Turbulent Decades Topics Summary
Treaty of Versailles- Peace treaty between Allies and Germany that officially ended World War 1.
The Red Scare – The United States’ heightened suspicion of Communists and other radicals after WW1. It was a fear that
these Communists would overthrow the US government... so the government went after them!
Sacco and Vanzetti – 2 Italian immigrants who were accused of killing two clerks and armed robbery. These men were killed
and now people question whether it really happened or not.
Calvin Coolidge – 30th president of the United States; He restored the morale in the White House and government for the
citizens of the United States. Supporter of strikers in the largest strike in American history up to that point.
Warren G Harding and the “Ohio Gang” – President who elected many of his friends into top positions in the Government; these men were said to steal from the United States.
The Teapot Dome Scandal – A scandal involving many of the government’s top official and the illegal selling of oil.
Consumer Economy and installment buying – Consumer Economy is an economy focused on the consumer (normal people)
instead of the government. Installment buying is when a person purchases something they can not pay for completely and the
seller can charge an interest fee for the goods.
Henry Ford – Founder of the Ford Motor Company; introduced The Model T which was a huge step for America’s industrialization.
Charles Lindbergh – American pilot famous for the first non-stop solo mission across the Atlantic.
Nineteenth Amendment of the US Constitution – Guarantees women the right to vote.
Flappers – women who wore ‘short skirts’, danced, listened to Jazz Music, and flipped out their hair.
Hollywood in the 1920’s – Films were the focus of Hollywood at the time. America produced more films than any other
country at this time. Silent movies; Charles Chaplin, Billy Wilder, Al Jolson, Sam Goldwyn are a few of the big names at the
time.
Babe Ruth – American Baseball Leaguer… known as the best baseball player of all time.
Jazz Music and the Harlem Renaissance – Original American Music that originated from African Americans. The Harlem
Renaissance was the time during the 1920’s that African American culture and intellectuals really began to flourish.
Prohibition – A law that prohibited Alcohol.
Ku Klux Klan – The name of past and present organization in the US that fight for white supremacy. They often use terrorism,
violence, and intimidation to oppress African Americans in the 1920’s.
Scopes Trial – Legal case that went against a new law that did not allow the teaching of any type of creation story besides the
Biblical story in Tennessee in the 1920’s.
Fads of the 1920’s – Love to dance, radio, flappers, blues music, movie, dance marathons, etc.
Movies and Radio of the 1920’s – People began to tune into the radio everyday to listen to Jazz Music, sports talk, weather,
news, etc. 3D Movies began in the 1920’s also.
Automobiles of the 1920’s – End of the Steam-driven automobile… Model T was the first economically fit vehicle for Americans. Ford sold over a million cars in 1920.
Racial Unrest in the 1920’s – The beginning of the first serious unrest against people seen to be of “other races.” There were
many street fights and attacks on people’s homes and boarding homes.
Labor unrest in the 1920’s – Job insecurity, low income, poor working conditions, and low pay contributed to labor unrest
during the 1920’s. Groups of people began to clump together and have strikes against the companies they worked for.
Farming in the 1920’s – Huge difference between people that lived on the farms and those that lived in the cities. Sometimes a lack of electricity, indoor plumbing, refrigerators, etc. The demand for food dropped after the War and farmers had to
learn how to cope.
Immigration and the quota system – A law that limited the number of immigrants allowed into the United States.
Herbert Hoover – 31st president of the United States, he was believed to lead the country into economic prosperity. He
believed is economizing, saving and sharing.
A Perfect Place to Start- Get in the Right Frame
of Mind!
http://www.bassocantante.com/flapper/
Paul Sann, King of Tabloid Journalism, Tells the
stories of the 20’s – year by year
http://www.lawlessdecade.net/
Great Info Broken Down by Topic
http://www.jazzage1920s.com/
Lots of Links!
http://faculty.pittstate.edu/~knichols/jazzage.html
Lots of Links to Info on Jazz Music
http://42explore.com/jazz.htm
Flapper Fashion
http://www.rambova.com/fashion/fash4.html
Ohio State’s Clash of Cultures Multimedia
History- Really Cool!
http://ehistory.osu.edu/osu/mmh/clash/default.htm
The E Pluribus Unum Project – Really great info
broken up by topic
http://www1.assumption.edu/ahc/1920s/default.html
PBS’s Jazz Age Info
http://www.pbs.org/jazz/
Power Search with DESTINY
http://destiny.d47.org
Basic Info and a Great “Webography” of
Amazing Links
http://www.learner.org/biographyofamerica/prog20/feature
/index.html