3.2 The Jazz AgeEssential Question:

Why did the modern culture of the 1920s cause some people to think

that traditional society and morality were under attack?

Harlem Renaissance• In 1921, writer Langston Hughes arrived in the

mostly African American neighborhood of New York City called Harlem– I can never put on paper the thrill of the underground ride

to Harlem. I went up the steps and out into the bright September sunlight. Harlem! I stood there, dropped my bags, took a deep breath and felt happy again.

• Langston Hughes was one of several African Americans that were celebrated in the 20s leading to what is called today the Harlem Renaissance

• A period when African Americans created noteworthy works of art and literature

The Jazz Age• Jazz, a new energetic type of music, was a part

of the Roaring Twenties and the Harlem Renaissance – It reflected the restlessness and spirit of the age– The new technology found in the phonograph,

records, and radios spread the music throughout the country

– Brought fame to artists such as Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong

The Flapper Girl• Just as music was evolving, so was dance, it

had to adapt to the changing sound of the music– Charleston and the Lindy Hop

• Flappers were women who exhibited newfound societal freedoms by cutting her hair, wearing short skirts and dancing to jazz music

• This new movement was more popular in the Northeast and the West Coast

It’s crazy enough that young ladies are cutting off their hair and dancing

to JAZZ Music – hussies!What could be worse than that?!

Religious Revival in the South

• As Jazz and Flappers were taking the north and west by storm, a new religious revival was taking shape in the south

• In 1925, Tennessee passed a statute that prohibited the teaching of any theory that went against Biblical concepts of creation– Ex: Darwin and his theory of evolution

Scopes Monkey Trial 1925• In the same year that the law was passed,

John Scopes, a high school biology teacher, was charged with teaching Darwinism in a public school

• Clarence Darrow, a long-time Agnostic became Scopes’s lawyer – arguing that TN’s law violated the separation of

church and state statute by taking a distinct religious position,

– This in turn impeded academic freedom

Stop Monkey-ing Around!• Former Populist leader, William Jennings Bryan

(Cross of Gold Speech) aided the prosecution by acting as an expert on the Bible

• Despite the fact that the Prosecution won in the end, Bryan’s reputation was ruined. Why?– Darrow crossed Bryan and made him appear a fool

for taking the Bible literally• What was the significance of this trial? – It reflects the conflict in America during the 20s

between science and religion

How to do the Charleston

Suffrage Movement• Many causes to the suffragist movement in the

US– Other than the obvious of equal rights, women

wanted to have a say in dictating politics and laws– Namely with the prohibition of alcohol – Why?• Because men were getting drunk, beating their wives

and/or kids, and they could do nothing about it• It led to an increase in organized crime as well

• So how do women obtain the vote???– By having the 19th Amendment passed that states:• “The right of citizens of the US to vote shall not be denied

or abridged by the US or by and State on account of sex…”

The “Perfect 36”• http://www.history.com/topics/the-fight-for-womens-suffrage/pho

tos#

• In order for this Amendment to be ratified as a part of the Constitution, 36 states had to pass it in Congress.

• It had been on the table before, but had never been ratified

• The “Perfect 36” was the name given to represent the number of states needed to vote for women’s suffrage amendment

Women Suffrage in Tennessee

• Anne Dallas Dudley– First woman in Tennessee to establish a woman

suffrage organization

Quiz – Who Am I?1. I was known as the Great

Bambino!2. I was the 29th president of the

US whose term was one of scandal and corruption

3. I was a woman who argued for women’s right to vote

4. I was a women who cut my hair and danced to jazz music

5. I taught Darwinism in school and was put on trial for it

a) Suffragistb) George

Herman Ruthc) Warren G.

Hardingd) John Scopese) Flapper

After you have finished, provide an answer to the essential question (in paragraph form)

Answer the Essential Question

• Why did the modern culture of the 1920s cause some people to think that traditional society and morality were under attack?