The Jazz Age 1921-1929

1. The Jazz Age1921-1929

2. A Clash of Values • Nativism resurges as immigration picked up after World War I • Many immigrants were accused of being anarchists- people who oppose all forms of government. • Nativist and racist feelings were reinforced by the Eugenics movement. • Eugenics- a (pseudo-science) or false science that deals with improving inherited traits.

3. Controlling Immigration • At the forefront of the movement to restrict immigration was the KKK- or Ku Klux Klan; was started by six college students, ex veterans of the Civil War • President Harding signed the Emergency Quota Act- which established a temporary quota system, limiting immigration. • Ethnic identity and national origin thus determined admission to the United States. • National Origins Act- made immigrant restriction a permanent policy.

4. The New Morality • Women began to define the “New Morality” of American life during the 1920’s. • Women bobbed and shortened their hair and wore flesh colored silk stockings. Women took on the name of flappers- a young, dramatic, stylish, and unconventional women. • Many women also sought social freedoms and financial independence by entering the workforce, many of them as salesclerks.

5. Fundamentalist Movement • Modern consumer culture, relaxed ethics and growing urbanism symbolized the nation’s moral decline. • A religious movement known as fundamentalism- belief that the Bible was literally true and without error, arose in small rural towns.

6. Fundamentalists rejected Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution- theory human beings had developed from lower forms of life over millions of years. • Fundamentalists instead believed in creationism- belief that God created the world as described in the Bible.

7. The Scopes Monkey Trial • Scopes Trial- Evolutionists and creationists clashed in a historic trial debating whether evolution should be taught in school. • Evolutionists- believed human beings had developed from lower forms of life over the course of millions of years. John T. Scopes defended by Clarence Darrow • Creationists- believed that God created the world as described in the bible. Represented by William Jennings Bryan.

8. Prohibition • Prohibition- is the ban of all alcohol. • Volstead Act- enforced prohibition, Americans soon flocked Speakeasies- secret bars where Americans could consume alcohol and have a good time. • The government struggled to enforce prohibition. More than 540,000 arrests were made but still Americans persisted in blatantly ignoring the law.

9. Cultural Innovations • Ernest Hemmingway- wrote fiction poems using direct, simple, and concise prose. • F. Scott Fitzgerald most famous writer of the era, used colorful glamorous characters. • Babe Ruth- baseball star became a national hero hitting hundreds of home runs. • Other sports heroes of the day were “Jack ‘Boxer’ Dempsey” and golfer Bobby Jones. • Mass Media- radio, movies, newspapers, and magazines offered a sense of shared national experience.

10. African American Culture • Great Migration- migration of African Americans to industrial cities in the North to escape the segregation of the South • Harlem Renaissance- stimulated artistic development, racial pride, a sense of community and political organization in the African American community. • Important writers of the Harlem Renaissance were Claude McKay and Langston Hughes who wrote about a proud defiance and bitter contempt of racism.

11. Jazz, Blues, and Theater • Louis Armstrong- migrant from New Orleans, introduced early form of Jazz to Chicago. • Jazz- ragged rhythms and syncopated melodies, mix of Dixieland and ragtime. • Bessie Smith symbolized soul she sang of unfulfilled love, poverty, and oppression. Her emotional singing style and commanding voice earned her the title “the Empress of the Blues” • Blues- a soulful style of music that evolved from African American spirituals

12. African American Politics • Oscar DePriest- first African American representative in Congress , introduced laws to provide support to former African American slaves. • NAACP- battled against segregation and discrimination against African Americans through lobbying public officials and working through court systems. • In 1922 legislation in the House of Representatives passed a anti-lynching bill but the Senate defeated it and even though lynching's continued the number was far fewer.

13. Marcus Garvey a Jamaican immigrant called for “Negro Nationalism” which glorified the black culture and traditions of the past • Founded Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) and wanted African Americans to create a settlement in Liberia. • Government officials saw this as a threat and convicted Garvey of mail fraud and sent him to prison, later he was deported by President Coolidge