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Erin Murphy and Bridgette Sisson


 * Extra credit assignment: The 1920s**



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 * Summary:** The common American believes the 1920s was an era of luxury and frivolousness. It was commonly referred to as the Roaring Twenties. Popular culture was quickly changing in response to the consumer driven society. However, it wasn’t just about people going to parties and buying the latest styles. It was also a significant time for social, economic, and political changes in the country. Public policy was being approached differently in preparation for reforms to make America a modern nation. American life was transforming in the 20s, earning it the nickname of the “New Era.”

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> > [|source] > > > **__Labor__** > > > >
 * __Radio__**
 * In the early 1920s, radios could only communicate through pulses, however in the mid-20s a Canadian scientist name Reginald Fessenden discovered the way to transmit speech and music
 * People with very little money began to build their own radio sets at home. Many middle and high class people bought radios that could receive high quality signals from short and medium distances powered by vacuum tubes.
 * By 1925 there were 2 million sets in American homes, and by the end of the 20s almost every American family had one
 * By 1929 more than 2/3 of Americans lived in the middle class
 * During the 20s most workers saw their standard of living rise. Many workers saw improved working conditions and other benefits
 * For example, Henry Ford shortened the work week, raised wages, and made paid vacations
 * For the first time workers became eligible for pensions on retirement and by 1926 over 3 million people took advantage of this
 * Welfare capitalism only affected a small number of workers because most laborers worked for employers who were interested in keeping labor costs at a minimum. Therefore workers as a whole received wage increases as the economy rose.
 * __Women and Minorities in the Work Force__**
 * “Pink collar jobs” were low paying jobs such as secretaries, sales clerks, and telephone operators that were considered appropriate for women to hold
 * Many blacks were forced in to taking jobs such as janitors, dishwashers, garbage collectors, laundry attendants, domestics, and other service type jobs
 * TheAFLmade it hard for African Americans to receive increased wages, shorter working hours, and other benefits that white workers got
 * Asians and Hispanics were most actively excluded from white dominated unions
 * Mexican immigrants made up a large part of the unskilled workforce throughout the southwest and California

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 * __Agricultural Technology__**
 * During the 1920s the number of tractors on American farms began to grow after they started to be powered by internal combustion engines rather than steam
 * Over 35 million new acres of land were opened for production
 * New technology made it possible to produce more crops with less workers
 * Chemical fertilizers and pesticides were beginning to be used to increase the amount of crops

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 * __Media__**
 * Advertising was a result of wartime propaganda, because people realized how much media could influence people
 * The most successful book in the 1920s was //The Man Nobody Knows// by advertising executive Bruce Barton. It portrays Jesus Christ as a religious prophet and “Super Salesman”
 * Mass circulations such as //The Saturday Evening Post// and //The Reader’s Digest// and //Time// were popular
 * Beginning in 1927 sounds were added to motion pictures. The first feature length “talkie” was called The Jazz Singer

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 * __The Flapper Image__**
 * Women could now smoke, drink, attend lively parties, and wear seductive clothing and makeup
 * Modern women chose a liberated life style and were able to express themselves through dress, hairstyle, speech, and behavior.
 * This lifestyle had the biggest impact on lower-middle-class women and single working class women
 * Upper class women associated the Flapper image as an intimidating style
 * Such women who followed this trend would often flock clubs and dance halls alone in search of excitement and companionship

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 * __Prohibition__**
 * First went in to effect in January of 1920
 * Had the support of most middle class people and those who considered themselves to be progressives
 * Although prohibition did significantly reduce drinking, it also produced the growth of violations made by the law and caused much controversy
 * Federal government hired 1500 agents to enforce prohibition laws and many police also assisted the cause
 * Al Capone created a criminal empire based on the sale of illegal alcohol. Through his illegal acts, more than 250 people in the city were killed between 1920-1927
 * Drinking had become a symbol of many immigrants to older Americans, who believed they were being displaced

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 * __The KKK__**
 * By 1923 there were about 3 million members, and by 1924 there were 4 million
 * The Klan was operated brutally and violently
 * Considered themselves the defenders against the “alien” races
 * The Klan terrorized blacks, Jews, Catholics, and foreigners by boycotting their businesses, threatening their families, and attempting to drive them out of their communities
 * It was not only terrorizing foreigners and racially impure, but also terrorizing anyone who challenged the traditional values of America
 * The organization declined after 1925 after a series of scandals led to it’s corruption