Lesson 1: 1920s- A Return to Normalcy

Lesson 1: 1920s- A Return to Normalcy

The US was was transformed after WWI. Now the richest and most powerful developed country in the world, how did the lives of the people change?

Change in the Culture of the Country

Mass production, Higher wages, new consumer goods and forms of entertainment labeled the decade as the "Roaring Twenties"

Open Ended

What does this image reveal about America in the 1920s?

Warren Harding

1920- Americans elected Harding who promised a "return to normalcy".

" America's present need is not heroics, but healing; not nostrums, but normalcy; not revolution, but restoration"

-President Warren Harding

Embracing Isolationism

The US rejected the Treaty of Versailles and never joined the League of Nations.

- Many citizens felt the US was "duped" into joining World War I and became committed to neutrality.

Selective Isolationism

The US still played a role in world affairs.

- The US hosted the Washington Naval Conference aimed to reduce the military strength of all nations.

- The US loaned European nations billions of dollars to help rebuild after WWI.

The Kellogg-Briand Pact

The US joined other world powers in a commitment to world peace by signing the pact. Member Nations->

Open Ended

What does the image and the following quote reveal about America in the 1920s?

"The chief business of the American people is business." -Calvin Coolidge, 1925

1920s Presidents

Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover helped return the country to "normalcy" by using pro-business policies.

- Republicans kept taxes low so Americans could spend their wages.

- They kept government interference in business to a minimum to allow private enterprise to flourish.

- A return to Laissez-Faire Economics, amirite?

Post-Progressive Movement

Pro-Business policies meant no new progressive reforms.

- Americans felt confident that reforms had limited the influence of monopolies, cleaned up cities, and regulated the economy.

- Workers wages rose and their hours declined and they were happy to spend their new money on leisure.

Open Ended

What does this graph show? Is there anything that you can see about what came next in US history?

Income Per capita essentially means the average wage per person each year.

Multiple Choice

The government during the 1920s was led by Republican presidents who allowed big businesses to grow and did not provide much progressive regulation in business or society. This is similar to what previous time period?

• Gilded Age

• Progressive Era

• World War I

• Great Depression

Multiple Choice

True or False: The United States stayed out of ALL foreign affairs during the Roaring Twenties.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

What president promised a "return to normalcy," which meant that America would become more isolationist again and not get involved in foreign affairs?

• Warren Harding

• Woodrow Wilson

• William Howard Taft

• Calvin Coolidge

Multiple Choice

International meeting which set limits on capital warships

• Kellogg-Briand Pact
• Washington Naval Arms Conference
• Paris Peace Conference
• Dawes Agreement

Multiple Choice

Policy of remaining apart from political affairs of other nations

• Isolationism
• Fundamentalism
• Socialism
• Communism

Multiple Choice

Attempt to help the economy by freeing money for investment

• Laissez-faire
• Return to Normalcy
• Tax cuts for wealthy
• 16th Amendment

Multiple Choice

Policy of non-interference in the workings of the free market

• Isolationism
• Fundamentalism
• Laissez-faire
• Socialism

Multiple Choice

Slogan, promise to bring U.S. back to its way of life before WWI

• Return to Normalcy
• Peace and Prosperity
• A chicken in every pot and a car in every garage
• Let America Be America Again

Multiple Choice

Demobilization led to unemployment and

• recession

• xenophobia

• epidemics

• low inflation

Industrial Growth

Mass production techniques and pro-business policies developed during WWI led to another industrial revolution for consumer goods (Household appliances and items).

- Industrial growth led to high wages and cheap products for Americans to buy.

- The appetite for consumer goods and availability of cheap CREDIT led to a decade of spending.

Assembly Lines

Henry Ford's mass production techniques made automobiles affordable for many Americans.

- Mass production led to a huge number of new products: cars, electric appliances, and new fashions.

- Companies offered ways for consumers to buy on CREDIT through monthly installment plans.

New Mass Media

Movies, Music, Sports, and Radio entertained the people across the country.

Sports become Nationalized

Sports were popular in the 1920s as Americans gained more leisure time and income. Baseball, Boxing, and football were some of the most popular. Radio broadcasts brought sporting events to national audiences. Babe Ruth--->

Urbanization Reaches New Heights

By 1920, more people lived in cities than in rural areas due to the industrial revolution, mass immigration, and jobs during WWI.

Urban/Rural Divide Widens

Urban American culture dominated the media and widened the divide between Urban and Rural Society. Flappers were just one group that embodied this difference.

