The Roaring Twenties:

The Roaring Twenties: A Cultural Phenomenon By: Jessica Salazar

The Zing of a new Beginning The 1920’s defined a turning point in American culture. The era introduced automobiles, mass production, women suffrage, the youth movement, candid literature and the Jazz Age. The parallel between the strict moralistic Victorian era and the roaring twenties was unfathomable. Since the 1920’s, Victorian values were never seen again. Society, as they knew it, was going to change forever…

All That Jazz • The 1920’s is also known as The Jazz Age. • This was a time of freedom for the young generation, as WWI came to an end. • Youths disregarded long held traditions and values that had been intact since the 1800s. • The Jazz age introduced modernism and revolutionized social behavior.

Fluorescent Adolescence • The 1920’s was a revival for the teenage population as styles of dressing, speaking and acting changed drastically. Young people were finally able to experience their youth and seek new thrills, which sparked the “youth movement”. Youthful rebellion was just beginning as some adolescents experimented with alcohol, adventure and sex.

The Range of American Slang Another significant cultural shock in the 1920s was the language. Here are some examples of slang (which might sound familiar): • Blind date ~ going out with someone you don’t know • Beat it ~ Get lost • Clam~ A dollar • Doll ~ Attractive Woman • Edge ~ Intoxication, a buzz • Flyboy ~ aviator • Java ~ Coffee • Joint ~ Club • Pushover ~ Someone who is easily convinced or seduced • Ritzy ~ Elegant • Swanky ~ *see Ritzy • Wet blanket ~ Kill joy • You slay me~ You kill me

The Dapper Flapper • The flapper was the heroine of the twenties. The term was coined by critic H. L. Mencken to define a young woman who broke the mold of the ideal Victorian woman. A flapper wore make-up, short dresses, short hair and heels. She rebelled against society and was witty, chatty and vivacious. Most importantly, the flapper broke traditions which were never recovered, the idea of women had irrevocably changed forever. Some famous flappers are Clara Bow and Colleen Moore.

Flappers “The word "flapper" described a young woman who rebelled against convention. Like jazz music, the gangster, & the speakeasy, the rebellious & fun-loving flapper was a product of 1920s urban America. Most American women were not flappers, but the flapper's shocking behavior set a tone that helped many women explore Jazz Age freedoms without fear." ~ Chicago Historical Society

Women’s Rights Reach New Heights The League of Women Voters • In the 1920s women attained more freedom then ever before. • Women garnered the right to vote, when the nineteenth amendment was ratified in 1920. • Although women suffrage didn’t make a great impact, feminism still flourished. • The Nation Woman’s party presented an Equal Rights Amendment to congress. • Women increasingly acquired jobs, which was very rare in previous years. • Gender roles were challenged, but not significantly changed. • Outside the realm of social growth, women created the “new woman” by revolting against Victorian values and seeking individualism. National Woman’s Party Women at their job

Appeal of the Automobile • In 1918, 1 in 13 families had a car, by 1928 4 in 5 owned one. Within the 1920s the number of automobiles on the road nearly tripled from 8 million to 23 million. • This increase is due to the invention of the assembly line, created by Henry Ford in 1913. • The assembly line was able to produce cars fast & efficiently, which substantially reduced the price of cars from $825 in 1908 to just $310 in 1921. • The decrease in price allowed more Americans to purchase a car, which resulted into the rapid growth of the automobile industry. • The automobile industry paved the way for major economic growth because it created many jobs, made transportation easier, expanded city life and led to the creation of cabins (motels), gas stations and drive-ins. • Thus, mass production was born, something that America’s economy still depends upon to this very day.

Weapons of Mass Production • The development of mass production introduced cheaper prices of technology, which made them affordable for most American families. • The automobile, media, movie, chemical, and radio industries ignited from the implementation of mass production. • Mass production was responsible for the creation and affordability of many technologies, including: • The radio • Plumbing • Automobiles • Telephones • Stoves • Other Consumer goods • Movies ~ Hollywood • What was first invented in the 1920’, is now the foundation of America’s production and economy today.

