This page was created as a class project for tenth graders in a U.S. Cultures II class at Eastern Lebanon County High School. The objective of this project was to develop a better understanding of the Roaring Twenties. The students were asked to write newspaper articles as if they were living in the Jazz Age. Students researched important topics of the 1920's, including the Red Scare, the Scopes "Monkey Trial," and the Flappers. This page contains the newspaper the students created and also includes many interesting links to other pages devoted to the Twenties.
Recalling the Twenties The Jazz Age was a time of prosperity, but also a time of many downfalls. It was an era of change . . . a time when people began to do what they wanted to do instead of following social norms. The U.S. prospered as Henry Ford developed the automobile assembly line, as the nation had its first ever TV broadcast in New York, and as mail was delivered via airplanes. Women fought for the right to vote and changed the rules of fashion. Prohibition made it illegal to drink alcohol, creating organized crime with Al Capone leading the way. Warren Harding's administration participated in the Teapot Dome Scandal, but Harding's death left Calvin Coolidge to deal with the aftermath. Babe Ruth and the Yankees ruled the arena of Baseball. The first ever sports broadcast was delivered during a Jack Dempsey fight. Charles Lindbergh got the name "Lucky Lindy" and became a national hero. Americans feared a Communist takeover, especially A. Mitchell Palmer who sent suspected Communists back to the Soviet Union on what was deemed "The Soviet Ark." Italian immigrants, Sacco and Vanzetti, were executed in one of the biggest trial of the Twenties. W.E.B. DuBois, Marcus Garvey, and Langston Hughes led the Harlem Renaissance period. Garvey spoke of his ideas for Black Nationalism while DuBois and Hughes became leading writers of the black movement. The Ku Klux Klan began their prejudice spree, preaching white supremacy. Clarence Darrow prosecuted John Scopes during the "Monkey Trial," after Scopes admitted to disobeying the Butler Act by teaching evolution. In this decade following the First World War, America prospered as the leading nation of the world. It is clear to anyone that the memories of the Roaring Twenties are still vivid as we prepare to enter the 21st Century.
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Sacco and Vanzetti, two Italian immigrants, just died in the electric chair yesterday. In 1920, they were arrested for the robbery and murder of a guard and paymaster, and then escaping with the payroll. There was little evidence against them; however, they were convicted of the crimes and sentenced to death. |
They were found guilty because of their political opinions. They appealed to higher courts and activists had huge rallies to protest the conviction. Sacco and Vanzetti fought the conviction until 1927, yet they were still found guilty and sent to the electric chair.
Many believe this instance was a result of the Red Scare because many people were afraid of anything that opposed democracy. Sacco and Vanzetti were victims of the general public's fear.
The Democratic nominee for this 1920 election is James M. Cox who was previously nominated for the governorship of Ohio. For the Republicans, Warren Harding is running for the prized position.
James Cox supports the League of Nations. He is also a progressive who wants to increase the role of the government in the economy. On the other hand, Warren Harding promises to let the United States run itself without much interference.
As many may know from the past, President
Harding 
came
to Washington with a group of friends and political
advisors, known as the Ohio Gang. While in office he came to
realize that most of them were not qualified for the jobs
they held. Charles R. Forbes, resigned from his post of head
of Veterans' Bureau, after swindling $200 million from the
U.S. Forbes fled to Europe, but later returned only to face
two years in prison. After acknowledging this, President
Harding took a vacation to Alaska, but on the way back, he
fell ill and died.
Now after President Harding died, the most embarrassing scandals are being uncovered and revealed to the public. The newest scandal that has been found in the last two or three days, is that President Harding's right-hand man, Attorney General Harry Daugherty, is being forced to resign because he is being charged with bribery and fraud.
The worst scandal connected to the Harding Administration most certainly is the Teapot Dome Scandal. The Secretary of the Interior, Albert B. Fall has been found guilty of leasing government oil reserves, including Teapot Dome in Wyoming. Teapot Dome was leased to oilmen who payed Fall with gifts valuing over hundreds of thousands of dollars. We will continue to update you on any further information we uncover.
The first women's rights assembly in the United States
was the Seneca
Falls Convention, held on July 19-20, 1848. The convention
took place this pastweekend seventy-five years ago, in
Seneca, New York. The assembly was organized by Lucretia
Coffin Mott and Elizabeth
Cady Stanton. Sixty-eight women and thirty-two men were
present as the meeting was called to order. Together, a
Declaration of Sentiments was passed which was similar to
the Declaration of Independence. This Declaration listed
sixteen forms of discrimination against women. Twelve
resolutions that called for various rights were passed.
