1920s Magazine Project
The 1920s harbored dramatic social and political change. For the first time, more Americans lived in cities than on farms. The nation’s total wealth more than doubled between 1920 and 1929, and this economic growth swept many Americans into an affluent but unfamiliar “consumer society.” People from coast to coast bought the same goods (thanks to nationwide advertising and the spread of chain stores), listened to the same music, did the same dances and even used the same slang! Many Americans were uncomfortable with this new, urban, sometimes racy “mass culture”; in fact, for many–even most–people in the United States, the 1920s brought more conflict than celebration. However, for a small handful of young people in the nation’s big cities, the 1920s were roaring indeed.
GRADING
• At the end of each day you will show me your research/what you have done for credit.
• You will be graded on your writing styles in the articles, classroom effort, and overall contribution to doing “big things” with this project.
This is a formal grade.
ARTICLES
The articles can be written in any form you choose from the following:
•Question and answer
•Diary entry
•News article
•Critique
•Editorial
You DO NOT have to do one of each, these are your options.
MAGAZINE REQUIREMENTS
(1) Creative title
(2) 1920s collage dealing with the Roaring 20s. This should catch the eye of the reader. Your pictures for your collage can simply be stolen and dragged to the front cover section of the magazine from this thing called the Internet. It should incorporate a surplus of connections to the 1920s. ADVICE: I would wait until the end of your article writing before complete the task of this title page.
(3) An “index” section that shows (by page number and eye-catching title) where your articles are located with which topic inside your magazine.
(4) Include an “extra’s” section in your magazine / Place this at the END of your magazine. You must have 7 of the following 9, printed or drawn. These aren’t created out of thin air. You must research ACTUAL 1920’s connections to these topics.
(a) political cartoon
(b) comic strip
(c) coupons for an item
(d) album cover of famous musical groups or individuals
(e) flyer for a performance
(f) latest fashion design
(g) breaking news piece
(h) movie advertisement, etc. (appropriate for that time)
(i) (Any) Sports, movies, plays, music, fashion, new appliances, slang words, fads, “hot” spots.
ARTICLE REQUIREMENTS
(1) Headline (with 1920s dialect)
(2) At least 1 picture dealing with your topic (for each article amounting to 6)
(*) Your entire goal is to inform the public of your topics. Write in the dialect that you would typically see in the 1920s era.
7 ARTICLE TOPICS (NOTE: 1 can be eliminated to equal 6)
(1) Red Scare – Sacco and Vanzetti trial
Recap what the Red Scare was and when in the U.S.
1. Who were the two men?
2. What are their beliefs, why were they arrested?
3. Details of the night of the murder/burglary with evidence for/against them.
4. What happened to the men in the end?
5. How did the country react to that?
(2) New technology/inventions
1. Who invented the radio and when?
2. Who was buying the radio?
3. When did it become popular, why, first radio station?
4. How/why did its popularity spread?
5. Where did Americans gather to listen to the radio?
6. Why did it have such an impact on American family life?
7. How did it connect the country more than ever? How did the radio impact areas like advertising and sports?
(3) 1920s entertainment
1. Movies – The transition from silent films to “talkies,” role of movie industry in society, where did people go to see movies?
2. Popular stars – Who were they? Movies they were in and why were they popular?
3. Sports – Who were the heroes? Why people were engaged to the idea of these sports heroes.
4. Music – Who were the artists? How was it different? How did it relate to the lives of the 1920s men and women of America?
(4) Prohibition
1. Recap when prohibition began/what it was/amendment?
2. Why did prohibition lead to the rise of gangsters? Famous gangsters from this era?
3. Who were some famous federal employees hired to enforce the Prohibition laws? How did they use creative ways to catch people breaking the law?
4. Where did most of the gangsters operate in the U.S.?
5. How did they make all their money during Prohibition?
6. When/why/what amendment eventually ended Prohibition?
(5) Changing women’s roles
1. Recap how women were making advancements in society during the 1920s
2. Who were flappers? When did they become popular?
3. Describe the typical fashion scene for the flapper.
4. Where did the flapper lifestyle take hold – cities or small towns and why?
5. Why did many Americans not like the flapper style?
6. Why did some people believe flappers were hurting the women’s movement in society?
7. How did flappers go against traditional society and shock many people?
(6) Henry Ford
1. Recap what car Ford made and why it was popular with Americans.
2. Recap the importance of the assembly line.
3. What impact did the car have on cities? Roads? Vacations? Family time?
4. How did the Model T change the manufacturing industry not only for cars, but rubber, tire, and gas?
5. How did the Model T lead to an increase in the suburbs?
(7) Harlem Renaissance
1. Recap what the HR was, where it started and the overall goal/intentions.
2. W.E.B DuBois’, Langston Hughes, Paul Robeson, Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Zora Neale Hurston – what were their roles in the renaissance? Why were they popular?
3. How did the HR create opportunities for African Americans they never had?
4. Why did whites around the country support the HR?