The 1920s: CULTURAL and POLITICAL Controversies [APUSH Unit 7 Topic 8] Period 7:1898-1945
TLDRThis video from Heimler's History explores the cultural and political shifts of the 1920s in the U.S., focusing on the urbanization that led to new opportunities for women, such as flappers, and immigrants. It discusses the backlash of nativism, resulting in restrictive immigration acts. The script also covers the Harlem Renaissance, the Lost Generation authors, and the Scopes Monkey Trial, highlighting the conflict between modernists and fundamentalists in American society.
Takeaways
- 🏙️ Urbanization: By 1920, over half of Americans lived in cities, leading to new opportunities for various groups.
- 👩💼 Women's Opportunities: Middle-class women faced expectations of homemaking, but urban centers offered more job opportunities, especially in nursing and teaching.
- 💰 Gender Pay Gap: Women working in factories often received lower wages for the same work as men.
- 💇♀️ Flappers: Women who defied traditional norms by cutting their hair short, smoking, and drinking, symbolizing women's liberation in the 1920s.
- 🌐 Immigration Surge: Post-WWI saw a large influx of immigrants, particularly from southern and Eastern Europe and Asia.
- 🛡️ Nativist Backlash: The increase in immigration led to a backlash of nativism, aiming to protect the rights of native-born citizens against immigrants.
- 📜 Immigration Quota Acts: The Emergency Quota Act of 1921 and the National Origins Act of 1924 were legislative responses to the nativist fears, restricting immigration.
- 🚶♂️ The Great Migration: A significant internal migration of the southern black population to the North and Midwest, contributing to the Harlem Renaissance.
- 🎷 Harlem Renaissance: A cultural revival in the arts and intellectual pursuits, with the emergence of jazz and influential black writers.
- 📚 Lost Generation: Writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, reflecting on materialism and the aftermath of WWI.
- 🏛️ Scopes Monkey Trial: A pivotal event illustrating the clash between modernists and fundamentalists over the teaching of evolution, with modernism seemingly prevailing.
Q & A
What was the main focus of the video script provided?
-The video script focuses on the cultural and political aspects of the 1920s in the United States, including the opportunities for women, international immigrants, and internal migrants, as well as the cultural movements and conflicts of the era.
What demographic shift occurred in the United States by 1920?
-By 1920, more than half of Americans lived in cities, which opened up new opportunities for various groups including women, international immigrants, and internal migrants.
What opportunities were available for women in urban centers during the 1920s?
-Women in urban centers had more opportunities to enter the workforce, particularly in jobs such as nursing and teaching, and also in unskilled labor jobs in factories, although they were often paid less than men for the same work.
Who were the 'flappers' and what did they symbolize in the 1920s?
-The 'flappers' were women who defied social conventions by cutting their hair short, smoking, drinking, and showing their ankles in public. They symbolized women's liberation during the 1920s.
What was the response to the influx of international immigrants after World War I?
-The response to the influx of international immigrants, especially from southern and Eastern Europe and Asia, was a backlash of nativism, which led to legislation such as the Emergency Quota Act of 1921 and the National Origins Act of 1924.
What is meant by 'nativism' in the context of the 1920s?
-Nativism refers to the effort to protect the rights of native-born citizens, particularly White Anglo-Saxon Protestant natives, against the interests of immigrants, often driven by fears of job loss and cultural or racial pollution.
What was the Great Migration, and what cultural movement was associated with it?
-The Great Migration was the movement of a large number of the southern black population from the South to the North and Midwest during the 1920s. It was associated with the Harlem Renaissance, a cultural revival of arts and intellectual pursuits among the black population.
Which musicians were pivotal in the development of jazz during the Harlem Renaissance?
-Musicians like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington were pivotal in the development of jazz during the Harlem Renaissance.
Who were the writers known as the 'Lost Generation', and what themes did they explore?
-The 'Lost Generation' included writers such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, who explored themes of materialism in American culture and the waste of life and resources in World War I.
