consumerism – after the sacrifices of the war era, several factors combined to allow Americans to purchase consumer goods at affordable prices, creating a new consumer culture
new products were developed and new technologies, including electricity, sparked consumer interest
automobiles had the biggest impact on American life in 1920s
replaced the railroad industry as the key to economic growth
allowed freedom of travel and required more attention to road construction
other industries depended on autos (steel, glass, rubber, gasoline, roads)
mass production (assembly lines) permitted the faster, cheaper production of a large supply of goods (which also meant lower cost for those goods)
mass media advertising tactics (magazine ads, billboards) preyed on the public’s desire for more consumer goods, using persuasion and seduction to entice buyers
Bruce Barton’s The Man Nobody Knows (1925)
Barton depicts Jesus Christ as “the founder of modern business” and “the world’s greatest business executive”
the book presented a strong Jesus, which brought Christianity to many businessmen; but it also epitomized the pseudo-religious nature of business in 1920s America
installment plans (credit) allowed Americans to purchase more expensive items (radios, autos) and make payments over time
radio
the first radio station was KDKA in Pittsburgh
by 1930, over 800 stations existed nationwide and radios were in 1/3 of all homes
national stations (NBC, CBS) allowed people to listen to same programs nationwide; facilitating development of a national culture and lessening regional differences
movies
over 80 M movie tickets were sold per week in the 1920s (US pop. was 110 M)
"talkies" – the first motion pictures with sound
Al Jolson starred (performing in “blackface”) in first “talkie,” The Jazz Singer
celebrities – for the first time, America had non-political or non-military heroes of national fame
athletes included: Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, Gertrude Ederle, Jim Thorpe
entertainers included: actors (Rudolph Valentino, Greta Garbo, Clara Bow, Charlie Chaplin), musicians (Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, George Gershwin)
popular heroes included: Charles Lindbergh (Spirit of St. Louis),Amelia Earhart
Women and the Family
the 19th Amendment (1920) marked the beginning of a change in women's roles; contrary to some men's fears, women did not vote as a bloc
women at home
time-saving new appliances eased household burdens on homemaking women
this did not necessarily increase the number of women in workforce, however; the modest increases in working women during WWI were lost soon afterward as men returned home in search of hard-to-find jobs
"flappers" – young, rebellious, modern women who symbolized the “new woman” of the 1920s
flappers defied traditional mores by wearing short skirts, short hair, makeup, and dancing the Charleston
despite their symbolic importance, most American women in the 1920s were not flappers and frowned on this rebellious trend
significant trends for women and the family
divorces increased
birthrate declined due to marriage at later age and increased use of birth control
adolescence was becoming a more distinct stage of life, and non-working children were struggling to conform to the traditional expectations of their parents
Charles Burchfield –paintings stressed effect of industrialism on small-town America
"Lost Generation" of American writers
refers to the 1920s authors who were disillusioned by (and thus bitterly condemned) the ideals of the older generation, who had led the world into WWI; they scorned the sacrifice and romanticism of war
they also rejected the materialism of the 1920s consumer culture; they repudiated the glorification of industry and business
many turned to alcohol or left America for Europe, particularly Paris
prominent “Lost Generation” writers included:
F. Scott Fitzgerald – This Side of Paradise, The Great Gatsby
Ernest Hemingway – The Sun Also Rises, For Whom the Bell Tolls
Sinclair Lewis – Main Street, Babbitt
Ezra Pound (expatriate poet)
T.S. Eliot (poet) – The Waste Land, The Hollow Men
The Harlem Renaissance and Jazz
during World War I, many African-Americans migrated North to fill jobs; by 1930, almost 20% of blacks lived in the North, many concentrating in the Harlem neighborhood of NYC
the Harlem Renaissance refers to a collection of talented actors, artists, musicians, writers, who developed a unique and sophisticated black culture centered in Harlem
southern blacks brought jazz music north to St. Louis, Kansas City, Chicago, and eventually New York; jazz and the blues caught on nationwide in the 1920s
jazz became a symbol for the carefree, rebellious, and modern attitude of the 1920s
eventually, fraudulent sale of stocks got him jailed and deported to Jamaica
Garvey’s ideals of black nationalism and independence helped inspire the “black pride” movement of the late 1960s and 1970s, most notably in groups like the Nation of Islam and the Black Panthers