The Roaring Twenties Webquest
Directions: You are going to explore various websites devoted to America in the 1920s. The sites
provide information on ways in which America changed during the 1920s, looking at social and cultural
changes that took place during the decade. Please follow the directions closely as they will help you in
the process of completing the webquest. Write your answers in the grey box under each question.
To Access the Links and the Document Please Follow These Instructions
 Go to Mr. Leisten’s webpage: www.kleisten.wikispaces.com
 Click on the “8th Grade Social Studies” link on the left sidebar
 Click on “Roaring Twenties”
 Scroll Down until you see the document titled “Webquest 1920s” under the classwork heading
 Open the document and save it to your file on the computer
 Use each of the websites listed below to answer the questions.
1920s Introduction
1) Go To: http://www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties
Answer the following question:
1a) Write down some things that were new about the 1920s:
1920s Technology and Inventions
2) Go To:
http://trackstar.4teachers.org/trackstar/ts/viewTrackMembersFrames.do?org.apache.struts.taglib
.html.TOKEN=39e3f523ab530cd1c9c6bcd7d5626adc&number=307943&password
Click on #2 “technology” and #3 “1920’s Inventions” on the left side of the screen to answer the
following questions:
2a) Name five new inventions of the 1920s.
2b) What do you think was the biggest advancement in technology in the 1920s? Why? How did it
impact the ordinary American and the economy?
3) Click on the links below to review in-depth some information on the various topics and answer
the questions that follow:
http://www.angelfire.com/co/pscst/car.html (The Automobile)
3a) How did the automobile change American society in the 1920s?
http://www.angelfire.com/co/pscst/radio.html (The Radio)
3b) How did the radio change American life in the 1920s?
http://www.angelfire.com/co/pscst/airplane.html (The Airplane)
3c) How did the airplane change American life in the 1920s?
4) Harlem Renaissance
Go to http://www.gibbsmagazine.com/HarlemRen.htm
4a) What was the Harlem Renaissance? In what ways did African Americans express their ideas? List
a few important people from the Harlem Renaissance.
1920s Economy and Mass Production
5) Click on the link below for “#5 Economy and Mass Production”:
http://trackstar.4teachers.org/trackstar/ts/viewTrackMembersFrames.do?org.apache.struts.taglib
.html.TOKEN=39e3f523ab530cd1c9c6bcd7d5626adc&number=307943&password=.
Under “Life
Between the Wars” click on “The Transition Era- Two Economies, Two Societies” and answer the
questions below.
5a) How did consumer behavior change in the 1920s? Why did it change?
1920s Women’s Suffrage
6) Click on #6 “Women’s Rights to Vote” on the left side of the screen. Read the article.
6a) How have women’s lives changed since the 1920s?
1920s Prohibition
7) Click on #7 “Temperance and Prohibition” and read some of the articles. Then answer the
questions below.
7a) Why was prohibition started? What groups supported prohibition? Why? What groups opposed
prohibition? Why?
1920s Scares, Trials and More!
8) Click on #8 “Sacco and Vanzetti.” Read the article about the trial and answer the questions
below:
8a) What was the trial outcome? Why was the outcome so controversial? Do you think the outcome was
correct? Why?
9) Go To: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/monkeytrial/filmmore/index.html
9a) What trial was this? Why was this considered the greatest trial of all time? Why did Darrow ask
for a guilty verdict?
1920s Politics
10) Go Back To:
http://trackstar.4teachers.org/trackstar/ts/viewTrackMembersFrames.do?org.apache.struts.taglib
.html.TOKEN=39e3f523ab530cd1c9c6bcd7d5626adc&number=307943&password
Click on #10 “Political Cartoons of the Decade.” Read the article and answer the following
questions.
10a) Why were political cartoons so important during the 1920s? What point were they trying to make?
1920s Music and Fashion (Pop Culture)
11) Click on #11 “Jazz.” Read the article and answer the following question.
11a) What influence did Jazz have on culture of the 1920s?
12) Click on #12 “The Flapper” and answer the question below:
12a) How did Flappers represent a change for women in the 1920s?
13) What aspects of our society today would you consider to be related to the culture of the
1920s? Why?
14) Do you think the “Roaring Twenties” would have been the same had America not endured the
hardships and horrors of World War I? Explain your answer.