- Urban society was characterized by diversity, consumerism, freedom, and entertainment.

- Rural society was characterized by religious fundamentalism, nativism, and traditionalism.

Changing Roles for Women

In 1920, women gained the right to vote, (19th Amendment)but many women did not. New fashion trends, voting rights, and more leisure time led to an increased sense of freedom.

Advertisers sold products targeting women's sexuality and appearance.

Many young, unmarried women embraced their independence and sexuality as "Flappers"

New Freedoms

Flappers popularized fashions like shorter hemlines, "bobbed" hair, and hats. Young women shocked tradtional-minded women by smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, dancing at clubs, using makeup, and had sex outside of marriage and dated boys without chaperones...

Multiple Choice

A popular book that examined life in the 1920s was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Its title was

• Gone With The Wind

• The Great Gatsby

• Raisins in the Sun

• Great Expectations

Multiple Select

Select all of the following that describe Flappers in the 1920s

• dressed and behaved in a daring manner

• wore shorter skirts and dresses

• kept their hair long and pinned up in a bun

• wore makeup

• cut their hair short in a bobbed style

Multiple Choice

Consumers can be defined as people who

• produce goods and services.

• buy and use goods and services.

• make their own goods and services.

• do not spend any money, but save it for a rainy day.

Multiple Choice

The Roaring 20s was a time when

• war was being fought in Europe.

• the US economy was in a state of depression.

• business was booming and spirits were high.

• the US was trying to fight for independence from England.

Multiple Choice

Both Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge 

• believed in a laissez faire approach to the economy and government 
• believed government intervention was important to a successful economy.
• were anarchists 
• had administrations riddled with scandal. 

Multiple Choice

When did the Roaring 20’s happen?

• Before World War I
• During World War I
• After World War I

Multiple Choice

Which of these were NOT a form of entertainment that was popular during the 1920s?

• Dancing and listening to Jazz at the Cotton Club
• Playing on the computer
• Listening to the radio
• Attending sporting events

Multiple Choice

How did the automotive industry help stimulate the U.S. economy?

• Ended dependence on foreign cars
• Increased employment for female engineers
• Increased demand for steel, rubber, and gasoline
• Started the Industrial Revolution

Multiple Choice

Which Act would 1920s Nativists have agreed to?

• Stamp Act
• Pure Food and Drug Act
• Chinese Exclusion Act
• Sister Act

Multiple Choice

What was the symbol of feminine change in the 1920s?

• Flapper
• Bootlegger
• Immigrant
• Musician

Multiple Choice

The 20s were characterized by

• Political Isolationism
• World War
• Economic Depression
• Decreased Nativism

Multiple Choice

One of the ways that Americans purchased goods during the 1920s was through the use of…

• Credit cards and installment buying

• Assembly line

• Debt

• Recession

Multiple Choice

Young women in the 1920s who declared their independence from traditional values were known as __________________________.

• Fads

• Actresses

• Flappers

• Beyonce

Multiple Choice

Young women in the 1920s who declared their independence from traditional values were known as __________________________.

• Fads

• Actresses

• Flappers

• Beyonce

Multiple Choice

During the 1920s, controversies concerning national Prohibition and the behavior of “flappers” were all signs of disagreement over…

• The return to normalcy

• Changing culture and lifestyles

• Causes of the Great Depression

• The benefits of new technology

Multiple Choice

Henry Ford produced a more affordable car primarily because his company….

• Paid workers lower wages than his competitors.

• Used foreign-made parts.

• Developed a faster and less expensive method of production called the assembly line.

• Offered a variety of options to buyers

Multiple Choice

A “return to normalcy” after World War I meant….

• Increased US involvement in Europe

• No longer selling alcohol in the United States

• Going back to life as it had been before the war

• Limiting immigration

Multiple Choice

What was one of the biggest reasons why the American economy boomed in the 1920s?

• mass production led to goods being made faster and an increase in supply

• the arrest of criminals who wouldn't stop killing people

• the banning of alcohol

• giving women the right to vote

Multiple Choice

Why was the 1920s known as the "Roaring 20s?"

• huge increase in immigration which led to fighting

• economic depression

• people were free to drink and party at their leisure

• it was a time of cultural and social changes

Multiple Choice

What amendment banned alcohol (Prohibition)?

• 16

• 18

• 19

• 21

Multiple Choice

What amendment gave women the right to vote?

• 16

• 18

• 19

• 21

Multiple Choice

What was a immediate effect of the radio?

• help with finances

• mobility for the working class

• improved access to information

• helped women get away from traditional roles