Notes For 2/19/09

Today we watched a video about the early twentieth century, specifically the 1920's.
Here are some notes from the movie.

• 1920's: U.S. was tired of idealistic crusades like making the world "safe for democracy"
• Most people joined Harding's train of thought in a return to "normalcy" which was the 1920's culture
• The old ways i.e. family lifestyles religious thought etc. was replaced with a consumer lifestyle and and emphasis on spending and fun.
• 1920's were known as the "3rd industrial revolution"
• Had mostly high standards of living due to technological innovation (electricity, radio, appliances)
• the shift from coal to electricity doubled productivity.
  
• industries switched from making things like steel to consumer products like appliances and automobiles

U.S. Industry

• Ford wanted to make cars available for everyone.
  
• he created the assembly line where production time was cut from 12 hours to 2 hours
• He paid his workers a whole $5 which was higher then what other companies paid because he needed the workers to stay
• Across U.S. companies raised wages to increase the buying potential of workers and gave them benefits like vacations
• credit emerged which allowed for more purchasing of finer goods like cars and appliances
  
• also made most luxury items available to everyone.
  
• GM decided to model fashion (no pun intended) and make a new model every year for cars.
  
• This made consumer feel dissatisfied and more likely to purchase more.
• 
  

Cities

• increased population
• new cities emerged with luxuries like movies
• suburbs grew in proportion to cities
• only the wealth lived in suburbs

the car changed all aspects of life:

• some thought they were antireligious because people would take sunday drives instead of going to church
• they brought about drive in movies and banks
• they shut down small town business because people could drive to big city stores

Consumerism/Women

• people had to have shifts in behavior and values in order to fit the consumer lifestyle
• women had changes in lives from right to vote
• more women were employed and going to school then ever before
• they engaged in sports and threw of other earlier restraints on life
• the cut their hair to be short, they smoked, drank, wore dark lipstick (single young females only)
• women started engaging in consumer culture and decided what to buy
  

Electricity

• changed homes by giving use of appliances and radio
• appliances made chores easier so women could do more outside the home
• farmers didn't benefit from electricity

Ads

• modernized from war posters to consumer products
• ads were everywhere in magazines radio etc
• they tapped into the desires, fears loves and impulses of the people
• women especially affected:
  
• They had "new beauty" where ads would ask the readers if they thought they were beautiful enough and force women to buy cosmetics to appear presentable
  

Movies

• Movies brought fantasy to life
• they mocked old ways and put fourth new ideas and new aspects in sexuality
• in 1920's movies were very controversial (ya sure)
• They challenged family values
• movies gave heros and redefined feminimity, beauty and masculinity
• they were leisure exploits
• ceebrated night life and new music

Jazz/Harlem Renaissance

• new controverisal music from black communities
• originiated in Louisiana
• Harlem became center of black community
• Marcus Garvey could be found there where he had 1/2 million followers for his version of black freedom
• His auxiliary groups like the black cross encouraged black pride
• new negro emerged from the Harlem events/people
• Harlem Renaissance was a grouping of black music, lit, art that expressed the "black identity"
• Jazz drew whites to illegal nightclubs where they served alchohal
• Most nightclubs owned by whites who wouldn't let any blacks in unless it was for work
• Whites took up the music as their own and the radio spread it everywhere

Culture clashes

• some not happy with Jazz Age and consumerism
• people feared that U.S. would become a country of lawbreakers
• 18th amendment made alchohal illegal
• the experiment broke down and crime syndicates distributed it
• although many were for consumerism there was a great deal who were traditional
• WW1 helped fear of foreigners grow
• New KKK accused Catholics of listening to the pope over the government and being unamerican and Jews of spreading immorality
• KKK appealed to midwest protestants
• they controlled 3 state governments and had 5 million members
• U.S. set immigration laws for Europe and elminated Asian immigration
• Mexicans were allowed in though
• Nation split into two cultures traditional protestant and modern
  
• Tenn. outlawed evolution teachings and scopes taught it anyways
• Bryan rushed to prosecute while Darrow defended scopes in "monkey Trial"
• In the end Darrow made Bryan look stupid but scopes was found guilty
  

• Sports and Other famous events
  
• 1926 Philidelphia hosted large boxing spectacle where 1 boxer was tradtionalist and fundamentalist and the other was a modern Irish Catholic
• the modernist won the fight
• sports gained popularity with atheletes like Babe Ruth
• Charles "lucky lindy" Lindberg became the first solo pilot to cross the atlantic and became a hero.
  

Final notes

• people believed that capitalism would bring a better world
• Coolige said the U.S. placed a great amount of faith in business
• U.S. prosperity rested on unsteady loans and foundations
• speculative investments caused the stock market crash of 1929 and the greatest depression in U.S. history
  

Don't forget to study for the test tomorrow, good luck everyone

John