What was the Scopes Monkey Trial, and what was its significance in the 1920s?
-The Scopes Monkey Trial was a 1925 legal case in Tennessee where a teacher named John Scopes was arrested for teaching Darwin's theory of evolution, which was illegal at the time. The trial was significant as it represented a clash between modernism and fundamentalism, with modernism appearing to triumph in the public eye.
What were the contrasting views of urban and rural Protestants during the 1920s?
-Urban Protestants were considered modernists, embracing changes in culture and science, while rural Protestants were fundamentalists, condemning moral degradation and insisting on a literal interpretation of the Bible, except for metaphorical language.
Outlines
🏙️ Urbanization and Cultural Shifts in the 1920s
The first paragraph of the script delves into the cultural and political landscape of the 1920s, focusing on the impact of urbanization on American society. It highlights the new opportunities that arose for women, including entering the workforce in roles such as nursing and teaching, albeit with wage disparities. The emergence of the 'flappers' symbolized a shift in women's liberation. The paragraph also addresses the influx of international immigrants, particularly from southern and Eastern Europe and Asia, and the subsequent nativist backlash, leading to restrictive immigration legislation like the Emergency Quota Act of 1921 and the National Origins Act of 1924. Additionally, the Great Migration of African Americans to the North and Midwest is discussed, culminating in the cultural renaissance of Harlem, with the rise of jazz and influential writers like Langston Hughes. The paragraph concludes with the mention of the 'Lost Generation' writers, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, who critiqued the materialism and aftermath of World War I.
📖 The Clash of Modernism and Fundamentalism
The second paragraph discusses the cultural crisis stemming from the divide between urban and rural Protestants in the 1920s. Urban Protestants, identified as modernists, were open to evolving cultural norms and scientific theories like Darwin's evolution. In contrast, rural Protestants, known as fundamentalists, held a strict interpretation of the Bible and opposed perceived moral degradation in urban areas. The Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925 is highlighted as a pivotal event in this conflict, where John Scopes was arrested for teaching evolution, leading to a high-profile trial featuring Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan. The trial symbolized a broader struggle between modernism and fundamentalism, with the eventual overturning of Scopes' conviction on a technicality and a perceived victory for modernist thought in the public eye.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Urbanization
💡Flappers
💡Nativism
💡Immigration Quota Acts
💡Great Migration
💡Harlem Renaissance
💡Lost Generation
💡Modernism
💡Fundamentalism
💡Scopes Monkey Trial
Highlights
Introduction to the cultural and political focus of the 1920s in the AP U.S. history curriculum.
More than half of Americans lived in cities by 1920, leading to demographic shifts and new opportunities.
Middle-class women's expectations were primarily centered around family and home, with limited workforce opportunities.
Urban women had increased opportunities in jobs like nursing and teaching, but faced wage disparities.
The emergence of the 'flappers' symbolized women's liberation with unconventional behaviors and styles.
Post-World War I saw a large influx of immigrants, particularly from southern and Eastern Europe and Asia.
Nativism and backlash against immigrants led to protective legislation for native-born citizens.
The Emergency Quota Act of 1921 and the National Origins Act of 1924 restricted immigration significantly.
The Great Migration of the 1920s saw a mass movement of the southern black population to the North and Midwest.
The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural revival marked by the arts and intellectual pursuits of the black population.
Jazz music and notable musicians like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington emerged during the Harlem Renaissance.
The 'Lost Generation' of writers, including F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, reflected on materialism and the aftermath of World War I.
Urban and rural Protestants experienced a cultural crisis with differing views on modernism and fundamentalism.
Fundamentalists believed in a literal interpretation of the Bible, leading to conflicts with modernist views.
The Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925 was a pivotal event in the clash between modernism and fundamentalism.
The trial, featuring Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan, showcased a public debate on evolution and creationism.
The Scopes trial's outcome and media coverage symbolized modernism's triumph over fundamentalism in the public eye.
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Transcripts
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