Unanimously, eleven received approval, while one was adopted
over Mott's opposition, that advocated the right to vote.
Two weeks later, the convention moved to Rochester, New
York, to win more support for its goals.
Now, in 1923, this past weekend, the seventy-fifth anniversary of the original convention, a second Seneca Falls Convention was held. This time, though, the assembly was lead by Alice Paul. As before, the convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York. There, Paul reread the Declaration of Rights and Sentiments. She proposed a constitutional amendment she hoped to be known as the Lucretia Mott Amendment. It stated that, "Men and women shall have equal rights throughout the United States and every place subject to its jurisdiction."
The next phase of the women's rights movement is just beginning and we have Alice Paul to thank for it!
In the first decade of the twentieth century, women were not important. However, the times are changing. The city of Chicago introduced the League of Women Voter's yesterday. This league encourages people to participate in politics. Both sexes are permitted to join this group dedicated to attaining certain rights to women, including the right to vote and the right to political education. Local and state leagues are working to improve welfare, education and health services.
A famous American reformer and promotor of women's rights, Carrie Lane Chapman Catt, is rising steadily throughout the National Movement. She is devising a document called the "Winning Plan" to emphasize women's suffrage on all levels through all political parties. Due to the "Winning Plan" and the League of Women Voters, the ratification of the 19th Amendment may soon accomplish women's suffrage.
Today, employers announced an anti-labor policy they like to call the American Plan. The employers say that it is un-American for a worker to have to join a union to get a job. The employers, however, are claiming that by refusing to deal with the unions, they are protecting employees' rights to work. The owners of these companies are trying to break the unions by firing workers that are going on strike.
In order to show the workers that unions are unnecessary, companies are offering benefits such as higher wages or stock ownership. Also, they are forming company unions that have nothing to do with the unions of the workers.
In the future we predict the number of workers in unions will have dropped from 5 million to 3.5 million. Which will be better for the companies and the workers?
Congress
Says No to AlcoholYesterday, Congress passed the 18th Amendment also referred to as the Prohibition Act. The Act prohibits the "manufacturing, sale, or transportation of intoxication liquors." Congress hopes prohibition will reduce the number of violent and criminal acts due to alcohol.
On the other hand, many citizens and alcohol distributors are outraged over the ban on liquor. Numerous businesses will be closed in the next few weeks, leaving many jobless. Police and Federal agents have a monumental task in enforcing the latest ban on alcoholic beverages.
Congress has just added another amendment to the Constitution. The Eighteenth Amendment's sole purpose is prohibiting the consumption of alcohol. Wilson just signed the bill to put it into effect in January, 1919. This new bill will effect all of the United States with a ban on manufacturing, sale, or transportation of alcohol. Wilson wants to improve the quality of life in the U.S. and believes the banning of alcohol will promote an era of clean living and clean thinking. He plans to shut down all saloons and stop the consumption of alcohol by banning it. Few doubt a positive outcome will result from this addition to the Constitution.
Atlanta, Georgia was the scene of another march of the Ku Klux Klan. The Klan, which slowly died out about 40 years ago, has returned under a new leader, William Simmons. Simmons, a former Methodist clergyman, reorganized the Klan as a Patriotic Protestant fraternal society. The Klan marched in Atlanta yesterday to show their anger toward the people they refer to as "Un-Americans." This term refers to blacks, immigrants, Jews, and Roman Catholics.
The Ku Klux Klan blames the immigrants and small minorities for all of the nation's problems. If anyone belongs to one of these groups, it is strongly advised that he or she takes precaution when traveling. The Klan, made of more than two million members, is slowly making its way across the South. It is easy to tell when the KKK is nearby, because they will always leave their sign, the burning cross. There are quite a few of the crosses still burning in Atlanta.
At this time, there are rumors going around that the Klan has elected public officials into office. They are supposedly located in Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Ohio, and Oregon. We regret to inform you that this is all of the information we have at this time.
The riot in Atlanta yesterday was against a black immigrant family that just moved there. The immigration of this black family angered the Klan because the family had eight sons that were going to be employed at the town factory. The Klan felt that their jobs were threatened by these new black residents. The reason authorities believe it was the Klan who began the riot lies merely in the fact that a burning cross stood in front of the family's home.
