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Roaring 1920s Cultural Decades Project

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27 views10 pages

Roaring 1920s Cultural Decades Project

Uploaded by

officallyxsad
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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The Roaring 1920s: Cultural

Decades Project
Exploring the cultural elements that
shaped American Identity
Overview of the 1920s
• The 1920s, also known as the Roaring
Twenties, were a decade of rapid cultural
change, economic growth, and social
revolution in America.

• - Post-World War I economic boom


• - Cultural modernization (music, fashion, art)
• - Shifts in social norms (women's rights,
prohibition)
• - The rise of jazz, literature, and film
Key Cultural Movements
• - The Jazz Age: A musical revolution led by
artists like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington
• - The Harlem Renaissance: A cultural revival of
African American arts and literature
• - Women's Rights: The flapper movement and
the ratification of the 19th Amendment
• - Prohibition: The nationwide ban on alcohol
and its cultural impact
Jazz: The Sound of the 1920s
• Jazz music became the defining sound of the
Roaring Twenties.

• Key Figures:
• - Louis Armstrong: Trumpet virtuoso and
pioneer of jazz
• - Duke Ellington: Composer and bandleader
• - Bessie Smith: Empress of the Blues
The Harlem Renaissance
• A cultural movement that celebrated African
American culture and identity.

• Key Figures:
• - Langston Hughes: Poet and social activist
• - Zora Neale Hurston: Novelist and
anthropologist
• - Aaron Douglas: Visual artist
Flappers & Changing Social Norms
• Flappers were young women who embraced a
new lifestyle of freedom and rebellion.

• - Short haircuts, bold fashion, and jazz music


• - Challenged traditional gender roles
• - Symbolized the new American woman of the
1920s

• Impact: Women's rights advanced with the


Prohibition & Speakeasies
• The 18th Amendment banned the production,
sale, and transport of alcohol from 1920 to
1933.

• - Led to the rise of illegal speakeasies (hidden


bars)
• - Organized crime increased (e.g., Al Capone)
• - Cultural defiance became a key theme of the
decade
Literature of the 1920s
• The Lost Generation: Writers who explored
themes of disillusionment and modernism.

• Key Figures:
• - F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby
• - Ernest Hemingway: The Sun Also Rises
• - T.S. Eliot: The Waste Land

• Impact: Literature captured the spirit and


Quintessential Work: The Great
Gatsby
• F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, *The Great Gatsby*,
is considered a quintessential work of the
1920s.

• - Themes of wealth, class, and the American


Dream
• - Highlights the excesses and moral decay of
the era
• - Still resonates with modern audiences
Discussion Questions
• 1. How did jazz music and the Harlem
Renaissance shape American identity?
• 2. What social changes did the flapper
movement bring to American society?
• 3. How does *The Great Gatsby* reflect the
values and struggles of the 1920s?
• 4. What can we learn from the cultural shifts
of the 1920s that apply today?

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