Roaring Twenties

Day 1-2 (11/4 - 11/5): Introduction to the 1920's -- While discussing some of trends and fads of life in the 1920's, we also discussed the fundamental contrast in the era of the clash between the modern and traditional in America.

Day 3 (11/6): Our introduction to the Jazz Age continues with a brief assignment introducing various elements and innovations from the "era of wonderful nonsense." Consult the website www.1920-30.com for answers to the questions below. Assignment due at the beginning of the hour on 11/7.

Day 4 (11/7): One of the defining features of the decade was a rapidly growing economy and consumer society. This prosperity, however, was coupled with uneasiness about the pace of modernization among many in America, creating a tension between the urban, secular, and modern with the rural, fundamental and traditional that arguably persists to this day.

In class today, we are focusing on the elements that led to the prosperity in the 20's (first 8 slides of powerpoint and the first 13 minutes of the video below). Other elements will be referenced in future lessons).

Day 5 (11/11): Mass production and a new mass culture (radio, film, etc.) led to the explosion of a consumer culture in the 1920's. Valders native and famed economist Thorstein Veblen coined the phrase "conspicuous consumption" to explain the growing desire of consumers to not just buy what was needed, but fulfill wants and acquire status. In class we examined advertisements from the 1920's and recongized that tactics used then and how they are still used today. Some techniques analyzed were:

• bandwagon
• repetition
• blinded by science
• endorsements
• transfer

The following link has a number of good examples of advertisements from the era:

• https://weburbanist.com/2010/06/15/1920s-vintage-ads-marketing-in-a-roaring-post-war-world/

Day 6 (11/12)

Roaring Twenties Quiz #1

Day 7-9 (11/13-11/18)

• In the 1920's, while many city dwellers enjoyed a rising standard of living, most farmers suffered through hard times. Conflicting visions of what the nation should be heightened the urban-rural division. The clash between the urban, modern, liberal, secular and rural, traditional, conservative, religious was a hallmark of the twenties and still persists today.

Social and Cultural Tensions -- as we begin to discuss this concept, we are viewing the documentary "Ten Days that Unexpectedly Changed America -- The Scopes Trial."

https://www.history.com/images/media/pdf/TheScopesTrial.pdf

Day 10 (11/19): Politics of the 1920's. Review the notes and handout below.

Day 11 (11/20): The Harlem Renaissance (in class handout)

Days 12-14 (11/21 - 11/27) : 1920's project. The capstone project for the unit is listed below.