The Roaring Twenties As America recovers from World

The Roaring Twenties As America recovers from World War I and goes back to its isolationist roots, the people of America look to find a new direction in life. 1

“How We Gonna Keep Them Down on the Farm After They’ve Seen Pari (Paris)? ” • After the war, the whole world was “shellshocked” as to how much destruction had been done. Soldiers came back with a sudden realization: there were no guarantees that a person would live a long life- if another war began. So “live for today” became the motto: enjoy life because you may not be around if war breaks out again. So, the “Roaring Twenties” were a “Party Hardy” Decade on the surface, but there was also some fear that most people felt that life could end unexpectedly. • FYI: The title of this slide was the #1 song in the early 1920’s! 2

Women’s Rights & Fashion Sense • In 1920, women suffragists finally got the right to vote for women. The elections of 1920, 1924, & 1928 were the first elections that women voted. Rebecca Felton, a Georgian, was the 1 st female to serve in the U. S. Senate for one day after Senator Tom Watson had passed away; this was an honor for all her work for Georgia during the Progressive Era. (The governor of Georgia then later chose a permanent replacement for Senator Watson). 3

Flapper: The New Woman “a somewhat foolish girl, full of wild surmises and inclined to revolt against precepts and admonitions of her elders. ” —H. L. Mencken 4

Bessie Crowell & Viola Napier • These two women were the first to serve in the Georgia General Assembly. • Women broke many social traditions: shorter hair, shorter skirts, etc. Urban life became radically different from rural life. 5

Prohibition Era • One of the great experiments of the 20 th century was Prohibition. This constitutional amendment outlawed the making and selling of alcohol. This amendment came out of the Temperance Movement from the Progressive Era. But people refused to stop drinking and they bought alcohol supplied by gangsters like Al Capone. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), led by Elliott Ness & J. Edgar Hoover, fought to stop the gangsters like Capone. By the end of the decade, Prohibition was repealed, making it the only amendment to the U. S. Constitution to be removed from law. 6

Prohibition Era 7

New Language: Slang • “Hey, that flapper is standing by the tin lizzy. If her dogs are tired, then, maybe she’ll let me take her to the speak-easy for some giggle water! Maybe we can cut a rug as well! I hope so, because she’s the cat’s meow! I just hope she thinks I’m dapper & the bee’s knees and not just a flat tire. ” • This uses 8 different phrases from the 1920’s: what do you think it means? 8

New Language: Slang Translation • “Hey, that pretty girl is standing by my car. If her feet are tired, maybe she’ll let me drive her to the restaurant for some dinner and drinks. We might even dance the “Charleston”! She’s the most beautiful girl ever! I hope she thinks I’m cool, and not just a boring person!” 9

Music of the 1920’s • Jazz music has been called “spur of the moment” magic because of the improvisation of the band. Louis Armstrong was one of the most famous musicians of the era. • Blues music also was created during this era. It’is about lost love, loneliness, poverty, or jealousy. Ma Rainey, from Georgia, was known as “Mother of the Blues”. 10

The Great Migration • During the 1920’s, there was a movement of African. American citizens to leave their job as tenant farmers and to move North- to cities like Chicago and Detroit, looking for work. In this time of “Separate But Equal”, people were looking for a chance for true equality in jobs. 11

Technology of the 1920’s 12

Heroes of the 1920’s • In 1927, Charles Lindbergh, a 25 year old pilot, became the first person to fly a non-stop solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. He flew from New York to Paris, with only sandwiches and coffee for the 33 ½ hour flight. He became an international hero on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Six months later, he flew to Atlanta and was greeted by 20, 000 people. (Lindbergh Drive was also named for him). 13

Heroes of the 1920’s • Ben Epps was known as the “Father of aviation in Georgia”. A native of Athens, he was inspired by the Wright brothers and built a light monoplane (one wing) that he hoped would be a model for passenger planes in the future. 14

