CHAPTER 28 Pop Culture in the 1920

CHAPTER 28

Pop Culture in the 1920 s The Charleston: Was a popular dance. The dance originated in the South…and took its name from Charleston, SC. It became an international dance craze. Some people thought it was too immoral.

Roaring 20 s Consumer culture: a culture that views the consumption of goods as beneficial to the economy and a source of personal happiness. Does a PC differ from a Mac? Lots of people think so.

Other Examples

Home Inventions During this time, the following inventions were created: Toaster, electric powered washing machines, refrigerators, stoves. Other processes were invented, like freezing food.

Advertising Advertising really began to take off during the Roaring 20 s. Ads help to drive consumer demand. As I mentioned before, you are subjected to about 3, 000 ads a day!

Credit Credit: an arrangement for buying something now with borrowed $$ then paying the loan off over time. This process really began in the 1920 s.

Installment buying Installment buying: made it possible to buy goods on credit. A buyer makes a down payment on the product. Seller loans the rest of the $$. If the buyer stops making payments before the loan is repaid, then the seller can reclaim the item.

Examples

It’s Your Turn! What do you think about credit cards and installment buying? Do they have any advantages? What could some disadvantages be?

Charles Lindbergh Charles Lindbergh: the first man to fly solo across the Atlantic. He flew from NYC to Paris. He became an instant hero and celebrity. His plane’s name was The Spirit of St. Louis.

Amelia Earhart The first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. Earned the Distinguished Flying Cross from Congress. Disappeared in 1937 on an attempt to fly around the world. From Atchison, Kansas!

Cars Most roads were dirt tracks. This posed a problem when it rained. Federal Highway Act of 1916: encouraged states to build roads. Soon, highways began to be built.

Continued: Soon, restaurants, hotels, and gas stations began popping up across the country. Downside: the number of people killed in car accidents increased to over 30, 000 per year in the 1930 s.

It’s Your Turn! What is the furthest that you’ve travelled by car? Where did you travel to? What are some of your memorable stories on stopping on the road on a trip?

Radio and Movies Radio took off like crazy in the 1920 s. People would sit around for hours listening to the radio like people do with television today. Early radio shows: Little Orphan Annie and Amos & Andy, plus live broadcasts of sports.

Continued: The first movies were silent movies. Actors like Charlie Chaplin became huge movie stars. The first movie with sound was The Jazz Singer.

Jazz The 1920 s is known as the Jazz age. Louis Armstrong was a famous trumpeter. It involved ragtime, and improvisation. Jazz is largely made up as it goes along. Born in New Orleans, it spread across the midwest, including KC.

Continued: Jazz’s popularity soared in night clubs and on radio. George Gershwin blended jazz with classical music. Gershwin created Rhapsody in Blue.

Harlem Renaissance Harlem Renaissance: took place in Harlem in NYC. Was a period of creativity among African-American writers, artists, and musicians living there in the 1920 s. Langston Hughes and Zora Neal Hurston were notable writers.

Sports Figures Spectator sports: sports that attract large numbers of fans who attend the games. Baseball, boxing, wrestling, and football took off here. No figure was bigger than Babe Ruth.