Unit 3
Changes in American Culture and Society
WHITCHURCH HIGH SCHOOL
HISTORY GCSE
UNIT
3
IN-DEPTH STUDY
THE USA, A NATION OF CONTRASTS
1910-1929
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Unit 3
Changes in American Culture and Society
Changes in American Culture and Society
Key questions
Content
How did popular entertainment
The era of the silent movie
(reasons for the popularity of the
develop during this period?
cinema; the influence of movie stars;
the coming of the talkies)
The development of popular music
and culture
(Jazz music: its development and
impact; the impact of the radio and
gramophone; dancing and the
speakeasy culture)
How did the lifestyle and status
of women change during this
period?
Changing attitudes to women
(impact of the First World War;
changing attitudes to social etiquette;
influence of Jazz culture)
The flapper lifestyle
(moves toward feminism; new
fashions; flapper icons and role
models; opposition to the flapper
lifestyle)
Why did sport and other leisure
activities witness so much
growth during this period?
The increasing popularity of sport
(reasons for the increasing popularity
of sport; sporting heroes and their
significance: e.g. Babe Ruth; Jack
Dempsey, Gene Tunney)
Fads, crazes and the passion for
the unusual
(e.g: crossword puzzles; dance
marathons; flagpole sitting; Lindbergh
and the 'Spirit of St Louis')
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HOW DID POPULAR ENTERTAINMENT DEVELOP DURING THIS PERIOD?
Aim: Students will be able to understand why entertainment was so important in
America in the 1920’s
Objective: Students will be able to explain the development of the silent cinema
and the ‘talkies’.
Resources; Textbook; Powerpoint on Website; Videos on website
THE CINEMA
What is meant by a “silent movie”
Why did cinema become so popular after the First World War?
Who were the Silent Movie stars and what impact did they have on culture
and society?
Task: Watch the powerpoint, read p118 and write down a few points about each
of the following movie stars. One has been completed for you.
Pickford and Fairbanks
These were silent movie
stars who became Hollywood
first celebrity couple when
they married in 1920.
They formed United Artists, a famous
movie production company.
They lived in a Beverley Hills mansion
known as “Pickfair”, and famous people
from all around the world would attend
their parties
Rudolf Valentino
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Clara Bow
Charlie Chaplin
How did Hollywood and the film stars change life in America in this period? Read
p118 of the textbook to complete the diagram below.
Hollywood
Morals
The importance of
the cinema in the
social and cultural life
of the USA
Trends
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Changes in American Culture and Society
THE COMING OF THE TALKIES
In 1927 the first “talkie” or movie with talking and
sound, was released in the USA. It was the “The Jazz
Singer” starring Al Jolson. It was a massive box
office hit. Soon, more “talkies” followed, and it
boosted cinema audience figures to an all time high.
Moviegoers were desperate to see how their favourite movie stars spoke.
However, “talkies” ruined the careers of many actors and actresses, including
Clara Bow, who looked great on screen…..but had strange voices and funny
accents! The movie industry continued to develop and became even more popular.
In 1928, Hollywood introduced its own academy award scheme in the form of the
“Oscars”.
The Impact of Hollywood
Task
Complete the crossword below using the information you have learned in this
section
5
2
5
3
4
1
4
3
1
2
Clues:
Across
1. One of the big movie companies
2. These took over from the silent movies.
3. The prizes for the best actors
4 The star of the first talking movie.
5. The surname of the star of the 1927
film ‘It’
Down
1. One of the big movie companies
2. Lots of this lowered moral standards
3. The first talking picture 1927
4. Surname of the romantic movie star who
committed suicide
5. Centre of American movie industry
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Changes in American Culture and Society
THE DEVELOPMENT OF POPULAR MUSIC AND CULTURE
Aim: Students will be able to understand why entertainment was so important in
America in the 1920’s
Objective: Students will have understanding of the Jazz Age. They will know
about Jazz, dances, the importance of the radio.
Resources; Textbook; Powerpoint on Website; Videos on website; A3paper for
poster
At this time many Americans wanted to enjoy themselves as much as they could
by perhaps listening to the new jazz music, or doing the new dances such as the
Charleston and the black bottom. Crowds flocked to watch film
stars like Charlie Chaplin and baseball stars like Babe Ruth. The
emphasis on having fun and spending money has led to the 1920s
being called the Roaring Twenties.
Task: Read the information on Louis Armstrong on page 120 and
answer the following question.
Describe the career of Louis Armstrong
[5]
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Unit 3
Changes in American Culture and Society
Task:
For this task you will need to complete a poster on this topic. Firstly you will
watch the powerpoint and the video on this topic. Then you must read page 120
and 121 of the textbook.