Delta Air Lines • In 1924, some crop-dusting pilots in Macon, led by Collette Woodman, got together to form a mail -delivery service by the air. It soon became a passenger service, and now Delta (named for serving the Mississippi Delta region of the country). It is now the 2 nd largest airline in the U. S. , and its headquarters is located in Atlanta. 15

Heroes of the 1920’s • Other Georgia heroes were Ty Cobb (“The Georgia Peach”) and Bobby Jones. Cobb was one of the 1 st players in the Hall of Fame; he had a lifetime batting average of. 367 and he had the career stolen base record of 892! • Bobby Jones won golf’s Grand Slam (top 4 events) in one year, and one 13 championships in his career. He later designed Augusta National golf course. Later in life, Jones was stricken with a crippling disease. When asked about it, Jones said: “We all have to play the ball as it lies. ” 16

Heroes of the 1920’s • Motions pictures became a huge entertainment business in this decade. “Hollywood” was created as the great silent, black-and -white movies of the day were created. • The first “millionaire” actor was the legendary Charlie Chaplin. 17

Places of the 1920’s • Atlanta also was growing in the downtown area. One of its greatest attractions, the Fabulous Fox theater, was established during this decade. It’s wonderful ambience was saved in the 1970’s when a campaign was done to raise money to “Save the Fox” from being torn down. 18

Places of the 1920’s • In 1928, another Atlanta tradition was started near the Georgia Tech campus. The Varsity restaurant became a great place to go before a football game or an event at the nearby Fox Theater. It is still a vital part of downtown Atlanta today (and there’s a restaurant in Gwinnett too)! 19

Laissez-Faire: An Economic Policy that means, “hands off”! • In the 1920’s, the Republicans won the White House from Woodrow Wilson and the Democrats. These 3 Republican Presidents believed in “laissez -faire” economics. “Laissez-faire” is a French phrase that means “hands-off”, implying that the federal government should not tax too much, nor should tell people how to save, spend, or invest their money. That also means the nation’s economy is left to the “marketplace” to work out any problems that may arise. As more people began to borrow money for investing in the stock market, the economy’s “motor” began to “overheat” and the Great Depression was soon approaching. 20

Warren G. Harding • Warren G. Harding was the 1 st president of the 1920’s. His election slogan: “Return to Normalcy”. • Why would this had been a good slogan for the 1 st president AFTER World War I? • Harding faced the Teapot Dome Scandal while in office; some of his Cabinet members had made some shady land deals without his knowledge. 21

Calvin Coolidge • Calvin “Silent Cal” Coolidge became the next President after President Harding dies in office. Ironically, he rarely gave long speeches and yet he was the 1 st president to be heard on the radio. • FYI: One time a lady met Coolidge and proclaimed: “Mr. President, I know you don’t like to talk too much, but I know you’d say three words to me!” • Coolidge replied, “You lose. ” • FYI: Coolidge was the only president to be sworn in by a family member; his dad was a Justice of the Peace, and he quickly gave his son the Presidential oath after word came in the middle of the night of President Harding’s unexpected death. This way the country was not without a president for very long. 22

Herbert Hoover • Hoover was the third Republican president of the 1920’s. The continuing “laissez-faire” economic policy was setting up the country for the Great Depression. • FYI: Some people lost their homes and lived in temporary “homes” in public parks; these were sarcastically called “Hoovervilles”. 23

Stock Market Crash • On October 24, 1929, the Stock Market “crashed” as people began to sell all of the stocks that they had borrowed to buy. This caused the price & value of the stock to fall, people could not repay back their loans, and so banks could not give people their savings (because they had loaned them out). So, many people lost their money in the Stock Market Crash without ever having bought stocks themselves. 24

Boll Weevil Adds to Georgia’s Misery • Georgia also had some unexpected “company” when the boll weevil migrated from Mexico & Texas. When these insects descended on a cotton crop to digest it, a farmer’s whole year’s crop could be destroyed and bankruptcy could soon follow. This “Boll Weevil” song tried to help people laugh instead of cry over their losses. 25

Who Knew How to End the Great Depression? 26

Who Knew How to End the Great Depression? 27