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I can describe the cultural contributions of Louis Armstrong and the Jazz Age in post-World War I America (1920s).
Louis Armstrong and the Jazz Age
After World War I ended, Americans wanted to loosen up and have a good time. One way people had fun was through music and dancing. Jazz music became popular. Jazz is upbeat music with lots of rhythms that make people want to tap their feet and even dance. The 1920’s is often referred to as the “Roaring Twenties” or the Jazz Age.
One musician that made a big impact on jazz music was Louis Armstrong. He learned to play the trumpet when he was a kid. By the time Armstrong was 18, he had a job in a popular big band jazz group. His trumpet playing and unique singing voice helped him become famous.
The popularity of Louis Armstrong and jazz music spread across the world. The invention of the radio played an important role in the growth of jazz. Families played and danced to Armstrong’s music on their radios in the 1920s.
Armstrong was so popular that he became a jazz legend. Many of his songs are still heard and played today. Armstrong helped start the Jazz Age and created a new form of entertainment (fun). Jazz music is still popular all over the world!
I can describe the cultural contributions of Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance in post-World War I America (1920s).
Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance
Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance
Between 1910 and 1940, large numbers of African Americans migrated (moved) from southern states to bigger cities in the North and West. This was known as The Great Migration. African Americans moved to escape (get away from) the discrimination they faced in the South and for better job opportunities in the North.
Many African Americans who moved to New York City settled in a neighborhood called Harlem. African American artists, writers, and musicians living in Harlem created new art, wrote new books, and performed new music about the lives of African Americans. This period is known as the Harlem Renaissance. (“Renaissance” means a new interest in something.)
One writer during the Harlem Renaissance was Langston Hughes. Hughes was a poet. He wrote about the joys and sorrows (sad times) of life for African Americans. He wrote poems, novels, children’s books, and plays. Americans could listen to Hughes’ words read aloud on their radios. His writings helped all Americans understand what life was like for African Americans after World War I.
I can describe the cultural contributions of Babe Ruth and baseball in post-World War I America (1920s).
Babe Ruth and Baseball
Babe Ruth and Baseball
Americans started attending baseball games in the 1840s. By the 1920s, after World War I, Americans found a new way to enjoy baseball games. They could listen to baseball games on the radio. Listeners pictured the game in their heads while announcers described the action they saw on the field.
The radio let fans listen to games played by their favorite players. One of the most popular players of all time was Babe Ruth. Ruth played for the New York Yankees baseball team. The Yankees and Ruth won several World Series Championships.
Babe Ruth hit a total of 714 home runs during his time as a player. (This record lasted until 1974 when Atlanta Braves’ player Hank Aaron beat it.) Ruth made the game fun and exciting for baseball fans. Baseball became the most popular sport of the 1920s thanks mostly to Babe Ruth and the radio.
I can describe the cultural contributions of Charles Lindbergh and the transatlantic flight in post-World War I America (1920s).
Charles Lindbergh and Transatlantic Flight
Charles Lindbergh and the Transatlantic Flight
In 1919, a prize of $25,000 ($376,000 today) was offered to anyone that could fly an airplane over the Atlantic Ocean from New York to Paris, France on a non-stop flight. Eight years later, no one had done it yet. One man believed he could win the prize.
Charles Lindbergh learned to fly a plane in the army. He worked as an airmail pilot flying mail and packages across the country. Lindbergh, with the help of others, bought his own airplane named the Spirit of St. Louis. On May 20, 1927 Lindbergh took off from New York for Paris, France.
Lindbergh was all by himself. He flew through storms, fog, and ice. The flight took 33 ½ hours. (Today, the flight from New York to Paris takes only 7 ½ hours.)
Finally, Lindbergh landed in Paris. He was the first pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic! This earned him the nickname “Lucky Lindy”.
Lindbergh’s transatlantic flight increased interest in airplanes and air travel. After Lindbergh completed his journey, air travel seemed more realistic to people.
I can describe the cultural contributions of Henry Ford and the automobile in post-World War I America (1920s) and describe how specialization and productivity can improve standard of living.
Henry Ford, the Automobile, Specialization, Productivity, and Standard of Living
Henry Ford, the Automobile, Specialization, Productivity, and Standard of Living
After World War I, automobiles (cars) were too expensive for many Americans to own. Inventor and entrepreneur Henry Ford thought of a way to make automobiles more affordable for all Americans: the assembly line.
Assembly lines had been around for a long time, but no one was using them to make automobiles. On an assembly line, automobiles move down a line of work stations. At each station, a group of workers perform one task. For example, one group might put the windshield glass on the car. The next group may put the wipers on the car.
Each group of workers is using specialization to produce many automobiles at once. When producers focus on making specific goods or performing certain services well, they are specializing in one task. This increases productivity. Cars can be made quickly and cheaply. Ford started selling cars at a lower price so more Americans could afford them.
This was part of a bigger change called industrialization. Industrialization means using machines and new ways of working to make goods faster and in larger amounts. Instead of making one car at a time by hand, factories could now make hundreds using machines and assembly lines. This helped businesses grow and made products like cars more affordable for Americans.
Owning a car improved the standard of living for many Americans. Standard of living is the amount of goods and services people want or have available to them. The more goods and services available, the higher the standard of living. The affordable automobile impacted American society and improved the standard of living in many ways:
More paved roads and bridges
Greater mobility (people could move further away from cities and travel from place to place faster)
Creation of jobs (paving roads, building cars, and fixing cars
Unit 5 Vocabulary & Review
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