You will have one lesson (possibly two) to complete this task.
You must explain the following points in the poster:





The development of Jazz
Clubs and dancing
The radio and gramophone
Fads, crazes and heroes
The impact of the car
This is an important task and must be completed seriously. You may use facts
from your own research if you take the poster home to complete. You must get
as much factual information as you can into the poster. You can either use the
poster provided or create your own using images you find yourself
Use colour and pictures to help you understand this topic. Remember that if you
complete this task well it will be important as a revision aid for the examination.
THERE WILL BE WORTHY OF PRAISE POINTS AWARDED TO THE BEST POSTERS AND
THE BEST POSTERS WILL BE DISPLAYED
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Changes in American Culture and Society
HOW DID THE LIFESTYLE AND STATUS OF WOMEN CHANGE DURING THIS PERIOD?
Aim: Students will be able to understand why the traditional role of women
changed in the 1920’s
Objective: Students will know that there were different attitudes to women in
the home and at work. They will know that fashion and women’s behaviour
changed
Resources; Textbook; Powerpoint on Website; Videos on website.
The traditional role of women
Women were second class citizens. They were not allowed to vote or take part in
politics.Their clothes were restricted. They were expected to have long hair,
often worn up, and to wear tight undergarments (including corsets) and fulllength dresses. They were not supposed to smoke or drink. They were not to
drive cars or play vigorous games.
If they were unmarried, they were accompanied by a chaperone when they went
out in the company of men. They were employed in traditional 'female' areas of
work such as domestic services, textiles, clerical and secretarial work, and
teaching. They were generally paid far less than men. Married women, especially
from the middle and upper classes, were not expected to work. Women did all
the housework. This was often very time-consuming, especially washing by hand
and cleaning
Changes in the 1920’s - Read this information
Domestic role
Labour-saving devices, such as the vacuum
cleaner and the washing machine, greatly
reduced the time they had to spend on
housework and freed them to do paid work
if they so desired.
Fashion/appearance
Many women stopped wearing corsets.
Hemlines went up and hair was cut short in
bobs. Heavy make-up became fashionable.
In 1922, a fashion writer wrote in the New
York Times, ‘The American woman has
lifted her skirt far too high. Some even
above knee level. They wear thin, often
short-sleeve dresses and flesh coloured
stockings. Some have short bobbed hair.
Most wear make-up, especially rouge and
lipstick.'
Behaviour
Many younger women smoked and drank in
public. They began to take part in
strenuous sport and dances such as the
Charleston. They went out unaccompanied
by chaperones and even drove cars.
Work
During the First World War, women had
taken over many of the jobs traditionally
done by men. After the war, most went
back to traditional jobs. However, the
number of working women increased by
25% to 10.5 million by 1929.The number of
upper- and middle-class women in
employment increased, especially in
teaching and secretarial work.
NB ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT CHANGES WAS THE NINETEENTH AMENDMENT
PASSED IN 1920 WHICH GAVE WOMEN THE RIGHT TO VOTE
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Task
In the diagram below show how the changes in the position of women in America in the 1920’s
Before the war
In the 1920s
Work
Domestic role
Fashion/appearance
Behaviour
Which was the greatest change?
The greatest change was
This was because
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Question: - In what ways did the position of women in the USA change in
the 1920’s
Task
Cut and paste the correct information into the spaces below from the sheet
your teacher will give you. Don’t forget to cross out any information that is not
relevant to the boxes.
Work
Fashion/appearance
Behaviour
Most important change
Why?
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HOMEWORK TASK
FLAPPERS – WHAT IS A FLAPPER?
Task
For this task you must write a letter
showing that you understand about the
lifestyle of a flapper.
[1] READ P 119 ABOUT FLAPPERS
Boy
If you are a boy you must imagine that
you are living in New York in an apartment with your sister. You come from the
countryside and your sister has become a flapper. You must write a letter home
to your mother and father explaining that you are very worried about your
sister’s recent behaviour. She is coming in late and smoking, among other things!
Yo do not like some of her other friends Use your imagination and the
information to show how worried you are.
GIRL
If you are a girl you are writing to a friend who lives in your old home town in
the countryside. You have lived in New York for six months and you have become
a flapper. Explain what this means and what type of things you are doing now
One of your new friends has a motorbike which you love riding on! What other
adventures can you have as a Flapper? Explain how different and exciting your
life is now.
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT FOR THIS TASK - CHECKLIST
 What job does the girl have?
 What type of fashions is she following?
 Where does she find out abut the new music and
films?
 What does she listen to?
