Mr. Judd
Name________________
Ch. 10 The Jazz Age Study Guide
It was a time of stark and sometimes
startling contrasts, in American life. World
War One was over. Women got the right to
vote. Fashion took a liberal turn. Alcohol
was outlawed. Babe Ruth was king of the
ballpark, Charles Lindbergh of the skies.
Jazz filled the air - and the airwaves. And
just about everybody who could afford it,
went to the movies in “The Roaring ‘20s.”
The Roaring Twenties has the reputation as
a decade of play and prosperity. Though
unemployment was low and many
Americans were better off financially, real
wealth was concentrated among just a few
families. Sixty percent of America's riches
were owned by only two percent of the
people. The 27,500 wealthiest families had
as much money as the twelve million
poorest. With the end of World War One,
the country desperately wanted to return to normal. But prices shot upward with the
increased demand for goods and services, while wages were still low due to a ban on
raises and labor strikes during the war.
Now that the war had ended, strikes over higher wages resumed. In September 1919
Boston Police walked off patrol, citing lousy pay and long hours. Their subsequent
absence triggered a free-for-all of looters and vandals. In turn, city officials granted no
negotiation; the police force was replaced without the option to return. That same
month
343,000 steel workers staged a nation-wide strike, only to taste a violent defeat. When
substitute workers were hired, rioting erupted resulting in the mobilization of federal
troops. Eighteen steelworkers lost their lives in the struggle; the walkout lasted four
months with no reward. As labor unrest spread across the country some Americans felt
it was being fostered by communists - radicals who believed in an economic and social
system where prosperity is owned by everyone, and the needs of the whole are more
important than those of the individual. Other citizens grew increasingly suspicious of
immigrants, fearing they too, might be communists.
This so-called "Red Scare" was at a high during the Presidential election of 1919. And
Ohio Lieutenant governor, Warren G. Harding's campaign promise of, "A return to
normalcy" was just what the country wanted to hear and believe.
“FIRSTS”
DIRECTIONS: The Roaring Twenties were full of America’s “Firsts.” Explore the textbook and identify
five of the “firsts” of the 1920s. Next write a brief reflection on the feelings an American citizen of the
1920s might have had to the new changes.
“FIRSTS”
1. __________________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________
4. __________________________________________________________
5. __________________________________________________________
An American’s Reflection
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RED SCARE and RACE RIOTS (1919-1920)
CAUSES OF THE RED SCARE
Russian Revolution
-Russian Revolutions
of 1917, two revolutions
that occurred in Russia
in 1917. The first
revolution, in February,
overthrew the Russian
monarchy. The second
revolution, in October,
created the world’s first
Communist state.
-It was led by a group of
revolutionary socialists
called Bolsheviks. The
Bolsheviks hoped that
their revolution would
result in more
fundamental changes in
Russian society and also
inspire the working
people of other countries
to carry out socialist
revolutions.
-Lenin became the
communist leader of the
Soviet Union
Strikes
-Seattle docks were idled
by a strike in January and
U.S. Marines were sent in
response to a plea from
the mayor.
Bombings
-All of the following
cities had bombings
that exploded within 30
seconds of one another
(a terrorist plot)
-Boston was briefly
paralyzed by a police
strike in September;
looting and theft were
rampant.
-Boston, Newton,
Paterson, New York,
East Orange,
Philadelphia, Pittsburgh
and Washington, D.C.
-Steelworkers seeking an
eight-hour day struck in
the fall, slowing the return
of the nation’s economy
to normal peacetime
functioning.
-In November, a labor
organizer for the
Industrial Workers of the
World (I.W.W.) was
seized by citizens of
Centralia, Washington,
castrated and hanged.
Race Riots
-Caused by Great
Migration and return of
U.S. men that fought in
WW 1
-Race riots in several
dozen cities led to the
deaths and injury of
hundreds during the
summer. -“Red Summer”
(1919)
-38 mail bombs
discovered
-Italian anarchist
suicide bomber
exploded himself
outside of A. Mitchell
Palmer’s (attorney
general) house
-Cities with race riots
(Longview, TX,
Washington D.C.,
Chicago)
-Creation of Communist
International –
coordinating communist
parties in other countries
Summarize what the Red Scare was…based on the causes provided above
COMMUNISM
1.A theoretical economic system
characterized by the collective
ownership of property and by the
organization of labor for the
common advantage of all members.