The Ku Klux Klan, better known as the KKK, is an organization of white prejudice males devoted to persecuting minorities in the American society because they wish for white supremacy. The Klan has between four million to six million members. The major tactic used by the KKK is terror. They used threats and violence to scare people. Many times, Klan members brand, tar and feather, and lynch people and then leave a burning cross nearby as a symbol of their horrifying deed.
The KKK is a very dangerous organization. Authorities promote awareness and encourage caution when dealing with Klan members.
The Red Scare is the 1919 -1920 panic over socialism and communism in the United States. The Bolshevik Revolution in Russia (1917) has terrified many Americans, and some Americans regard strikes in their own country as the beginning of a revolution. Terrorism is now becoming popular. In April (1919) about 36 bombs were mailed to business and political leaders. The public believe that striking workers, Communists, and anarchists are a part of a conspiracy against the United States government and its people. The Red Scare fears also a wave of political radicalism that is sweeping the United States in the wake of the Revolution.
The worldwide conflict with communism is also being reflected in the domestic scene. Some Americans have been saying that Bolshevik ships have landed in America and are trying to corrupt the nation. Other Americans, including steel and coal workers are now on strike due to their underpayment, long hours, and miserable working conditions. Is this really an outcry for a new system of government? Or are our fears causing it to be that?
So far, the most detrimental aspect to come out of prohibition has been organized crime. Gangsters have been around long before prohibition, running saloons, bawdy houses, and gambling joints. However, crime is now as bad as it has ever been. Gangs continue to make fortunes distributing illegal liquor. The profits for criminals are getting so high that gangs are now fighting over their own territories.
Every city now has its own gangs and gang leaders. The biggest gang infested cities are New York, Philly, and Kansas City. The most powerful of these, though, is Chicago, led by the "Scarface,Ó Al Capone.
Since Al Capone's arrival in Chicago, there has been about 400 gang murders a year. Yet, Capone has the nerve to declare himself a legitimate businessman when he is in fact leading a horrific criminal organization.
Yesterday, February 14, 1929, in front of a warehouse in Chicago lie dead gangsters from the gang of George "Bugs" Moran. Moran is a known rival of "Scarface" Al Capone who is thought to be part of this massacre. Witnesses say that men standing outside the warehouse were approached by men in casual clothing and police uniforms. These approaching men pulled out guns and shot Moran and his men to pieces.
As it turns out, the warehouse was used to hide illegal liquor. For years police say gangs such as these have run illegal shipments of alcohol from Canada and Mexico to the cities of the United States. The reason these gangs smuggle alcohol is for the money. Al Capone is said to make millions of dollars a month selling alcohol to the people that would rather drink than uphold the law. Moran and his men may have been killed because Capone desires a monopoly.
Charles
A. LindberghEnthusiasm is for a man, not a dream, with merit. This man is Charles Lindbergh, a twenty-five-year-old pilot from Minnesota. In the early 1920's, no man had flown the Atlantic alone. An offer of $25,000 was offered to anyone who flew non-stop from New York to Paris. On May 20, 1927, Charles took off from Roosevelt Field, Long Island, in a plane with one engine, called The Spirit of St. Louis. This trip took thirty-three hours. Charles fought off numbing fatigue.
He landed in Paris to the roar of a crowd of spectators. Charles returned to the United States by Navy ship. He received the same uprise in crowds as he did in Paris. He arrived in Washington, D.C., being escorted by planes, blimps and destroyers. Lindbergh rode down Penn Avenue in a tick tape parade. Charles was honored by President Coolidge with the Flying Cross.
John Scopes recently made news for violating a Tennessee law, the Butler Act. The law states that it is illegal to teach the theory of evolution. Scopes admitted he violated the act by teaching evolution to a class of students. The theory of evolution states that human beings develop from similar forms of life over a long period of time.
As a result of his deviance, John Scopes was prosecuted in the famed "Monkey Trial."
"The Monkey Trial" pitted William
Jennings Bryan against free thinking
Women are wearing short skirts, cutting their hair short, and using makeup. They're smoking cigarettes and drinking cocktails. We have never seen such chaos and destruction. They are even wearing flesh-colored stockings or artificial silk.
The United States is introducing an international outcry to protect our moral dress code. We are starting up campaigns to save our future generations from such a nightmare. This is an act of the devil and America will not tolerate it any longer. Join in helping us save our country from these new age women.
