Key Social and Cultural changes in the 'Jazz Age' Flashcards
1
Q
What was the position of women before 1920s?
A
- Very much second class citizens before 1917
- played no part in politics and no right to vote
- social position restricted - limited employment ops
2
Q
How did WW1 influence the position of women?
A
- over a mill women helped with war effort
- approx 90,000 served in US armed forces in Europe e.g as clerks, nurses and chemists
- Army enlisted more than 21,000: e.g. as clerks, journalist and translators
- Women also worked in traditionally male roles: e.g engineering + transport
- proved women could do jobs just as well as men + encouraged greater freedom
- e.g smoking and going out unchaporoned
- contributed to voting rights argument
3
Q
When did women get right to vote?
A
- Nineteenth Amendment gave American women right to vote in 1920
- gave them greater political power + encouraged campaign for further change
4
Q
How did the consumer boom influence women’s rights?
A
- provided exciting ops for women
- labour saving devices: vacuum cleaners and washing machines: prov extra time which enabled women into employment
- gave ops for leisure and recreational activities
5
Q
How did “Jazz Age” influence women’s movement?
A
- brought changes to entertainment and leisure
- popularity of cinema, radio and dance halls provided further ops for women
- E.g Mary Pickford and Clara Bow became stars of silent movies
6
Q
How did the position of women in employment change?
A
- 1930: 2 million more women employed than had been 10 years earlier
- these tended to be unskilled low paid jobs
- 1/3 of uni degrees awarded to women in 1930
- new career opportunities but for “women’s jobs” - librarians and nurses
7
Q
How did the position of women not change?
A
- only 4% of university professors were women
- medical schools only allocated 5% of places to women
- women doctors declined in 1920s
- Men paid a lot more than women for same jobs
- Supreme Court banned attempts to set minimum wages for women
- 1927: gov took side of employers when women textile workers in Tennessee went on strike for better pay
- arrested by local police
8
Q
How did the position of women in politics change?
A
- given right to vote 1920
- increase in political power
- Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming became first women to be elected gov of a state in 1924
- 1926: Bertha knight Landes became first female mayor of a city, Seattle
9
Q
In what ways did the position of women not improve in politics?
A
- Political parties did not see them as realistic candidates for political office
- By 1920, only a handful of female politicians
- Most women - little interest in politics
- Women’s movement failed to get Equal Rights Amendment Act passed - which would have given them equality in law with men
10
Q
In what ways did women and birth control develop as a movement?
A
- Margaret Sanger drew attention to abortion
- back-street abortions killed as many as 50,000 women a year
- wrote articles on contraception
- Comstock Act of 1873 banned distribution of both written articles on contraception and items through US mail
- Arrested in 1916 for opening the first contraception clinic in US
- 1921: she founded the American Birth Control League
11
Q
In what ways did women and birth control not develop as such?
A
- Many supporters of Eugenics supported birth control - felt poor should be discouraged from breeding
- particularly regarding non-white ethnic groups
- Sanger herself began to promote sterilisation for mentally handicapped
- birth control movement criticised for association with Eugenics
12
Q
Who were the flappers?
A
- greatest change known as flappers
- In 1920s, a N. of women generally from middle and upper class families living in North
- challenged traditional attitudes to and of the appearance of women
- tried to show a greater independence and freedom in appearance and social life
13
Q
What was the opposition towards flappers?
A
- seen as too extreme by many traditional groups inc religious societies
- Older generations criticised lifestyle of flappers and formed Anti-Flirt Leagues
- Others saw flappers as simply pleasure-seeking women with few other attributes
14
Q
What were the limitations of flappers in contribution to the women’s movement?
A
- Focus on flappers conceals reality for most women in 1920s
- reinforced gender stereotypes rather than focus on serious issues
- reserved for upper class white women
15
Q
Entertainment:
How did sport expand in the 1920s?
A
- sport –> important part of lives of many US citizens
- 1920s renamed “Golden Age of Sport”
- Baseball, football, horse racing and tennis captured imagination of many - Baseball most pop
- Babe Ruth most pop sporting star of time
- 1924: 67,000 watched the football match between Illinois and Michigan in Baltimore, Maryland
- 1926, ~ 145,000 saw boxing match between Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney
16
Q
Entertainment:
How was baseball in particular so successfull?
A
- saw significant N. of supremely gifted players
- e.g. Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig
- captured public imagination in 1920s
- massive stadium built such as West Side Grounds in Chicago
- Babe Ruth himself: influential to younger generation: smoked and drank openly
17
Q
Entertainment:
How did development of sport benefit AA?
A
- 1920: formation of Negro National Baseball League
- sport largely segregated and AA players excluded from major league teams
- played gamed to mixed crowds
- East-West All Star game could attract crowds of 30,000
- players earned less than half salaries of white counterparts
- Negro leagues amongst the biggest AA owned businesses in US
18
Q
How did the radio expand in 1920s?
A
- By 1922 there were 500 stations dotted across USA
- NBC set up 1926 and CBS in 1927
- Estimated 50 mil people listened to 1927 boxing match between Gene Tunney and Jack Dempsey
- Expensive: typical model cost $150 - usually paid on credit
- By 1927, 1/3 of money spent on furniture spent on radios
- Between 1923 and 1930, 60% of all American families purchased one
- sales grew from $60 mil in 1923 to $842 6 years later
19
Q
Impact of radios on advertising and generally?
A
- huge attraction for advertising
- 1929, toothpaste company Pepsodent began to sponsor popular comedy series Amos ‘n’ Andy on NBC