2.Communism
a. A system of government in which
the state plans and controls the
economy and a single, often
authoritarian party holds power,
claiming to make progress toward a
higher social order in which all
goods are equally shared by the
people.
TYPES OF GOVERNMENT
SOCIALISM
1.Any of various theories or
systems of social organization in
which the means of producing
and distributing goods is owned
collectively or by a centralized
government that often plans and
controls the economy.
2.The stage in Marxist-Leninist
theory intermediate between
capitalism and communism, in
which collective ownership of
the economy under the
dictatorship of the proletariat has
not yet been successfully
achieved.
ANARCHY
1.Absence of any form of
political authority.
2.Political disorder and
confusion.
3.Absence of any cohesive
principle, such as a common
standard or purpose.
b.The Marxist-Leninist version of
Communist doctrine that advocates
the overthrow of capitalism by the
revolution of the proletariat.
DRAW A PICTURE
REPRESENTING
GOVERNMENT TYPE
DRAW A PICTURE
REPRESENTING
GOVERNMENT TYPE
DRAW A PICTURE
REPRESENTING
GOVERNMENT TYPE
Red Scare Cartoons
DIRECTIONS: The Red Scare was a very controversial time during the Roaring Twenties. Many were
able to express their viewpoint of the Red Scare by publishing political cartoons. Study the political
carton and answer the following question.
What was the artist’s message in the cartoon? Explain your answer.
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Immigrant Interview
DIRECTIONS: It is the 1920s and radio broadcasting has just
become very popular. You have your own radio program and are
about to interview an immigrant living in the United States. Develop
questions to ask and create some possible responses. Be sure to
include questions about the latest fears Americans are having of
immigrants and the Act to restrict and limit immigrants.
Question #1
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Possible Response
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Question #2
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Possible Response
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Question #3
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Possible Response
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Question #4
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Possible Response
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Progressive vs. Traditional Values
The 1920s was a decade of exciting changes and profound cultural conflicts. For many Americans, the
growth of cities, the rise of a consumer culture, and the so-called "revolution in morals and manners"
represented liberation from the restrictions of the country's Victorian past. But for others, the United
States seemed to be changing in undesirable ways. The result was a thinly veiled "cultural civil war," in
which a pluralistic society clashed bitterly over such issues as foreign immigration, evolution, the Ku Klux
Klan, and alcohol.
Change
Suffrage
Examples
Women Roles
African American
Pride and Nationalism
Harlem Renaissance-
Black Nationalism/Marcus Garvey-
War Against Alcohol
Attack on
Fundamentalism
Roaring Twenties
DIRECTIONS: Read the following key terms of the Roaring Twenties. Match each term
in Column I with its description in Column II by writing the letter next to the term.
Column I
Column II
1. Talkies
A. Harding’s pro-business
cabinet appointee
B. A movie with sound
2. Speakeasies
3. Ohio Gang
C. Most efficient way to
perform a task
4. Warren Harding
D. Reduction in income taxes
5. Calvin Coolidge
E. Oil lands illegally sold
6. Herbert Hoover
F. New Credit System
7. Mellon Plan
G. “Return to Normalcy”
8. The Flapper
9. Scientific Management
H. “Silent Cal”
10.Picture Palaces
I. Street cars and subways
11.Installment Plan
J. Elaborate Movie Theaters
12.Mass Transit
K. Harding’s poker buddies
13.Origins Act of 1929
L. Illegal clubs that sold alcohol
14.Monkey Trial
M. Limitation on immigration
15.Teapot Dome Scandal
N. Women’s new image
O.Theory of Evolution taught
in schools
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Explain the Red Scare and its development.
2. Describe the state of labor workers and their difficulties during the
1920s.
3. What was the Teapot Dome Scandal and who was responsible for it?
4. What role did the Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti Case play in American’s
fears?
5. List two changes in business practices during the Roaring Twenties.
6. Briefly explain what the Harlem Renaissance was and how it developed?
7. How were Americans suddenly able to have leisure time and give three
examples of how they enjoyed it?
8. Give at least three example of the woman’s new role in the Roaring Twenties.
9. In addition to the changing roles of women, what were two other issues that
caused a clash between traditional and new moralities?
2
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