Chapter 14
Section 2
Life in the
Twenties
Prohibition
Reformers had long been seeking a ban on alcohol
because of its contribution to crime, family violence
and poverty
In January of 1919 {the sale of alcohol was forbidden
by the Eighteenth Amendment}
That October, {Congress passed the Volstead Act to
enforce prohibition}
In many cities prohibition was ignored. Speakeasies
and bootleg alcohol became normal
Bootlegging became a profitable business, most of the
time run by criminal gangs
Mobster, {Al Capone, ruled Chicago’s underworld with
the help of his gang}
Al Capone
Continued…
Capone raged violent wars on rival gangs
Hoping to stop bootlegging & violence the federal
Prohibition Bureau hired Eliot Ness.
Ness organized a top squad of young detectives to go
after gangsters. They were called the Untouchables
The Untouchables ended Capone’s reign by arresting
him for tax evasion
Although prohibition curbed alcoholism and alcohol
related deaths, the negative effects drew more
attention
Prohibition was repealed by the Twenty-first
Amendment
The Untouchables
Youth Culture & the “new woman”
Magazines, movies and literature began to portray
the life of the “new woman” as stylish, adventurous,
independent and career minded
Many women stopped wearing corsets and started
{wearing shorter skirts and transparent silk hose.
These women were known as flappers}
These young women cut their hair short, drove cars,
played sports and held non domestic jobs
{For the first time, a growing number of young people
began to attend college}
New leisure activities spread among youth as well,
such as dance marathons, beauty contests and
flagpole sitting
Radio
Thanks to electricity in practically every home the
radio became a huge form of entertainment as well as
one of the most used forms of getting information
Radio stations broadcast the Dempsey-Carpentier
heavyweight title fight as well as the World Series
Stations soon discovered they could make money by
selling advertisements
During the late 1920’s national radio network the
National Broadcasting Company (NBC) began offering
local radio networks packages of programs to
broadcast.
Movies
New advances in the art of moviemaking attracted
even larger audiences
Movie director Cecil B. DeMille introduced a new
style of filmmaking marked by epic plots and complex
characters
These movies were made in Hollywood, Ca., which
quickly replaced New York and New Jersey as a
filmmaking capital
The era of the silent film ended with the {first featurelength “talkie” film The Jazz Singer}
The introduction of sound in film led to the creation of
musicals and newsreels
Changes in the standards of morality and sexuality in
film led to a code that set out to limit offensive material
in movies
Sports
During the 1920’s many Americans turned to sports
foe entertainment
Baseball remained the nation’s most popular sport
despite charges of corruption
In one scandal {“Shoeless” Joe Jackson and seven
other Chicago White Sox players were accused of
throwing the 1919 World Series}
{Legendary baseball players of the 1920’s such as
Babe Ruth} Ty Cobb and Lou Gehrig attracted new
fans
Millions tuned in to radio broadcasts and attended
games
“Shoeless” Joe Jackson
The Great Bambino
Celebrities and Heroes
The mass appeal of entertainment made celebrities
instantly famous
Young Americans often copies behavior of stars
Jim Thorpe was a very talented athlete. He won the
decathlon and the pentathlon in the 1912 Olympics.
He then went on to play professional baseball and
football
Pilot Charles Lindbergh was probably the most
famous celebrity of the 1920’s. He was the first pilot to
fly nonstop 33.5 hours from New York to Paris in his
plane named The Spirit of St. Lewis
The next year Amelia Earhart became the first woman
to fly across the Atlantic Ocean
Religion in the 1920’s
To compete with movies and radio for attention. Some
religious leaders began using Hollywood style
entertainment to spread their message
Aimee Semple McPherson was one of the most
popular revivalist
On the other hand many Americans turned to a more
conservative approach
A Protestant movement called {Fundamentalism
believed that religious text should be taken as literally
true} and argued that Christian doctrine should be
accepted without question
Fundamentalism Sermon led by
Aimee Semple McPherson
The Scopes Trial
Fundamentalism went on trial in in July 1925
In the case, attorney {Clarence Darrow defended
school teacher, John Scopes for teaching the theory
of evolution in Tennessee}
Darrow had little chance of winning. The judge opened
proceedings with a prayer and would not allow any
scientific expert testimony
Scopes was found guilty and was fined $100
However, press accounts of the trial often portrayed
the prosecution as narrow minded and it lowered
people’s opinions of Fundamentalism
Review Questions
What did the Eighteenth Amendment do?
Why was the Volstead Act created?
He ruled Chicago’s underworld with the help of his
gang
These women were known for wearing shorter skirts
and transparent silk hose
For the first time, a growing number of young people
began to attend this
What was the first feature-length “talkie” film?
This man defended school teacher, John Scopes for
teaching the theory of evolution in Tennessee
Hey, I found another weird beard
Enjoy…