The Debut of Frozen Food Food For Thought: • Frozen food was actually invented in 1929 by Clarence Birdseye (which was convenient considering the introduction of refrigerators to the public in the 1920s). • Birdseye developed a way to preserved cooked vegetables and meat in small cardboard boxes. • He patented his idea in 1930. Frozen food still graces the isle of American grocery stores today. Bread 1 lb. 12¢ ~ 1920 Butter 1 lb. 55¢ ~ 1925 Cabbage 1 lb. 2¢ ~ 1920 Coffee 1 lb. 50¢ ~ 1925 Milk ½ Gal. 28¢ ~ 1925 Potatoes 10 lbs. 36¢ ~ 1925 Sugar 5 lbs. 97¢ ~ 1920 Watermelon 1 lb. 2¢ ~1920

A Growing Support for Sports • Sports also underwent a sweeping change in the twenties and is often called “The Golden Age of Sports”. With Americans having more free time, millions were able to participate & indulge in spectator sports like never before. In the twenties the first professional football league, the tennis circuit & golf tours were created. Sport stars became idols, the most recognizable, even today, is Babe Ruth.

The Attainment of Entertainment • In 1923, the silent film era was born. The film industry flourished and going to the theater became a staple in American entertainment. • Nearly 100 million Americans attended movies per week. • Hollywood became glamorized, by the end of the 1920s there were 20 Hollywood studios. • There were approximately 800 film releases per production per year, which was the largest in film history compared to the 500 produced now. • The “Big five”, the major film studios, were established: • 1. Warner Bros • 2. Paramount • 3. RKO • 4. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer • 5. 20th-Century Fox

A Fresh Start to Art • During the 1920s artists rebelled against former realistic styles of painting. They desired to illustrate imagination and emotion instead of realization. • In 1924, writer André Breton released the Surrealist Manifesto, which ignited the start of the Surrealism Movement. • Surrealism was a cultural movement that tried to unite the world of dreams with real life. Itemerged in many forms such as: literature, music and film. • Surrealists focused on the unconscious mind. They opposed realistic art and incorporated a dream-like state into their paintings.

The Lure of Literature • The most momentous cultural change in the twenties was literature. • American writers revolutionized the topics of literature. • Writers were intrigued and horrified by urban America & focused on society, consumerism, and materialism in their writing. • F. Scott Fitzgerald’s infamous novel “The Great Gatsby” accounted privileged society by describing the meaninglessness of a materialistic life. • For the first time, American literature possessed fervor and garnered a new respect.

An Enhance to Dance • In the U.S. dance contests were first held in ballrooms in the 1920’s. • Dancing led to social integration, as people of different classes and races came to engage in the dance craze. • In addition to old dance styles remaining strong, a variety of new dances were developed. • The most popular dances were: • the waltz • The Foxtrot • The tango • The Charleston • And Lindy Hop Fact: The Lindy Hop was a prominent dance style during the twenties, and eventually evolved into what we now call Swing dance.

The decline of 1929 Although the 1920s was a time of prosperity, it inevitably ended in turmoil. America learned one of its hardest lessons about production vs. consumption when mass production resulted into over production which exceeded consumer demand. This led to a weakening economy that turned disastrous in 1929. Americans became obsessed with the stock market and invested madly, hoping to benefit from industrial expansion. And when production fell, the stock market crashed and those who invested lost everything. This would mark the beginning of the Great Depression. What was once a decade of liveliness and escape, was now a desert waste land plagued by materialism, over-production and consumerism.

The Crusade of a Dazzling Decade • The 1920s was definitely a tumultuous decade filled with rebellion and controversy . It was a time of escape and adventure for Americans, especially for the younger generation that sparked the “Youth Movement”. And it was a time of desperation towards the end of the decade. Despite the tragic end, the era’s achievements and accomplishments overshadow the downfall of a spirited decade. Women never went back to the earlier Victorian values, youths were able to relish in their new found adolescence, Hollywood was glamorized, sports were glorified, literature became provocative and mass production remained the foundation for American economy. The tumultuous twenties are influential in present day America, as rebellion, challenging society, and breaking the social norm were reoccurring themes back then & now. For example, the 1960s define a major rebellion against aspects of society. The roaring twenties revolutionized Social warfare. So many characteristics of the twenties manifest themselves in America today. • The 1920s changed American culture forever and the incredible legacy left behind will have an everlasting impact.

The End

Bibliography • http://www.autolife.umd.umich.edu/Labor/L_Overview/Ford_Assembly_Lines.htm • http://www.1920-30.com • http://local.aaca.org/bntc/slang/slang.htm • http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/roaring-twenties/economy-of-the-1920s.html • http://students.umf.maine.edu/mccormka/public.www/history/index.htm • www.tqnyc.org/2005/NYC051907//HOMEPAGE.htm • http://www.1920-30.com/dance/ • http://www.filmsite.org/20sintro.html • http://americanhistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/cars_in_the_1920s

The Roaring Twenties: