Document Based Question Essay:
How did American culture change during the 1920s?
Use the documents below to construct a multi-paragraph essay of how culture in
the United States changed in the 1920s. You must use each document, and be sure
to reference the document according to its number or author. Keep in mind the
acronym “SOAP” when analyzing each document:
S – Speaker
O – Occasion
A – Audience
P – Purpose
The “SOAP” acronym is generally useful, but there are documents where you may
not know the author or artist. Remember to think of the document in the time
period and try to assess the point of view (or perspective) of the author/artist.
Be sure to also include the limitations the documents might have toward
understanding cultural change in the 1920s.
In order to get started, there is a question after each document. These questions
are designed to help you understand how the document could fit into the
framework of the DBQ essay. Click on the links above some of the documents for
additional information. Be sure to ask your instructor for additional help with the
DBQ process.
Step 1: Read the documents thoroughly, jot down notes about each one.
Step 2: Answer the questions after each document.
Step 3: Create a thesis statement that answers the question posed. For an
eloquent essay, consider placing your thesis statement as the last sentence of the
first paragraph (introductory paragraph).
Step 4: Write your essay (minimum 5 paragraphs) using the documents and
necessary outside information. Reference the documents by using the document
#, author, or title.
Document 1
Billy Sunday (evangelical preacher) discussing Prohibition in How Dry We Were:
Prohibition Revisited
“The reign of tears is over! The slums will soon be only a memory. We will
turn our prisons into factories and our jails into storehouses and corncribs.
Men will walk upright now, women will smile and the children will laugh. Hell
will be forever for rent!”
How does Sunday think Prohibition will change the culture of America?
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Document 2
Cover of McClure’s magazine, 1920s
What does this magazine cover tell us about fashion and music?
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Document 3
James Weldon Johnson, executive secretary of the NAACP and writer of “Lift
Every Voice and Sing” (known as the black national anthem).
Lift every voice and sing
Till earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the listening skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
How do these lyrics express change for African-Americans in the 1920s?
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Document 4
Photograph of a farmer in the 1920s
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6668
How does this photograph of rural life show technological change?
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Document 5
Langston Hughes, excerpt from poem “Dream Variations,” 1926:
To fling my arms wide
In the face of the sun,
Dance! Whirl! Whirl!
Till the quick day is done.
Rest at pale evening…
A tall, slim tree…
Night coming tenderly
Black like me.
How might this poem show shifting attitudes among African-Americans?
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Document 6
Excerpt from a popular song of the 1920s:
How ya gonna keep ‘em on the farm, after they’ve seen Paree?
http://www.firstworldwar.com/audio/howyagonna.htm to view all the lyrics and
listen to the song.
How does this song provide insight into the changes of youth culture?
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Document 7
Advertisement for Boncilla Cosmetics, 1925
http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/adaccess.BH1580/pg.1/
How does this advertisement showcase changes for women in the 1920s?
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Document 8
Titles of popular songs heard on the radio in the 1920s
“Baby Face”
“I Want to Be Happy”
“Singin’ in the Rain”
“Blue Skies”
“Let a Smile Be Your Umbrella”
What do the above song titles tell you about attitudes in the 1920s?
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Document 9
Advertisement for Lucky Strike cigarettes, 1928
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6667
Describe the message the advertisement is attempting to send.
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Document 10
Cover of Life magazine, 1920s
How did transportation change in the 1920s?
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