Chapter 16, Sections 3 and 4
Section 3- Social and Cultural Tensions (pp. 539-546)
I)
Traditionalism and Modernism Clash
a. More people now live in the cities than in rural areas. This created a split between urban-rural lines.
i. Those living in urban areas had more openness and emphasized science and secular ideas over
more traditional ones. This was known as modernism.
ii. Education became more heavily emphasized in both urban and rural America.
b. As part of the Red Scare, individuals began
to reaffirm their belief in Protestant teachings, and the
Bible’s literal truth- known as fundamentalism.
c. The urban-rural split came to a clashing
point in 1925 with the Scopes Trial.
i. At the heart of the trial was the
debate over Darwin’s theory of evolution. Tennessee
teacher John Scopes taught the theory in high school
biology, violating state law.
ii. For the defense, leading attorney
Clarence Darrow represented John Scopes. For the
prosecution, William Jennings Bryan acted as an ‘expert’ on the Bible.
iii. The trial was followed in newspapers and radios across the United States, so many Americans
were tuned in to the trial and its outcome.
II)
Restricting Immigration
a. The second cultural clash of the time period centered around immigration.
i. Recall: What is nativism? belief that native-born white Americans are
superior to newcomers.
ii. Before the start of WWI, Congress had already taken a step towards restricting immigration by
passing a law stating that immigrants had to pass a literacy test.
b. Nativists’ opinions were strengthened after the war. A quota system was established by the
Emergency Quota Act of 1921 and the National Origins Act of 1924.
i. What origin did the National Origins Act specifically restrict immigration against? eastern
and southern European.
Chapter 16, Sections 3 and 4
ii. The immigration quotas did not apply to immigrants from Mexico, and more people came to
the United States to find work. They often encountered discrimination.
III)
The New Ku Klux Klan
a. In 1915 in Stone Mountain, Georgia, the Ku Klux Klan was reinvigorated. While still targeting African
Americans, it also targeted the following groups: Jews, Catholics, immigrants.
i. How many members did the Klan have at its highest point? app. 4.5 million
ii. Even with its large membership, there were still many Americans, individual and in groups that
opposed these ideas.
1. In the end, the Klan became corrupt and soon lessened in importance.
IV)
Prohibition and Crime
a. In 1919, the Eighteenth Amendment was passed and banned the manufacture, distribution
and sale of alcohol. In order to enforce this amendment, Congress also passed the Volsted Act.
i. The terms used to describe the opposing sides of the Prohibition
argument were known as: 'wets' and 'drys'.
b. The debate over Prohibition led to a large, underground network of alcohol
sales. Led by bootleggers, alcohol in cities was sold in secret
establishments known as speakeasies.
i. Individuals like Al Capone and many local officials and police officers
looked the other way when alcohol was concerned.
Section 4- A New Mass Culture (pp. 547-555)
I)
New Trends in Popular Culture
a. Americans had more leisure time than ever before through the shortening of the workday and
overall work week.
i. Free time and disposable income led Americans to new forms of entertainment.
b. In terms of movies, many films of the era were silent, which further extended their appeal to
immigrants.
i. Stars such as Charlier Chaplin appealed to a wide array of individuals.
ii. The Jazz Singer, released in 1927 was the first movie with sound.
c. The phonograph and radio brought shared culture further into homes both through news and music.
II)
An Age of Heroes
Chapter 16, Sections 3 and 4
a. The 1920s is referred to as the Golden Age of Sports because of the boom in the entertainment industry.
i. Sports heroes were no longer just local- but nationwide.
1. Babe Ruth was one of these heroes. He brought
baseball back from scandal.
2. During this time, sports figures were often seen as heroes,
in part because WWI had just ended.
b. Charles Lindbergh received international fame when he flew his plane,
The Spirit of Saint Louis from New York to Paris, France. The
flight took 33 hours and was the first flight across the Atlantic that was both solo and non-stop.
III)
Women Assume New Roles
a. The 1920s also ushered in a ‘New Woman’. The symbol of these women was the flapper, a young
woman with a short skirt, makeup and short hair.
b. Some women sought the passage of an Equal Rights Amendment, which would guarantee
equal right for men and women. However, many saw this as an inopportune time.
c. The consumer revolution changed the daily household activities of women, especially those in cities.
While urban women benefitted from these conveniences, often times rural women were left behind.
IV)
Modernism in Art and Literature
a. The literature of the time period, as well as the art, reflected the uncertainty and search for truth
following World War I.
i. The writers of this time became known as the Lost Generation because they had lost
their cultural guideposts.
ii. Identify two writers who emerged during this time, and one of their works:
1. Ernest Hemingway- A Farewell to Arms
2. F. Scott Fitzgerald- The Great Gatsby
iii. Poets and novelists were disillusioned by the war, and their works reflected this idea.