 Where does she go in the nights?
You will be given paper for this task – which you can start in the lesson and
complete for homework.
This sheet can be taken home. You can research the lifestyle of a flapper for
help with this task – Use Google for information.
The Textbook is also available on Moodle – Go to GCSE History – then click
on WJEC Text book – Information on Flappers is on p 22
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WHY DID SPORT AND OTHER LEISURE ACTIVITIES WITNESS SO MUCH GROWTH
DURING THIS PERIOD?
In the years after WW1 people came to have more free time, as well as money.
This period witnessed the growth of organised sport, especially baseball, boxing,
tennis and golf. The radio meant that events could be broadcast across the
USA. Sport became a profitable business attracting ever larger crowds. (See
the video on the website) Just like today every sports fan had their hero in the
1920s. And, just like today matches and results were analysed and players
techniques discussed.
SPORTING HEROES
William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey ("The
Manassa Mauler") (June 24, 1895 – May 31,
1983) was an American boxer who held the
world heavyweight title from 1919 to 1926.
Dempsey's aggressive style and
exceptional punching power made him one
of the most popular boxers in history.
Many of his fights set financial and
attendance records, including the first
million dollar gate. He is listed 10th on The
Ring's list of all-time heavyweights and 7th
among its Top 100 Greatest Punchers. He
is a member of the International Boxing
Hall of Fame.
George Herman Ruth, Jr. (February 6,
1895 – August 16, 1948), best known as
"Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino"
and "the Sultan of Swat", was an
American Major League baseball player
from 1914–1935. Ruth originally broke into
the major leagues with the Boston Red Sox
as a starting pitcher, but after he was sold
to the New York Yankees in 1919, he
became one of the league's most prolific
hitters. Ruth was a mainstay in the
Yankees' lineup that won seven pennants
and four World Series titles during his
tenure with the team. In 1936, Ruth
became one of the first five players
elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
William Tatem Tilden II (February 10,
1893 – June 5, 1953), nicknamed "Big Bill,"
is often considered one of the greatest
tennis players of all time An American
tennis player who was the World No. 1
player for seven years, Bill Tilden
dominated the world of international
tennis in the first half of the 1920s.
During his 18 year amateur period of 191230, he won 138 of 192 tournaments, and
had a match record of 907-62, a winning
Harold Edward "Red" Grange, nicknamed
"The Galloping Ghost", (June 13, 1903 –
January 28, 1991) was a college and
professional American football halfback
for the University of Illinois, the Chicago
Bears, and for the short-lived New York
Yankees. His signing with the Bears helped
legitimize the National Football League.He
was a charter member of both the College
and Pro Football Hall of Fame. In 2008, he
was named the greatest college football
player of all time by ESPN.
percentage of 93.6
percent
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Gertrude Caroline Ederle (October 23,
1905 – November 30, 2003) was an
American competitive swimmer. In 1926,
she became the first woman to swim
across the English Channel. Her successful
cross-channel swim began one year later at
Cap Gris-Nez in France at 07:05 on the
morning of August 6, 1926. 14 hours and 30
minutes later, she came ashore at
Kingsdown, Kent, England. Her record
stood until Florence Chadwick swam the
channel in 1950 in 13 hours and 20 minutes.
Task: Match up the heroes with the sport they played by colouring the boxes
with the same colour. Then add one fact about the hero in the box with their
name in.
Red Grange
Swimming
Gertrude Ederle
Baseball
Babe Ruth
Golf
Bill Tilden
Boxing
Jack Dempsey
American Football
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END
OF MODULE TEST
You will be given paper to complete this test
This question is about changes in American Culture and Society
Study the photograph below and then answer the question which follows.
[Two young women having fun in America about 1910 }
[a] What does this picture tell you about the lives of women in America at
this time?
[2]
[b] Describe the sporting career of either Babe Ruth or Jack Dempsey
[5]
[c] Explain why the cinema became a popular form of entertainment.
[8]
[e] Was jazz music the most important development in American culture
and society during the 1920’s? Explain your answer fully.
[10]
You should have a two sided answer to this question:
 Discuss how Jazz music changed American culture and society
 Discuss other ways in which American culture and society changed
eg – Hollywood, radio etc
 Then sum up with a judgement.
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WHAT HAVE I LEARNT ABOUT THIS TOPIC
() Tick the boxes to show what you know.
Knows
not sure
don't know/
I know:
what a flapper is
how the staus of women changed
about the silent cinema and Hollywood
the development of Jazz
how the car changed American lives
about the importance of sport in America
About famous American sporstpeople.
I know best
I need to work on (up to 3 targets)
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