Topic 7 - The 1920s

Required reading:
"Beer and America ," Max Rudin, Essay 21, Flyover
"Prime Mover," Douglas Brinkley, Essay 22, Flyover
"Evolution on Trial," J. Kingston Pierce, Essay 23, Flyover
"The Right to One's Own Body," Margaret Sanger, Essay 24, Flyover

Quiz:

Beer and America

1. What was the chief advantage beer, or ales, had over rum and whiskey?
A. Beer and ales were cheaper.
B. Beer and ales were considered "food".
C. Beer and ales were not nearly as intoxicating.
D. All of these were advantages of beer and ale.

2. The start of the American beer industry can be traced to
A. the colonists at Jamestown.
B. the American Revolution.
C. the arrival of the Irish immigrants.
D. the arrival of the German immigrants.

3. The term "temperance" originally referred to:
A. the drive to end drinking in America.
B. the effort to "temper" the consumption of "hard" liquor, like whiskey.
C. the effort of reformers to secure the vote for middle-class women.
D. the abolitionist crusade of the mid-1800's.

4. What was created to promote the "fun" in beer drinking?
A. lager
B. beer gardens
C. non-alcoholic beer
D. light beer

5. Why did Milwaukee, Wisconsin become a big beer-brewing center?
A. lots of Germans lived there.
B. lots of ice from the lake to keep the beer cold
C. close to Chicago, a big beer-drinking city
D. nobody really knows why!

6. In 1840 beer was considered ___________; by 1882 beer was ________________.
A. evil; acceptable
B. food; entertainment
C. non-alcoholic; alcoholic
C. American; Immigrant

7. Wealthy people of the nineteenth century saw beer as:
A. vulgar
B. a curiosity
C. non-alcoholic
D. harmless

8. Because of national Prohibition in the 1920's, Americans turned away from beer and embraced:
A. hard liquor
B. Coca Cola
C. drugs
D. French and Argentine wine

9. What killed the old-fashioned "saloon"?
A. the refrigerator
B. Prohibition
C. automobiles
D. grapes

Prime Mover

9. What type of mood prevailed in America prior to the Model T Ford's arrival?
A. anger against teenage motorists
B. acceptance of family roadsters
C. happiness fo those who can afford a car
D. hostility toward wealthy car owners

10. What were the Model T's main selling points?
A. its safety features including seat belts and rubber bumpers
B. its durability, ease of driving, and simplicity to maintain
C. its large frame, fast engine, and sleek style
D. its low cost and maintenance free guarantee

11. How did Ford promote the Model T as a woman's car?
A. as allowing her to work outside the family homestead
B. as broadening her horizons and making neighbors of faraway friends
C. as increasing her shopping possibilities in the local town
D. as assisting her to transport childen to school and church

12. Since the Model T's transmission and braking system "was controlled entirely through pedals on the floor," what did this allow?
A. the driver's hands free for steering
B. the passenger assisting the driver to steer
C. the beginning of the modern day service station
D. the use of the car as a family vehicle

13. What was an obstacle that Ford dealers faced when selling cars in the West?
A. most customers liked their horse-drawn wagons better
B. most customers worried about unpaved highways
C. few customers were able to afford a car
D. few customers knew how to drive a car

14. What was "the automobile vacation"?
A. transforming the Model T into a conveyance for camping
B. visiting other people who own Model T Fords
C. traveling to different Model T dealerships across America
D. keeping the Model T in the garage during hot summer months

15. How did the Model T make rural existence more bearable?
A. created cooperative farms, where the automobile was shared
B. stabilized farm prices and allowed more farmers to make money
C. modernized farming practices and remodeled farmers' social life
D. provided access to developers as retail outlets moved west

16. What was a bizarre sport played between 1913 and 1915?
A. Tin Lizzie Horsehoes
B. Ford Football
C. Auto Polo
D. Car Checkers

The Scopes Trial

17. Who was John T. Scopes?
A. a religious fundamentalist who opposed Darwin
B. a American Civil Liberties Union lawyer
C. a high school science teacher who taught evolution
D. a rural Tennessee judge who supported free speech

18. How did prosecuting attorney William Jennings Bryan view the Scopes trial?
A. as one that pitted religious fundamentalists against misguided evolutionary science
B. as a glorious event to test the U.S. Constitution's free speech provision
C. as a time to rejuvenate another attempt to run for president of the United States
D. as an attempt to compromise on the issue of teaching Darwin's Origins of Species

19. Since defense attorney Clarence Darrow was not allowed to call any of his twelve expert science witnesses to the stand, what unusual step did he take?
A. he testified himself
B. he called on the judge to testify
C. he refused to call any witnesses
D. he called on the prosecuting attorney to testify

20. What was the outcome of the Scopes case?
A. he was found not guilty and continued in his educational career
B. he was found not guilty and moved away from Tennessee
C. he was found guilty and imprisoned for ten years
D. he was found guilty and fined one hundred dollars

The Right to One’s Body

21. The Comstock Act of 1873:
A. banned abortions during the first trimester.
B. banned birth control information from being sent in the mail.
C. legalized the use of birth control devices for all women.
D. legalized abortions, but only during the first trimester.