By:
Ed Castetter Ford is productive in his work as an automotive constructor. Once his factories were built, he started a line of workers which utilized an increase in the production of cars. This line of workers was considered to be the first ever assembly line. When Ford first began his assembly line, he hired more workers to help with his mass production of automobiles. Mass production of the automobile, made the transportation department sky rocket. With more cars made at a faster rate, more people are able to purchase their own automobile.
The automobile industry is a key part to the nation's prosperity. In 1913, Henry Ford made mass production with the use of an assembly line. The Model T cost $950 in 1909. Its price fell to $360 in 1916 and to $290 by 1925. Cars went from only wealthy people buying them to being necessities to all. Over 23 million cars in 1930 were in the U.S.; more than double in 1920.
Industries also made a boost because of cars. The steel, rubber, glass, lead, nickel, and gasoline industries flourished. The construction industry boomed to make roads. Developers made more houses in suburbs. More people opened motels and gas stations. The demand for white collar workers was high so college education went up 582,000 to 1,054,000 in 1920 through 1930 and enrollment in high school doubled. By 1925, three of every four cars were bought by the installment plan.
Last year, Gene Tunney won the World Heavyweight Title that was held by Jack Dempsey since 1919. The New York prizefighter James Joseph Tunney, 28, other wise known as Gene Tunney, won with a tenth round decision to win the match.
This year, Gene Tunney has retained his heavyweight title against Jack Dempsey. Dempsey lasted to the seventh round when Tunney threw a knockout punch. The fight was held at Chicago's SoldierField.
By:
Kara Miller As the crowd filled the seats of Yankee Stadium in New York, they did not know that they would witness a piece of history on September 30. When the Babe stepped to the plate, the crowd silenced. He was the only offense the Yanks had seen all day. When he swung the bat and the ball soared into the seats, the crowd went wild. The crowd threw hats in the air that said "Homer 60," tore paper and tossed it onto the field, and handkerchiefs were waved in celebration of Ruth's 60th home run of the season.
Ruth is the holder of one other World Series record for most consecutive scoreless innings pitched. The Babe added this new record to his collection by passing his old home run record by hitting his 60th home run of the 1927 season.
FlappersFlappers are in town! They are the new young women who have been behaving in an unconventional way. Watch for them. They wear short skirts. These dresses are the shortest ever. Flappers also have their hair cut short and their faces plastered with cosmetics. They started to wear floral decorations for hats, made out of sewn pieces of felt. These new women have even made themselves cloth necklaces. Their main color of dress is red. They love dance steps like the fox-trot, the camel-walk, and the tango. Many believe that if a woman displays her legs, it is nudity on her part. Some even believe it is an act of the Devil. The public is outraged because of the scantily dressed young women of today.
By:
Kaisa Valkama
In the first decade of the twentieth century, automobiles were just rich men's playthings. Now everybody wants to get an automobile. Back in 1920, about nine million automobiles were registered in the United States. Now more than twenty-five million cars are registered. "We'd rather do without clothes than give up the car," said a "middle town" housewife. "I'll go without food before I'll see us give up the car," said another.
There is, however, another side to the story. This year more than 25,000 people were killed in auto accidents. Shovels were needed to pull cars out of the mud. In 1921, there were not any numbered highways. In the past eight years, the government has spent huge amounts of money to build highways. Yet still much must be done. Hopefully, better roads and safer conditions will accompany the popularity and demand of the automobile.
Have you noticed how life has changed since the ending of the war? People of America now have more money then before. They are also spending more than ever before by paying cash or using credit.
Right now household products are big items. Two-thirds of Americans purchasing household appliances are using credit. As a result of this spending blitz, Americans are acquiring great personal debt. Why is it that so many of us think it is acceptable to buy something without paying for it in full. Is this safe? Will it lead to a loss of savings and security to our economic demise? These questions go unanswered. Maybe we will only discover the problems of credit when we have already buried ourselves in a pit of bankruptcy.
Advertising is getting people in over their head. Credit buying is a good thing, but not if people are taking advantage of it. If you're buying or purchasing unneeded things with credit, you'll soon have a problem. The only good thing about all the advertising is that it's helping to sell products. The more products sold the more products produced and that means more money for the companies. Although, the consumer is losing money and finding themselves in debt.
If people continue to use credit, many believe problems will start. A lot of things are bought by credit. Two-thirds of all furniture, phonographs and washing machines are bought on credit. So are half the sewing machines, pianos, and vacuum cleaners. Personal debts are rising two and a half times as faster than income.
