APUSH 1920’s Presentations SFI (2A)
1. Ford Model A –is the basis from which the modern car was born, due to its
innovative features including a electric starters, gas gauges, speedometers. The
overall production of the Model A shaped the manufacturing process for future
automobiles as a result of the production lines. The Model A is an example of
the innovation during the roaring twenties which was not only technical but
applied socially to the extent where both the rich and the poor both drove the
same car.
2. Louis Armstrong -a jazz musician in the 20th century. Through his
vocal and instrumental abilities, Armstrong was able to
popularize jazz throughout America.
3. Paul Robeson -a black actor, singer, and civil rights activist during the 1920's. He advocated for
the removal of Jim Crowe Laws and this idea was exemplified through the lyrics of his songs and
the marches that he led. He represented cultural tension because he advocated for racial
equality.
4. George Gershwin -an American pianist and composer born to Russian immigrant parents in
Brooklyn New York. He began composing while working as a “song plugger” on Tin Pan Alley. He
went on to write pieces for orchestra, solo piano, 2 operas, about 15 musicals (with and without
the help of his brother Ira), and several movie scores; contributing to the 1920s as an era of
innovation.
5. Reader's Digest/Time magazine-They were both magazines that were found and first published
during the 1920's. Their quick way of delivering information to the consumers helped them gain
many subscribers and popularity.
6. Art Deco -A design style that originated at a conference in France and influenced much of
American industry, such as architecture and paintings and even electronics. It's main
components are color and shapes and lasted from the 1920s to after WW2.
7. Gertrude Stein -A Lost Generation writer who wrote novels and
poems that received considerable interest from other artists.
Artists like Picasso and Fitzgerald submitted their work to her
to be edited and to receive feedback
8. Women's fashion -in the 1920s was affected by Prohibition, the
end of World War I, and Women's Suffrage that allowed it to
become free-flowing, more elaborate, and more liberal. The
fashion of the era included flapper dresses, cloche hats, higher
hemlines up to the knee, and more elaborate evening dresses. The
fashion represented a more innovative era because new
advancements in technology, prohibition (giving reasons for women
to dress up at night and drink) and the 19th amendment gave women
more freedom that is still evident today.
9. Ernest Hemingway- a leading literary figure of the 1920's era and the principal spokesman for
the group of young, disillusioned American writers known as the "Lost Generation." He is most
well-known for his novels The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms, and for his creation of a
new style of fiction that used distinct American dialect.
10. Radios -With the combined efforts of James Clerk Maxwell,
Heinrich Rudolf Hertz, and Mahlon Loomis the first radio waves
and connection was created. Radios are a technological
breakthrough that was innovative in being able to connect people
and deliver both entertainment and news that changed everybody's
life.
11. Show Boat- A musical/book incorporating segregation and struggles for black freedom through
a love story. The musical was innovative and unlike the other ones at the time.
12. Langston Hughes -a well known black author and poet who emerged
in the 1920s. As a leader in the Harlem Renaissance, a cultural
movement taking place in Harlem, NY, Hughes was a writer who
spoke his mind about the position of blacks. To the point where
even black critics would say his work was too extreme, Langston
Hughes was a source of cultural tension through the emphasized
social difference between blacks and whites.
13. Clara Bow -After winning the "Fame and Fortune" Beauty Competition, Clara Bow
started her career as an actress. She was known as the "It" girl and was a symbol of sex
during the roaring 20s. Some of her silent movies and talkies included Down to the Sea
in Ships, Kick in, Dangerous Curves, and Maytime.
14. Men's fashion in the 1920's: Changed due to the outward appearance of the clothing. Suits
became shorter and more slim fitting, and shoes became more flamboyant in color (many men
preferred multi-colored shoes). The period of innovation meant a changing wardrobe for men.
The store catalog was extremely influential, it created an easy port of access for men to shop
through.
15. Speakeasies were underground bars where alcohol was served illegally. They were usually
guarded by a local police official and there was a secret code to get in.