22. What crusade did Margaret Sanger lead in the 1920's?
A. national prohibition
B. the equal rights amendment
C. women’s right to vote
D. American birth control movement

23. According to Ms. Sanger, what did a woman have to control in order to be independent?
A. her mind
B. her body
C. her husband
D. her economic future

 

A: One of the defining issues of the 1920s was the Eighteenth Amendment to the constitution, the Volstead Act, better known as prohibition. For some perspective on per capita alcohol consumption in the U.S. through the years, take a look at this table from the National Insitute on Alcohol Abuse. What led to prohibition, and why did it fail? From what you've read and know, how did earlier Americans view alcohol consumption? Why did our view of alcohol change? What were some of the unintended outcomes of prohibition? Why was it repealed?

 

 

B: By the 1920s, the automobile had become an indispensible part of American life. After reading "Prime Mover," use the essay and your own knowledge about the role of cars in American culture to respond to the following questions: How did cars change our country? What were some of the other industries that grew up around the auto industry? How did Ford turn his product from something only the wealthy could afford into transportation for the masses? What was it about Ford's cars that made them seem like a godsend to rural people?

 

 

C: Society changed rapidly in the 1920s, and while not all young women saw themselves as 'flappers,' there was an unmistakable difference between most young women and their mother's generation in terms of personal freedom. But they were part of the generation known as "New Women." Read this essay about the rise of the new woman. For an overview of the radical changes in fashion associated with the new woman, see this site. What was the uproar over the behavior of these 'new women' all about? What were some of the things they were doing that outraged their parents and society in general? What were some of their reasons for their actions? Did music play a role in he declaration of independence by the young? Compare other eras in U.S. social history where parents/previous generations didn't understand or were shocked at the attitudes and actions of younger Americans.

 

 

D: Another enduring image of the 1920s is the gangster. Arguably the most famous of this group of people was Alphonse Capone. Read about his life here. Why was organized crime more visible in the 1920s? What was the main areas of criminal behavior in which the members of organized crime groups engaged? What were the different groups fighting over? Would you characterize them as romantic rebels, or vicious thugs? Is there any parallel to organized crime during this period of U.S. history and our times? Explain your repsonse.

 

 

E: Long before Sea World and Fiesta Texas arrived in San Antonio, tourists arrived in the Alamo City to vacation at the Hot Wells Hotel on South Presa Street. The Hot Wells Hotel catered to the rich and famous. If you were not wealthy, you were not welcome at Hot Wells... unless you were on the Hotel's staff. Read about the history of the Hot Wells Hotel on the Edwards Aquifier Homepage. Why did silent-movie stars, presidents, and wealthy industrialists frequent the resort? What became of the Hot Wells Hotel after 1925? Research how the Hot Wells property changed over the past one hundred years. How did the building of the Hot Wells Hotel in 1886 transform the area? What type of neighborhood grew around the Hot Wells Hotel? What is that neighborhood like today?

 

 

F: Few presidential elections caused the stir that the 1928 one did. The Republicans nominated a candidate for office who fit the Oval Office mold- he was White, Anglo-Saxon, and Protestant. Herbert Hoover was following in the footsteps of all previous White House occupants. On the other hand, the Democrats dared to tempt fate by nominating a Roman Catholic for the highest office in America. Governor Al Smith of New York became the first candidate of a major party to be a Catholic. His Irish immigrant roots alongside his Catholicism did not sit well in the heartland.

Research the presidential campaign of 1928. What were the issues that each candidate highlighted in their respective campaigns? What role, if any, did Al Smith's Catholicism play in the election? What were some fears of the American people as they were portrayed in the press? Why do you suppose it took thirty-two years before another Catholic -John F. Kennedy- was nominated by a major political party? In the 1960 campaign, how did Kennedy attempt to overcome the anti-Catholic bias of many Americans? Looking back on the 1928 election, what can we learn from this campaign?