Roaring Twenties Flashcards
Radio and Sports
1920s known as the “golden age of sport” where Babe Ruth became the most famous sportsman. This was with the help of radio.
1920 first radio station called KDKA and by 1930, 40% of American homes had a radio.
What was the importance of Hollywood and Cinema?
By 1926 there were more than 17,000 cinemas in the US with actors like Charlie Chaplin gaining fame. Hollywood became the center of film production with stars moving to LA.
People thought Hollywood portrayed loose morals so the Hays Code was set up to limit immorality on screen like no on screen nudity.
What were the social advances for women?
By 1930, 2 million more women were in a job but mostly unskilled.
Given the vote in 1920.
1924 Nellie Tayloe became first female governor of a state.
Divorce was more common with 200,000 divorces in 1929.
Flappers came about with women being more revealing, smoking and drinking.
1/3 of university degrees were gained by women
Why was the Prohibition introduced?
Female reformers claimed there were links between drunkenness and domestic abuse of women. And Ford said drinking reduced efficiency and output of work and religious groups saw it as sinful.
There were anti-German sentiment from WWI as many brewers were German so it was unpatriotic and beer was named “The Kaiser’s Brew”
Effects of the Prohibition
Speakeasies which were illegal bars operated under the law, in ?NYC there were more than 30,000 by 1930. Owners had to bride the police to stay open.
Smuggling was rampant from Europe, Mexico and Canada.
Brewing industry was crippled, 589 breweries were permanently closed down even after the Prohibition.
Deaths from alcoholism fell by 80% but deaths by poisoned alcohol use rose to 50,000 by 1926.
Rise of gangsterism
Al Capone was the most famous gangster of the time, half of Chicago is on his payroll.
Was seen by many as glamorous and moved into high society and he gave food and clothes to the needy.
Was arrested in 1931 and led to the end of the age of gangsters.
St Valentines day massacre
1929 Al Capone’s gang shot 7 people of the Bugs Moran gang in broad daylight
What was the Red Scare?
USA feared Communism from Russia after the 1917 October Revolution. Americans discriminated all socialists and communists. 4000-6000 suspected communists arrested across 36 cities.
Anti-immigration policy
1917- Literacy test, they were really hard to make poor migrants fail and not be able to immigrate.
1921- Immigration Quota Act where only 3% of the number of current immigrants in 1910 were allowed per year.
1924- National Origins Act where quota reduced to 2% of the 1890s census
1929- immigration Act where no Asians and Eastern Europeans were allowed in.
What were the Jim Crow laws?
Laws that segregated blacks from whites in schools and public places. They were denied good jobs, voting and freedom.
What were the music and dance crazes?
Jazz and the Charleston were trendy and came from Voodoo dances and more conservative people didn’t like it as dancing were “divorce-feeders” and it was linked to sexual excess.
What was the significance of the KKK?
A white supremacist group wanting to reinforce white power with anti foreign attitudes and that WASPs are superior. They claimed to have more than 5 million members in 1925 and lynched black people.
What was the significance of the Monkey Trials?
Made religious fundamentalists in the Bible Belt region seem really foolish and unbanned the Theory of Evolution from the South.
