The Roaring Twenties
The Roaring Twenties
Sharecroppers and Radios
The Roaring Twenties
The Roaring Twenties was an economic boom period that had a positive effect on the daily lives of many (but not all Americans). New technologies such as the automobile, airplanes, radios, and new appliances improved peoples' lives. However, some such as sharecroppers, farmers, and underpaid factory workers were not able to enjoy this rising standard of living.
New technology of the 1920's
The picture in the left hand corner is a picture of a radio which was considered new technology of the 1920's. The radio was a machine that allowed people to listen to shows, songs, and advertisements.
Sharecropper
The picture in the middle is a family of sharecroppers. Sharecroppers were people who rented land from another person. They would grow crops and of the money they made on the crops, they would give about 50% of that to the person who was letting them rent the land.
Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition is a complete ban on the sale of alcohol.
Bootleggers
Bootleggers are people who took over the alcohol business. Bootleggers bought alcohol made in other countries or they made the alcohol them selves. They sold the alcohol illegally to other people.
Speakeasies
Speakeasies were places where people could go and drink illegally. Competition for business with the speakeasies sometimes led to violence.
Wood alcohol
Wood alcohol was an alcohol that had effects resulting in blindness or even death.
Jazz
Definition for jazz
Jazz is a type of music of black American origin characterized by improvisation. It is usually a regular or forceful rhythm that emerged at the beginning of the 20th century.
Duke Ellington
The picture in the left hand cornrer is a photo of Duke Ellington. Duke Ellington was one of the best- known jazz composers and bandleaders.
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong was another famous jazz musician. Armstrong sang, played, and wrote many kinds of jazz. He wrote fast dance music and slow dance music. He also played blues a type of jazz music that expresses felings of sadness.
This a picture of jazz in the 1920s.
The 19th Amendment
Definition for The 19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment was passed in 1920 giving all women the right to vote. It was a result of the contributions women made during the Great War.
Harlem Renaissance
Definition for Harlem Renaissance
Harlem Renaissance was a time of great achievements in art and learning. It was also a time of laughter, singing, and dancing.
Jacob Lawrence painting
Many African Americans used writing, music, and painting to share their ideas and feelings about life.
Poem by Langston Hughes
They also used their work to call for an end to discrimination, or unfair treatment.
Picture of Zora Neal Hurtson
They often wrote about the experiences of being an African American.
Radio
Who invented the radio
Guglielmo Marconi was the inventor of the very first radio. The radio was a machine that let people listen to shows like Annie or they could listen to sports like baseball. In between sports and shows they had advertisements that told people about products.
The First Radio
Mass Media
Mass media helped businesses sell their product. They would sell businesses air time to tell other people about their product. They would try to convince people that their product would help in many ways.