"Once, during Prohibition, I was forced to live for days on nothing but food and Water." -W.C. Fields
The Roaring Twenties, also commonly known as the Jazz Age, was a time period of differing paradoxes. It was a time when people challenged what was considered traditional behavior, yet Protestant Fundamentalism was at an all-time high.
Prohibition sought to improve society's moral compass, yet it led to increased crime and corruption and never curbed the thirst for alcohol. After World War I, Women gained the right to vote and African Americans seized new opportunities, yet both were oppressed in many ways. During WWI, organized labor made large gains in terms of participation, wages, benefits, and conditions. Yet during the 1920's, fear over the spread of Communism, Socialism, and Anarchy led the federal government to crack down on anyone suspected of radical activities and labor unions took a major hit. For all of its ying and yang, the Twenties were a transitional time period that took the United States and helped transform it into the modern world power that we know today. It sets the table for the upcoming events of the 1930's, 40's and beyond. |
Video Lectures
Labor Unions, The Red Scare, Push Back Against Immigration, and the 2nd KKK Racial Tension, Race Riots, and the African American Response Lecture/Powerpoint Chapter 20/21 Powerpoint Chapter 20 Notes Handout Chapter 21 Notes Handout Primary Source Readings What Caused the Palmer Raids? What Caused the Chicago Race Riots of 1919? Why Did People Care About the Butler Act? Videos Crash Course: Roaring Twenties How to Dance "The Charleston" Driving Around NYC Duke Ellington-"Don't Mean a Thing" Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong- "Dream a Little Dream" Harold Lloyd- "Safety Last" Lunch on a Skyscraper Roaring Twenties Dance Craze The Harlem Renaissance The Rise of Prohibition Study Guides/Guided Readings Roaring Twenties Study Guide Supplemental Materials ASOU: Boom Video Questions The Simpsons and Prohibition Handout |
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