2. All of the changes in pop culture came because Americans
had more leisure time than ever before
Radio first broadcast in 1920 and was an immediate and
massive success
The film industry thrived and was controlled mostly by movie
studios in Hollywood, CA.
Radio and Film allowed for the rise of heroes and celebrities,
who the average person could now listen to in their own
homes or see at the theater
3. Sports and Film, in combination with the Radio, led to an age
of celebrities and heroes:
“Babe” Ruth remains one of the most famous baseball players of all
time
Charles “Lucky Lindy” Lindburg flew The Spirit of St. Louis across
the Atlantic for the first transatlantic flight
Heroes emerged in Boxing, Football, and Film, as well
4. A new consumer economy made life easier for urban women
Many adapted the style of the “Flapper”
Short hair, short dresses, and a rejection of the morals of their
Victorian era predecessors
Not all women wanted to be flappers, but many did want to
challenge political, economic, and social boundaries
5. Much of the modern art reflected the uncertain mood of the
era
Sigmund Freud, a prominent psychologist, also inspired art
with his belief that behavior is not driven by rational
thought, but instead by unconscious desires
Id, Ego, and Superego
Traditionalist artists were clashing with more modernist
artists
Modernists tried to reflect more abstract styles, while
traditionalists attempted to capture every day life
6. Authors of the 1920s are often referred to as the “lost”
generation, as they no longer had faith in the cultural
guideposts of their Victorian Era elders
In other words, they wanted to find their own way and break away
from the traditions of their parents
Most literature of the time reflects this desire to find a new way
The most prominent example was F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great
Gatsby”
7.
8. Many African Americans migrated north for jobs and a chance
at a better life
Cities like New York, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Chicago
contained a growing African American middle and upper class
African American ministers, doctors, lawyers, teachers, and
journalists became role models for the next generation
9. Despite growing opportunity in the north, African Americans
still faced discrimination, and generally lived in the worst
housing and had the lowest paying jobs
Harlem, in New York City, became a focal point for African
Americans, as 200,000 African Americans settled there
Most came from the south or Migrated from Caribbean Islands
Became the place where African Americans could voice
concerns about racial problems
10. The most prominent African American leader of the 1920s,
from Jamaica
Unlike WEB Du Bois and Booker T. Washington, Garvey
promoted the idea of black nationalism, and advocated the
separation of the races instead of working with white people
He even organized a “Back to Africa” movement
Garvey wound up being convicted of Mail Fraud and deported
back to Jamaica
Without Garvey’s leadership, his movement ultimately
faltered
11. This is the term for the growth of African American culture in
the 1920s
African American Literature advanced during this era, as
writers expressed the struggles and frustrations African
Americans were facing
Langston Hughes, for example, was the most powerful African
American Literary voice
Wrote of the pain and pride of being black
12. Jazz was an American Hybrid of African American and
European music forms
Emerged in the south and midwest, particularly in New
Orleans
Trumpet player Louis Armstrong became the unofficial
ambassador of Jazz,
Known for his trumpet playing and subtle ability to improvise, most
consider Louis Armstrong a music legend
13. Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five - Fireworks (1928)
Louis Armstrong Hot Five - Got No Blues (1927)
Louis Armstrong Hot Seven - Wild Man Blues (1927)