Religious fundamentalism and
cultural conflict in the 1920s
Resistance to modernity and change
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Yet another pattern in American history:
change is always greeted by hostility and
opposition.
The 20s were “the birth of modern America;”
“The Roaring 20s”
Rapid changes in society: movies, celebrities,
new technology, new fashion, jazz, immigration,
etc. -> Prohibition, immigration restriction,
nativism, KKK, and the revival of religious
fundamentalism
Definitions
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Catholicism: Roman Catholic Church
Protestantism: Christian churches that broke
away in the Protestant Reformation, 1517
Fundamentalism: the interpretation of every
word in the sacred texts as literal truth
Evangelism: zealous preaching and advocacy of
the religion
The challenge facing Protestant Christianity
in the 1920s
Urban Modernists
Rural Fundamentalists
Evangelical preachers
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The “rock stars” of
the 1920s
The Scopes Monkey Trial: Summer, 1925
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Enjoy the film…
Scenes from Dayton, TN