Life in The 1920’s
The Roaring 20’s
Why was it called the ‘Roaring 20’s’?
 It was a loud, prosperous time
 Many were happy the war was over
 Booming time – people were able to
afford many things and life was good
A Booming Economy
 Canada experienced one of the greatest economic
booms in its history.
 American companies invested in Canada's natural
resources and manufacturing industries.
 New products, such as vacuum cleaners, stove and
refrigerators became available.
 Automobiles and radios had the greatest impact on the
social and economic life of Canadians.
 The stock market boomed with new investors.
Canadian Politics and
Leaders during the 1920s
 The Liberals - led by William Lyon Mackenzie King who
was similar to Laurier.
 He did not take sides and always looked for a compromise to
please the majority.
 Was Prime Minister from December1921 to June1926 and
September1926 to August1930
 The Conservatives - When Robert Borden resigned in 1920,
Arthur Meighen became the leader.
 He had very strong opinions, did not know the meaning of
compromise, and was in favor of high tariffs (taxes) which prairie
farmers opposed.
 Was Prime Minister from July 1920 to December1921 and June
1926 to September1926
Technology and New Inventions
Technology and Inventions
 Inventions and new
technologies,
especially for house
hold products,
advanced rapidly
during the 20’s due to
many Canadian and
U.S. citizens ability to
afford them and the
wide spread use of
electricity.
Canadian Inventions
 Frederick Banting - a doctor from Toronto who created the
formula for insulin which helps to control diabetes. His research
was done with dogs but the first human (14 year old Leonard
Thompson) was injected in 1922 and results were successful.
 Alexander Graham Bell - from Brantford, Ontario invented
the telephone. The final model took years to perfect but by 1929
every 3 out of 4 families had a telephone.
Men’s and Women’s Fashions
Fashion
 Men’s fashion did not see
any significant changes
but women’s clothes
became more revealing.
Women’s Flapper Fashion
Flapper Girls
Flappers
 Some women broke the social rules and hung out all
night with men at clubs and dances, drank, smoked,
cut their hair short, wore provocative clothing and
danced the Charleston which was considered
inappropriate at the time.
 They were known as Flappers.
In the 1920s, a new woman was
born. She smoked, drank, danced,
and voted. She cut her hair, wore
make-up, and went to petting
parties. She was giddy and took
risks. She was a flapper.
During the war, both the boys and
the girls of this generation had
broken out of society's structure;
they found it very difficult to
return. They found themselves
expected to settle down into the
routine of life as if nothing had
happened, to accept the
expectations of elders who seemed
to them still to be living in a
traditional way which the war had
changed for them. They couldn't do
it, and they very disrespectfully said
and did so.
Women were just as anxious as the men
to avoid returning to society's rules and
roles after the war.Young women did
not date, they waited until a proper
young man formally paid her interest
with suitable intentions (i.e. marriage).
However, nearly a whole generation of
young men had died in the war, leaving
nearly a whole generation of young
women without possible suitors.Young
women decided that they were not
willing to waste away their young lives
waiting idly for spinsterhood; they were
going to enjoy life.
The "Younger Generation" was
breaking away from the old set of
values.
Men’s Fashion
Jazz clothing surfaced in
1919 as a new music
called Jazz was first being
performed. This JAZZ SUIT,
identified by it's extremely
trim, tight/pinched look,
was worn by those in the
theatrical profession. As
seen in World War One
uniforms the jacket has a
unique waist seam.
Dancing, Going to Clubs,
Entertainment
Going Out
 Dancing and going out to
clubs became very
popular as well as going
out to see a movie or a
live show.
Cotton Club – Jazz Hall
The Cotton Club was a famous night
club in New York City that operated
during Prohibition that included jazz
music.
Swing Dancing at the Jazz Halls
The 1920s was the Jazz Age and one of
the most popular past-times for
flappers was dancing. Dances such as
the Charleston, Black Bottom, and
the Shimmy were considered "wild"
by older generations. As described in
the May 1920 edition of the Atlantic
Monthly, flappers "trot like foxes, limp
like lame ducks, one-step like cripples,
and all to the barbaric yawp of strange
instruments which transform the whole
scene into a moving-picture of a fancy
ball in bedlam.” For the Younger
Generation, the dances fit their fastpaced life-style.
