THE
ROARING
‘20s
The 1920s
• During the 1920s, the U.S.
experienced an incredible amount of
change.
• The 1920s have been called the first
“modern” decade of the 20th century.
• Many trends that started then still
influence our lives and culture today.
The Roaring ‘20s Have
Been Called…
• The Jazz Age
• Prohibition
• The Age of Automobile
• The Golden Age of Radio
• The Golden Age of Film
• The Decade of Intolerance
• The Golden Era of Sports
• The Republican Decade
Themes of the 1920s
1) Liberation – African-Americans and
women, encouraged by their gains made
during WWI, looked to improve their place
in society and gain equal rights.
2) Creativity – New types of music (jazz &
blues) became popular. Poets and authors
created some of the greatest American
literature.
Themes of the 1920s
3) Birth of “Pop Culture” – Sports, music, &
movie stars emerged as celebrities. Movies,
radio, magazines, and newspapers created
new American heroes.
4) A Consumer Culture – Americans began to
crave new, modern conveniences and
household appliances – cars, radios,
refrigerators, etc. Consumers often bought
on credit or installment plans, creating a
large amount of debt.
Themes of the 1920s
5) Fear – Many Americans feared ‘foreign’
radical political ideas such as socialism,
communism, and anarchism. People also
feared the new cultural changes that
challenged their traditional beliefs.
Popular
Personalities of the
’20s
• Americans idolized sports and
entertainment stars of this time.
“Babe” Ruth
• Greatest baseball
player of the
1920s
• Known for hitting
home runs –
ended career with
record of 714
• Appeared in
movies and ads
Jack Dempsey
• The “Manassa
Mauler”
• First boxer to
draw $1 million
gate
• Defended
championship 5
times in the 1920s
Dempsey Fights
Dempsey vs. Jess Willard,
July 4, 1919, Toledo, OH
Dempsey vs. Gene
Tunney, Sept 22, 1927
at Soldier Field,
Chicago, IL
Charlie Chaplin
• Most famous
comic actor of the
silent movies
• Portrayed “The
Little Tramp”
character in films
• Co-founder of
United Artists
movie studio
Chaplin – “The Kid” (1921)
Rudolf Valentino
• Most popular
romantic leading
man in silent films
• The Sheikh (1921)
• His death at age 29
caused thousands of
women to mourn
Valentino – “The Sheikh”
(silent film)
Major Literary
Figures
• Some of the greatest
American literature was
written during the 1920s
Langston Hughes
•Most
famous poet,
writer of Harlem
Renaissance
•The Weary Blues
(1926) – poetry
collection
•Wrote about the
realities of life for
African-Americans
Hughes – “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”
(1922)
I've known rivers:
I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of
human blood in human veins.
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.
I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.
I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.
I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.
I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went
down to New Orleans, and I've seen its muddy bosom turn all
golden in the sunset.
I've known rivers:
Ancient, dusky rivers.
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.
Hughes – “Mother to Son” (1922)
Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal
stair.
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the
floor -Bare.
But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now -For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal
stair.
F. Scott Fitzgerald
•The Great Gatsby
(1925)
•Wrote stories of the
rich and famous of
the “Jazz Age”
•Part of the “Lost
Generation” of
writers
Ernest Hemingway
• WWI veteran,
greatly affected by
war
• The Sun Also Rises
(1926) and A
Farewell to Arms
(1929)
• Also part of the
“Lost Generation”