Name:
1920s Consumer Culture
Entry Slip: How is entertainment including music, radio, movies, and tv shows a form of
advertisement?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Vocabulary:
Roaring 20's
Henry Ford
Consumption
Stock Market
Video Notes: http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/american-economy-in-the-1920s-consumerism-stock-market-economic-shift.html#lesson
The Roaring Economy Of The 1920S
The 1920s have been called the _________________ and for good reason. Not only was American
culture 'roaring' in terms of style and social trends, but the _________________ was 'roaring' as well.
The decade was a time of tremendous prosperity. Following the end of World War I, the industrial
might of the United States was unleashed for domestic, peaceful purposes. Within a few short years,
an economic shift took place as the economy transitioned from _________________ production to
peacetime production. New technologies like the automobile, household appliances, and other
___________-produced products led to a vibrant consumer culture, stimulating _________________
growth. Furthermore, under the administration of three consecutive Republican presidents, the
government adopted fiscally conservative policies that fueled _________________ business.
Consumerism In The 1920S
Consumerism can be thought of as the culture surrounding the _________________ and selling of
products. Consumerism came into its own throughout the 1920s as a result of mass
_________________, new products on the market, and improved _________________ techniques.
With more leisure time available and money to spend, Americans were eager to own the latest items.
Advertisers used this to their advantage, often stressing _________________ and convenience.
Through mediums like radio and print advertisements, _________________ culture was more visible
than ever before.
Sears, Roebuck & Co., a company founded in 1893, regularly issued a mail-order catalog. By the
1920s, the catalog, nicknamed the _________________ bible, had become enormously popular. It
completely revolutionized how people _________________ items. The catalog contained literally
Name:
1920s Consumer Culture
hundreds of pages featuring products like sewing machines, bicycles, clothing, radios, and just about
everything else imaginable. _________________ buying, or buying on _________________, was also
popular, allowing families to purchase large items like automobiles or refrigerators and pay them off
_________________ over a period of time. Large _________________ stores also became popular
during this time.
Document 1: Henry Ford and the Automobile
Perhaps the greatest
increase in efficiency came when
Henry Ford perfected the
assembly-line production method,
which enabled factories to churn
out large quantities of a variety of
new technological wonders, such
as radios, telephones, refrigerators,
washing machines, and cars. The
increasing availability of such
consumer goods pushed
modernization forward, and the
U.S. economy began to shift away
from heavy industry toward the production of these commodities.
The automobile quickly became the symbol of the new America. Although Americans did not invent
the car, they certainly perfected it. Much of the credit for this feat went to Ford and his assembly-line
method, which transformed the car from a luxury item into a necessity for modern living. By the mid1920s, even many working-class families could afford a brand-new Model T Ford, priced at just over
$250. Increasing demand for the automobile in turn trickled down to many other industries. The
demand for oil, for example, boomed, and oil prospectors set up new wells in Texas and the Southwest
practically overnight. Newer and smoother roads were constructed across America, dotted with new
service stations. Change came so rapidly that by 1930, almost one in three Americans owned cars.
What is the Author's Purpose in Document 1?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Who was Henry T. Ford AND how did his invention change American Culture in the 1920s?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Name:
1920s Consumer Culture
Document 2: Mass Consumption and Mass Culture
The culture of the 1920s grew out of the material abundance of the new
mass-production/mass-consumption economy, which generated both
increased wages for the urban middle class and fabulous profits for
wealthier investors.
Even as wondrous new machines transformed the
conditions of everyday life, culture itself became a mass commodity. The
1920s were the heyday of broadcast radio and Hollywood cinema; for the
first time, consumers across the country tuned in to the same radio
programs and bought tickets to the same films. Advertising became a
crucial industry in its own right, cultivating mass demand for the products
of mass consumption.
What is the Author's Purpose in Document 2?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
How do the radio and Hollywood cinema create a culture of “consumption” in the 1920s?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Document 3: A Great Time to be Rich
Name:
1920s Consumer Culture
The 1920s' reputation as the perfect example of wretched excess may have been unfair by the devastating
portrait of life among the rich provided by F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel, The Great Gatsby. But the
Roaring Twenties were,
in fact, a great time to be
rich. Meanwhile, the
explosion in new massproduction industries
fueled by the spread of
technologies like
electricity and the
assembly line provided
ample opportunities for
profitable investment, and
the stock market began its
famed ascent.
With money to invest,
many Americans began
buying stock. This was
the thing to do in the
1920s. It was seen as modern: a venture for those who were smart, sophisticated, and urbane. And while it
carried risks, it was generally seen as a sound investment. As the economy continued to grow throughout the
decade, some people came to see investing in stock as a foolproof way to get rich quick.
Since less than 1% of the American people owned any stock, those fabulous returns in the stock market directly
benefited only the wealthy. As a result, the share of America's wealth controlled by the richest of the rich
increased rapidly to perhaps the highest level in American history. In any case, the Roaring Twenties offered a
classic case of the rich getting richer. Much richer.
What is the Author's Purpose in Document 3?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
How did the stock markets contribute to the creation of the upper class in the 1920s?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________