By: Jess Pfautz There are many great jazz musicians in our time, the most famous being Louis Armstrong, better known as "Satchmo." He was born in New Orleans, and got his start playing in various bands and clubs. In 1917, he got his first big break by taking over the position of jazz musician King Oliver in King Ory's Orchestra. He left that group in 1934 and moved to Harlem. There he has begun recording his music and is forming his own ensembles. Louis Armstrong's records are being spread all around the world and they have won him extreme fame.
Another
great jazz
pioneer is Bessie
Smith nicknamed "The Empress of the Blues." She was born
in a one room shack in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where she
sang for nickels and dimes. She was raised by her sister
after both her mother and father died. With the help of her
brother, she began a professional career as a dancer. In
1921, she moved to Philadelphia and two years passed before
she began recording her music. After touring the South, she
went to New York City in 1923 and recorded with Louis
Armstrong. She has become one of the most popular blues
singers of our time, and it is reported that she earns up to
$2,000 a week.
Eddie Lang is also a major jazz figure of this time. Lang was born in 1904. He first studied the violin and went on to learn how to play the banjo. He then played in a young novelty band called The Mound City Blue Blowers from Atlantic City. Right now Lang's music is more in demand then any other jazz musician in the country.
The coming of a new age in music is here-- Jazz. We find ourselves now at the point where syncopated music in the form of rags, rambles, and stomps have been flourishing for several years. Jazz came from black spirituals and African folk rhythms and began with black musicians in New Orleans.
Jazz has an energy and style all its own, which allows musicians to improvise on certain themes in their music. The two founders of Jazz are Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. In the very beginning, the forms of this new music were closely allied to burlesque and all that is grotesque in our world of entertainment.
Throughout this decade there has been some great writers classified as part of the lost generation. They received this label when an American writer Gertrude Stein remarked to Hemingway, "Ernest, you are all a lost generation." The term lost generation describes writers who are writing about disillusionment with society. Most of these writers can be found living in Paris or in New York City's Greenwich Village.
One of the writers who is part of the lost generation is Ernest Hemingway. Although he might have a busy schedule, we got him to answer one or two questions for us.
"What was your first novel Mr. Hemingway, and what is it about?"
"My first novel is The Sun Also Rises, which I wrote in 1926," he replied, "This book is about the lost generation. The Americans in the story wander around Spain and France looking desperately for fun and for a faith to believe in."
As many people would agree, Hemingway is one of the most
influential writers of this generation. His simple, blunt
style of writing is modeled by many young
authors. 
Also, another important novelist of the "lost generation" is F. Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald got his fame from his book This Side of Paradise, which he wrote in 1920. This story deals with the wild, young men and women of the jazz age. His best novel describes a world that was materially wealthy, but spiritually poor. The name of this book is The Great Gatsby, which was written in 1925.
Hopefully there will be more interesting novels that will come out of the lost generation.
The Harlem Renaissance is a literary movement. Black writers, many of whom are upset with American Society, are making many contributions to literature. For the first time, black poets and novelists can celebrate black life and still find people to buy their work, making this a great period for black Americans
Claude McKay, a Jamaican writer wrote a best selling novel called Home to Harlem. Poets such as Countee Cullen and Langston Hughes wrote about the place of blacks in a white world. In Hughes' poem "Harlem,Ó he wondered how black Americans would respond to their demands for social justice. Thus far, the Harlem Renaissance has shown the frustration on the minds of many blacks, yet also it has shown the talent black writers possess.
Recently, in a New York area better known as Harlem, some black men and women have really been showing off their talent. Anyone, of any race or from any society, will appreciate this work. Those who are interested in poetry or reading must check these out. These black citizens are directing their work to protesting racism and the blacks' experiences in the Northern cities and rural areas of the South.
These writers, Johnson, McKay, Hughes, Brown, Cullen, Toomer, Hurston and Locke, are really creating some formal, yet emotional poetry. Johnson, for example, is producing his poetry into songs for a musical theater. Toomer has been producing an outstanding collection of short stories, poetry and even a play, while Brown is expressing his pride of the cultural traditions of black Americans. These are just a few of the wonderful pieces of work being created here in the 1920's. Head to your nearest newspaper stand to pick up your own copy!
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If you are interested in knowing where this information
came from, check
out our sources page. 
If you have any
comments or suggestions for this page, feel free to email the creators,
Martha Care.
©
Copyright 1997 TMG