1. How do you define the 1920s? What characteristics are most important in defining this decade?
The 1920’s or “Roaring Twenties” is a time characterized by significant social, economic and cultural changes. The ratification of the 18th Amendment in 1920 outlawed alcohol and began the Prohibition which lasted until 1933. The ban on alcohol however led to a rise in organized crime, as well as speakeasies where people continued to drink illegally. “By the early 1920s, profits from the illegal production and trafficking of liquor were so enormous that gangsters learned to be more “organized” than ever” (Prohibition) Another major development during the 1920’s was the cultural explosion taking place particularly in Harlem, this was known as the “Harlem Renaissance.” This was a space for African Americans mainly artists, musicians, writers and poets to display their work and have a place to come together as a community. This was also the time of the rise and increasing popularity of Jazz music. However there was still rampant racial tension and discrimination in America. Mass production and consumer culture also defined this era. Following WW1 there was a time of economic growth in America, where mass production of goods such as automobiles and household goods became typical. This change in production led to the popularity of consumerism, before the economic crash of 1929, and the start of the Great Depression.
2. Last week, we were introduced to the Prohibition Era. In the podcast, Billie Holiday v. the United States, connections are made between that era and the modern War on Drugs. How did the end of Prohibition lead to Billie Holiday becoming a target of the federal government?
The end of the Prohibition led to Billie Holiday becoming a target of the federal government, because Harry Anslinger who was the head of the U.S department overseeing alcohol during prohibition was out of a job. Anslinger needed to find a new subject for his department to take care of, which led to the War on Drugs. Anslinger however was extremely racist (seen as an extreme racist even for that time) and he hated people with addiction problems. Billie Holiday first caught his attention because of her song “Strange Fruit” which talked about the horrors of racial violence and discrimination taking place. Anslinger was determined to put Billie Holiday in prison, he went so far as to have 2 men stalk and follow her. And even when she was actively trying to get sober, he would place alcohol and drugs around her so she would fall back into her addictions and he would use that against her. Even though she was arrested many times she would not stop singing “Strange Fruit” and spreading the message the song conveys. She eventually had to go to the hospital where she passed away, she died believing no one would care or remember her. However many still remember her and what she represented, as well as the message she so courageously proclaimed during her life.
3. And finally, the push back against Eastern European immigration leads to a new wave of nativism and the rise of the Eugenics movement. Explain the Supreme Court's decision in Buck v. Bell.
Buck vs. Bell reinforced the eugenics movement in America. The decision upheld the law that permitted forced sterilization of people deemed “unfit” to reproduce. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. even went so far as to state “Three generations of imbeciles is enough.” This statement seems to encapsulate the Court's belief that certain people should be prevented from having children because of mental illness, physical disability or any other “undesirable traits”. The mainstream belief was that the state's interest in protecting public health took precedence over the needs or wants of the individual. Following this decision it gave the state legal backing to sterilize over 70,000 people without their consent.
Prohibition Profits Transformed the Mob/Prohibition: An Interactive History
https://prohibition.themobmuseum.org/the-history/the-rise-of-organized-crime/the-mob-during-prohibition/
Youtube: The Harlem Renesiance’s cultural explosion, in photographs by PBS NewsHour
Google Slides: 1920’s by Alyssa Arnell
FreshAir:The Supremes Courts Ruling that lead to 70,000 Forced Sterilization, March 7, 2016 https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/03/07/469478098/the-supreme-court-ruling-that-led-to-70-000-forced-sterilizations
The 1920’s or “Roaring Twenties” is a time characterized by significant social, economic and cultural changes. The ratification of the 18th Amendment in 1920 outlawed alcohol and began the Prohibition which lasted until 1933. The ban on alcohol however led to a rise in organized crime, as well as speakeasies where people continued to drink illegally. “By the early 1920s, profits from the illegal production and trafficking of liquor were so enormous that gangsters learned to be more “organized” than ever” (Prohibition) Another major development during the 1920’s was the cultural explosion taking place particularly in Harlem, this was known as the “Harlem Renaissance.” This was a space for African Americans mainly artists, musicians, writers and poets to display their work and have a place to come together as a community. This was also the time of the rise and increasing popularity of Jazz music. However there was still rampant racial tension and discrimination in America. Mass production and consumer culture also defined this era. Following WW1 there was a time of economic growth in America, where mass production of goods such as automobiles and household goods became typical. This change in production led to the popularity of consumerism, before the economic crash of 1929, and the start of the Great Depression.
2. Last week, we were introduced to the Prohibition Era. In the podcast, Billie Holiday v. the United States, connections are made between that era and the modern War on Drugs. How did the end of Prohibition lead to Billie Holiday becoming a target of the federal government?
The end of the Prohibition led to Billie Holiday becoming a target of the federal government, because Harry Anslinger who was the head of the U.S department overseeing alcohol during prohibition was out of a job. Anslinger needed to find a new subject for his department to take care of, which led to the War on Drugs. Anslinger however was extremely racist (seen as an extreme racist even for that time) and he hated people with addiction problems. Billie Holiday first caught his attention because of her song “Strange Fruit” which talked about the horrors of racial violence and discrimination taking place. Anslinger was determined to put Billie Holiday in prison, he went so far as to have 2 men stalk and follow her. And even when she was actively trying to get sober, he would place alcohol and drugs around her so she would fall back into her addictions and he would use that against her. Even though she was arrested many times she would not stop singing “Strange Fruit” and spreading the message the song conveys. She eventually had to go to the hospital where she passed away, she died believing no one would care or remember her. However many still remember her and what she represented, as well as the message she so courageously proclaimed during her life.
3. And finally, the push back against Eastern European immigration leads to a new wave of nativism and the rise of the Eugenics movement. Explain the Supreme Court's decision in Buck v. Bell.
Buck vs. Bell reinforced the eugenics movement in America. The decision upheld the law that permitted forced sterilization of people deemed “unfit” to reproduce. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. even went so far as to state “Three generations of imbeciles is enough.” This statement seems to encapsulate the Court's belief that certain people should be prevented from having children because of mental illness, physical disability or any other “undesirable traits”. The mainstream belief was that the state's interest in protecting public health took precedence over the needs or wants of the individual. Following this decision it gave the state legal backing to sterilize over 70,000 people without their consent.
Prohibition Profits Transformed the Mob/Prohibition: An Interactive History
https://prohibition.themobmuseum.org/the-history/the-rise-of-organized-crime/the-mob-during-prohibition/
Youtube: The Harlem Renesiance’s cultural explosion, in photographs by PBS NewsHour
Google Slides: 1920’s by Alyssa Arnell
FreshAir:The Supremes Courts Ruling that lead to 70,000 Forced Sterilization, March 7, 2016 https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/03/07/469478098/the-supreme-court-ruling-that-led-to-70-000-forced-sterilizations