Silent Movies – used orchestra music
Charlie Chaplin
Slapstick Comedy
Talkies – when characters
began to speak in the movie
Sports
 Sporting events made
their mark in Canada
during the 20’s as more
people had money to
spend on various
sporting events such as
baseball, tennis, hockey,
sailing races and the
Olympics.
Sports
Sports in Canada in the 1920s
Sports in the 1920's in Canada centered on participation. Anyone
who had the skill could participate.
Amateur sports such as hockey, football, baseball, lacrosse, etc.
flourished due to the influx of many talented players. The
twenties were Canada's golden age of sport.
Many sports, such as hockey, football, and baseball, were
becoming all professional.
The Babe!
Sports in Canada in the 1920s
 The sports heroes of the decade were amateurs. They often
came out of nowhere to capture the headlines, medals, and
world records.
Edmonton Grads
The Edmonton Grads
 Women hit the scene large in the 1920's. basketball was large
for women especially for a group called the Edmonton
Grads. These ladies were a successful basketball team that
Won 502 games and lost only 20. The Grads achieved 4
Olympic victories. These ladies even faced off against
proffessional male teams and won 7 out of nine games!
Sports
Hockey!!!
Hockey
The Montreal Maroons entered the NHL in 1924 and the league
successfully moved into the lucrative urban market of the US,
adding the Boston Bruins (1924), the New York Americans
(1925), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1925), the New York Rangers
(1926), the Chicago Black Hawks (1926) and the Detroit
Cougars (1926). However, almost every one of the players came
from Canada.
Canada at the 1920 Summer Olympics in
Antwerp, Belgium
 Competitors 53 in 9 sports
 Medals - Rank: 12
 3 Gold
 3 Silver
Flag of Canada
 3 Bronze
 9 Total
Prohibition, Bootlegging and
Gangsters
Prohibition
 Alcohol was illegal in
different parts of
Canada for short
periods of the 20’s and
illegal in the U.S.
during the entire
decade.
 Prohibition is the law
that made alcohol
illegal
Why Prohibition???
 1920s’ Prohibition - not allowed
to produce, sell, transport,
import, or export alcoholic
beverages
 Abstinence from alcohol
was the only way to
prevent drunkenness.
 The primary victims of
alcohol abuse were women
and children due to
domestic violence.
Prohibition
Bootlegging – illegally selling and
distributing booze
Gangsters
 Criminals made millions of dollars from the illegal sale of
alcohol, this resulted in a large
loss of provincial taxes since each province was individually
responsible for the sale of
alcohol.
Al Capone was a
famous gangster of
the 1920s
Al ‘Scarface’ Capone
During the Prohibition era,
gangsters ruled many of the large
cities, becoming rich from
owning speakeasies, breweries,
brothels, and gambling joints.
These gangsters would carve up a
city between rival gangs, bribe
local officials, and become local
celebrities.
The Operation
Slang
Slang Words
 Many American slang words which referred to alcohol
became popular in Canada such as: moonshine (illegal
liquor), bootleggers (those who sold it), and speakeasies and
blind pigs (places to buy it).
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apple sauce Nonsense, meaningless flattery, or baloney.
big cheese An important person.
coffin varnish Cheap, inferior whisky.
dead soldier An empty beer or whisky bottle.
drugstore cowboy A young man who hangs around public places
and shows off in an attempt to impress women.
flat tire A dull or boring person.
gangster A criminal who belongs to a gang
gin mill A blind pig, or speakeasy.
heebie-jeebies Feeling nervous, scared, or worried.
hooch Whisky or liquor.
jack Money.
moonshine Whisky or liquor, usually cheap and low-quality
because it is made in illegal stills. May also mean nonsense or baloney.
real McCoy Whisky or liquor that is not watered down — also,
people who are genuine and can be counted on.
The Model T
The Automobile – The Model T
 Automobile production
boomed as cars could be
built cheaper and more
durable due to Henry
Ford’s mass production
assembly lines.
Canadian Art
The Group of Seven
The Group of Seven
 The Group of Seven were famous for painting the Canadian
landscape
 The painting contributed to the growing sense of Canadian
Identity
The Suffrage Movement –
Women protesting for equal
rights like the right to vote
and paid work
City Life
How did towns and cities change?
Toronto 1920 – Queen St.
 Canadian Bank of Commerce
Building. City of Toronto
 34 stories tall
 1927 – (opened in 1931)
NYC -1900
NYC - 1920
Smaller Towns