The Dark Side of the 1920s
McElroy Project
Sharon Rounds, author/researcher
Crestwood High School, Cresco, Iowa 52136
I. Introduction
When people normally think of the 1920s, they think of jazz, flappers, prosperity, and
speakeasies. They remember the nickname "The Roaring Twenties." They remember the
new rights that women acquired and the new freedoms that women took advantage of.
But few people realize that there was a "dark side" to the 1920s. Paul Sann put
together a pictorial history of the decade entitled The Lawless Decade. The following
lessons explore that "dark and lawless" side of the 1920s. At the end of this unit, students
should be encouraged to draw conclusions as to whether some of the laws and practices
of this decade contributed to the next era of U.S. history; namely, the Great Depression.
II. Iowa Core Standards
1) Understand historical patterns, periods of time, and the relationships among
these elements.
a. Identify similarities and differences within and among time periods that are
used to create the periods.
b. Identify and interpret the major events that occurred during a time period.
2) Understand how and why people create, maintain, or change systems of
power, authority, and governance.
a. Explore how government has reacted to problems in the past, such as social,
environmental, political and/or economic issues, and how the government’s
actions affected individuals.
b. Evaluate how individuals influenced government actions in past events.
3) Understand the role of individuals and groups within a society as promoters
of change or the status quo.
a. Analyze the actions of individuals and groups in the development of historical
events.
b. Identify significant individuals who have affected historical development in
positive or negative ways.
4) Understand cause-and-effect relationships and other thinking skills in order
to interpret historical events and issues.
a. Interpret actions taken, analyze impact experienced, and evaluate decisions
made in history in the context in which they occurred.
b. Determine the validity and accuracy of primary sources and secondary sources
and evaluate them for bias.
c. Predict how different decisions might have impacted the outcome of an event.
III. Materials Used
Main Text: The Americans: Reconstruction to the 21st Century (2003). McDougall
Littell (Chapters 12 and 13 are the focus.)
Supplementary Materials: PowerPoint presentations
1) The Dark Side of the Roaring Twenties: Prohibition
2) The Dark Side of the 1920s: The Plight of the Farmer
3) The Dark Side of the 1920s: Elimination of Waste in Industry
Assignments:
1) Farm articles assignment
2) Two points of view on Prohibition political cartoon worksheet
3) Elimination of Waste articles and questions
IV. Sources
The documents used in the assignments are from the collections at the Herbert Hoover
Presidential Library in West Branch, Iowa (http://hoover.archives.gov). Other sources
are cited throughout the PowerPoint presentations. The two main books used can also be
found at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library:
Sann, Paul. (1957). The Lawless Decade: A Pictorial History of a Great American
Transition. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc.
Parrish, Michael E. (1994). Anxious Decades: America in Prosperity and Depression,
1920–1941. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
V. Lesson Plans
Days 1–4: Begin with reading Chapter 12 from the text. The main part ties into
Elimination of Waste in Industry. Use the PowerPoint "The Dark Side of the 1920s:
Eliminating Waste in Industry." There are two readings included based on this topic.
Assign one on Day 2 to be discussed on Day 3 and the other on Day 3 to be discussed on
Day 4.
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Elimination of Waste in Industry Presentation
Elimination of Waste in Industry Reading
Elimination of Waste in Industry Worksheet
Efficiency or Waste Reading
Efficiency or Waste Worksheet
Days 5–7: Before beginning the discussion on farmers and how they were affected,
the students should know about Prohibition. This topic caused some concern for the
farmers because of decreased demand for grains and cereals normally used in the
brewing process. Show and discuss the PowerPoint, "The Dark Side of the Roaring 20s:
Prohibition." Depending on how involved your class is, this PowerPoint presentation
will take at least two, possibly three days to cover. On Day 6, assign the Political
Cartoon worksheet. This will lead into discussion on Day 7. What led to the repeal of
Prohibition? This question could also be used as a short-answer question on a test.
(If you want your students to remember the two amendments associated with
Prohibition, a good way to do it is with the drinking ages. The legal age used to be 18,
and that is the amendment that prohibited alcohol consumption. Now the legal age is 21,
and that is the amendment that allowed alcohol to be sold again.)
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Prohibition Presentation
Political Cartoon
Political Cartoon Worksheet
Days 8–10: The farming crisis, detailed in chapter 13 of the main text, is the main
focus of these three days. During this time, Herbert Hoover was involved with feeding
the war-torn nations of Europe, and he also was a member of the Presidential Cabinet in
the role of Secretary of Commerce. Some felt that he was also trying to control the
Department of Agriculture at this time, and that concern is addressed in the four article
reading assignment below. Use the “The Plight of the Farmer” PowerPoint presentation
to start discussion. The main question, which could be an essay question, is "What effect
did Prohibition have on the growing farm crisis?" Students should then use the
information presented to make their case for this question.
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The Plight of the Farmer Presentation
The Plight of the Farmer Reading
Elimination of Waste in Industry Presentation
The Dark Side of the 1920s:
Elimination of Waste in
Industry
Sharon Rounds
McElroy Project
through
Herbert Hoover Presidential Library & Museum
Elimination of Waste in Industry Reading
Elimination of Waste in Industry Assignment
1) What are the six types of waste that are mentioned in the article?
2) What does the article say is the greatest waste?
3) What was the purpose of the First National Conference on Unemployment?
4) What were the three remedies proposed to deal with unemployment?
5) What were the findings of the committee on seasonal operation in the construction
industries?
6) ESSAY QUESTION: Based on this article and what you know about the
unemployment situation today, do you think that any of these recommendations
should be followed today? If so, which ones and how? If not, why not? What do
you think would work better?
"Efficiency or Waste" Reading
Questions on "Efficiency or Waste"
1) Define the following:
Pertinaciously
Preeminent
Peculating
2) Why would not replacing old and inefficient machinery be considered a waste
according to the article?
3) Why would limiting domestic production to domestic consumption be considered
dangerous?
4) Why is importing goods without exporting anything seen as a bad situation?
5) The author of this article says that "To attempt to artificially and by governmental
devices prevent the export of wheat and copper and the like appears suspiciously
like folly." What do you think his definition of "folly" is? What does the
dictionary say "folly" means?
The Dark Side of the Roaring Twenties: Prohibition
The Dark Side of the Roaring
Twenties: Prohibition
Slideshow by Sharon Rounds
Hoover Library McElroy Project
Political Cartoon
Political Cartoon Questions
1) What two viewpoints are represented in the cartoon?
2) How were enforcement efforts viewed by the Prohibitionists?
3) What was the reality seen by the general public?
4) Do you think Prohibition could have succeeded? Why or why not?
The Plight of the Farmer Presentation
The Dark Side of the 1920s:
The Plight of the Farmer
Sharon Rounds
McElroy Project
through
Herbert Hoover Presidential Library & Museum
The Plight of the Farmer Reading