence and poverty. That October, Congress passed the Volstead Act to enforce the amendment. However, in spite of strict enforcement in some regions, many parts of the country ignored the prohibition. In fact gangs started to control the liquor sales and illegal acts increased. Al Capone, ruled Chicago’s underworld with his mobsters and waged violent wars with rival gangs. Therefore, Eliot Ness, a special agent was hired to bring this violence to an end. He organized a top squad, which was nicknamed the Untouchables later, and in 1931, they terminated Capone’s reign. Although the prohibition brought about some positive effects such as number of alcohol-related deaths decline, the negative results drew more attention.


 * Y O U T H C U L T U R E**


 * The “new woman.”**

After the World War I, women started to rise above the surface. They started to reject the values of the previous generations and created their own: they were unconventional. Their behaviors reflected upon their style of clothing and occupations. For example, they exercised new freedom in how they dressed. They did not wear long and heavy skirts or corsets but wore short skirts with transparent silk hose. They were called “flappers.” Their dynamic change in style was a reaction against a strict code of behavior during the World War I. Therefore this caught the attention of the media and style became even more popular. “New Women” also sought economic independence; therefore there were variety of occupations: taxis, telegraph lines, stenographers, pilots and other old jobs like nursing or teaching.


 * College Life**

In the early 1900s, average Americans did not pass the education of high school. However between 1900s and 1930, college enrollment tripled. The college students mostly came from the middle and upper class. And these students influenced popular culture with their “collegiate” looks: baggy flannel slacks and sports jackets.


 * Leisure Fun and Fads**

New leisure activities and variety of fads spread among Americans in the 1920s. Dance marathons, flagpole and beauty contests were especially popular. For dance marathons, couples danced for days until the last couple to collapse, competing for prize money. To keep their partners awake, couples used smelling salts or ice packs. For the beauty contest, it was just like the Miss America for today—contestants would have to look beautiful to win this. Lastly, the flagpole sitting attracted the most attention from the media. Although it was a non-active, sedentary game, because of the sitter’s amazing endurance, many people enjoyed watching the contest. A popular flagpole sitter was Alvin “Shipwreck” Kelly who sat for 145 days on flagpoles.


 * M A S S E N T E R T A I N M E N T**

The economic boom of the 1920s left many Americans with free time and bigger paychecks. They needed something to fill up their time with…


 * Radio**

One of the leisure that became popular was radio programming. Many people bought radio receivers and listened. Stations broadcast church services, local news reports, music, and sporting events. Radio stations soon discovered that they could make money by selling advertisement spots. So they allowed businesses to sponsor programs and thus advertise their products. In the late 1920s, national radio networks such as National Broadcasting Company (NBC) began offering local radio networks packages of programs to broadcast. They provided Americans to share cultural experience.


 * Movie**

With the spare of time, movies became popular in the 1920s. As they became more indulged with the movies, art of moviemaking was significantly advanced and thus attracted more people. Such films like Why Change Your Wife (1920) and The Ten Commandment (1923) were created: they focused on certain themes like the bible or morals. Many of these movies were made in Hollywood, California, which was quickly replacing New York and New Jersey as a filmmaking capital—till today. Moreover, the silent film actors were gaining popularity: Lon Chaney and Charlie Chaplin captivated moviegoers. Nevertheless in the 1920s the rapidly changing standards of morality portrayed in films troubled many Americans such as The Sheik. Therefore, movies started to be censored.

Again for entertainment, people turned to sports to spare time. In the 1920s, professional sports became a form of mass entertainment to almost all Americans. Football and baseball attracted many fans—and remains the nation’s most popular sport despite changes of corruption. Back in the 1920s, college football stars like Red Grange joined professional teams and attracted even more fans than before. In baseball, although there were some scandals like “Black Sox” involved White Sox players’ bribery (accused of accepting money to lose the 1919 World series), baseball was extraordinarily entertaining for the people. The fans heard the games through radio broadcasts.
 * Sports**


 * Books and Magazines**

Monthly and weekly publications provided Americans with sources of information and entertainment. The books and magazines were even “custom-made” for the busy Americans: they were shortened and it was a big success. Some famous weekly magazines were the Collier’s and The Saturday Evening Post. It was like the New York Times back then.


 * C E L E B R I T I E S AND H E R O E S**

As the movies, radio and sports became very popular, young Americans paid special attention to celebrities’ personal habits. They often copied their style and behaviors—whether it was a good or bad. Even athletes were on the celebrity status. The baseball player, Babe Ruth, and intercollegiate sports player, Jim Thorpe were the popular ones that attracted attention. Jon Thorpe ran the pentathlon and decathlon. Charles Lindbergh was a pilot that won the contest for flying nonstop from New York to Paris for 33.5 hours. The next year, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean.


 * R E L I G I O N**

Although many people enjoyed other leisure, religon remained a vital part of American culture.


 * Revivalism**

Many Americans, although religion was a essential part of their culture, worried about declining in moral standards. Therefore religious leaders used media to denounce the evils of popular entertainment and alcohol. These religious leaders inspired a new era of revivalism. Aimee Semple McPherson was a popular revivalist preacher in the 1920s. She, however, seemed to be influenced by the movie industry. She combined a Christian message with the glamour of Hollywood. Her church, International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, was closely tied to rapidly expanding Protestant movement called Pentecostalism.


 * Fundamentalism**

Many Americans turned to more conservative approach to their religious faith. Fundamentalism gained strong popularity during the era and those believers believed every word of the Bible should be regarded “literally true.” They attacked the Christian liberals who had accepted modern scientific theory of evolution. Therefore evangelical producers or fundamentalists who spread “old time religion” found urban areas that were still strongly traditional. HE attracted people with his rousing attacks on card playing, dancing and drinking.


 * The Scopes of Trial**

Early in 1925m the teaching of Charles Darwin’s theory of human evolution in the state’s public schools was outlawed in Tennessee legislature. John Scopes challenged the statute with the guarantee of American Civil Liberties Union’s defense. His attorney was Clarence Darrow and on the opposite was William Jenning Bryans fighting against the theory of revolution. He voiced for the people who deeply cared about the religious beliefs. Clarence Darrow attacked Tennessee law as a threat to free expression. He also said that once they listen to the law, the preachers and lecturers will overpower us. “Today it is the public school teachers, tomorrow the private, the next day the preachers and lecturers, the magazines, the books, the newspapers.” Bryan affirmed his belief in the literal truth of the Bible. Darrow tried to reveal inconsistencies in his interpretation of scripture, but he failed to convince the jury.

Question for Review:

1. How did U.S. economy contribute to their mass entertainment? 2. What were the fundamentalists going against in the Scopes Trial? 3. What did the Volstead Act stop? 4. Who was the first woman to fly across the Pacific? 5. Name two reasons why the Prohibition did not work out. 6. What were the religious leaders trying to revive? 7. Name three leisure fun that they enjoyed in the 1920s. 8. Who is McPherson? 9. What was the "Black Sox" about? 10. Who is the leader of the gangstas during the prohibition act?

Notes from the Textbook. Images from google.com