Speech

During the 20th century, adults nationwide were, for the first time, experiencing free range of American culture with excess money in their pockets and weeks without work. So, rather than sit in their microscopic apartments in the city, or work on their rural farms, they went to the movies, they got blatantly intoxicated at parties and jazz clubs, they bought new fridges, and they joined the Ku Klux Klan if they wanted to abide by the traditional values of Americans and become "community leaders". I believe that these are the most important facts, because entertainment was the central concern of adults, teenagers, and children during the 1920s as they received higher wages, vacation time, and shorter work hours. With a loss of things they had to do, individuals in the 1920s developed education, societal norms and statuses, appliances and amenities, social events and groups, and other forms of entertainment to occupy their modern minds contrasted with the traditional culture they lived in during the 20th century. 

            Since children and teenagers didn’t have to go to work all day in factories, they went to school and left each day with new interests, hobbies, and relationships. Universities and colleges were attended by teens with a higher education who had the time and money to develop their studies. Through education, college graduates received higher paying jobs, and spent their paychecks on appliances, social events, or drinking. The money made from jobs fueled innovations in appliances that we still use today. If education hadn’t been such a driving force behind the modernization of American culture in the 20th century, we wouldn’t place such high value on education in this century.

            Through education, society was born. Social norms, societal groups, and status derive from the knowledge shared among peers at universities, jobs, and in public. Groups like the “KKK” arose from a general consensus made by traditional Americans when the expansion of their free time allowed for the development of hobbies. Participation in social groups gave a person a certain status and a sense of community. It was a form of entertainment that was important to Americans who had an excessive amount of time on their hands.

            The use of movies and other forms of entertainment like partying and intoxication, played a large role in the commercializing of products by age and by status. Like the “KKK,” parties and social events were attended by people with a lot of time and money. Important forms of entertainment such as movies, the development of society, amenities, education, and technology helped to modernize the traditional 1920s values of America to the standards and societal norms we uphold today.  

Peer Book Review

"Sweet Tallernig and Speaking Easy" by Patrick, is a novel about prohibition in the winter time during the 1920s. Johnny, George, and a Hotsy-Totsy girl from Brooklyn explore the new law of prohibition and George is curious to find out what Johnny has been doing down on 5th Street, as is the reader in this thrilling mystery about speakeasy and the illegal bootleggers in the 1920s. - Abby

"Living In the Lost Generation" by Cameron, deals with a struggling artist in post WWI. The artist uses the arts as an escape, and loses herself in books, articles, and painting. The book describes the journey of the trapped postwar artist as she struggles to define herself in the society of the time based on personal opinion and alienation. - Abby

My Mini Book

I wrote a little book about education and youth in the early 1900s. I used slang terms popular during the time and illustrated pictures about a teacher during her first day teaching an economics class in high school.

Analysis of WWI Poster

1. I know that propaganda is the advertising of sometimes false information to sway an audience one way or another. There is usually a viewpoint or target of people in the propaganda distributed to people.
2. Propaganda is defined by dictionary.com as "information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc."
3/4. The picture to the left is only in red, white, and blue, which makes it seem patriotic. The people in the picture are seen huddled together while gazing at Lady Liberty, to signify the patriotism and try and make the reader recall "your first thrill of American Liberty." The capitalization in the propaganda also draws your eye to one specific spot on the page. It seems as if all people are standing still and your eyes automatically see the magnificent statue because of the way the clouds are painted in the background of the advertisement.

The picture to the right is shown in only red and black, your eyes simultaneously drawn to the bleeding red cross in the middle of the propaganda. The caption below and underneath aren't even necessary because you can see on the face of the person that they are in pain and distress, and they need help. The person is cleverly clothed in a black and white American flag that seems to just sprout up from the ground, again showing patriotism. 

The picture to the left exemplifies a woman holding onto her two children, the author using the visuals of mother and child to sway the audience and readers. The bright red letters at the bottom in bold and capitalized draw the readers eyes to the bottom of the page and then back up again to the obviously impoverished mother and child living amongst the trash and omnious garbage. 

5. The artist obviously intends for the person to be swayed to buy a loan because of the connotation with Lady Liberty and the image it places in your mind about your first experience of 'American Liberty.' In the second picture, it's a very compelling slogan and red cross sort of helping out the poor and less fortunate kind of deal, but it's extremely clever and the color used in the propaganda is the most swaying point of the advertisement, the creator obviously knew what he was doing. The creator wanted the reader to feel sorry for the person clothed in the American flag, and s/he does a great job of doing so. In the third picture, people are supposed to be swayed by the mother and child figures, and the author does a great job of identifying the horrible situation that they seem to be in, which is lacking cleanliness and very low income, the author is telling people to get out of their horrible situations and contract with the government because they are reliable and show pictures of liberty and suffering Americans. 

6. In the first and second picture, everyone is the ideal target; explained in previous answers. In the third picture, mothers and families are the target; explained in previous answers. 

7. I am more or less comfortable with the government spending our money to create these signs because they have a focused campaign and advertisements are seen everywhere, everyday, so even if I was uncomfortable with the tax dollars going to the propaganda, it would continue to happen regardless of my opinion. 

8. The government was trying to keep the spirits high in WWI and trying to motivate people who weren't physically involved in the war to still help with the war in any way that they could. 

Multiple Choice Question Writing Key

1.       1. Immigration was a major factor in Progressivism in the United States, so which two cultures    immigrated to the U.S. with the highest percentage in the 1900s?

a.       Austro-Hungarian and Northwestern European

b.      Italian and Austro-Hungarian

c.       Russian and Baltic States and Italian

d.      German and Austro-Hungarian

e.      Italian and Canadian

2.     2.   How old was Roosevelt when he assumed presidency?

a.       Fifty-four

b.      Forty-three

c.       Sixty-two

d.      Forty-two

e.      Sixty-six

3.     3.   What was one of Roosevelt’s first targets after the election?

a.       The “Square Deal”

b.      The Hepburn Railroad Regulation Act of 1906

c.       The Interstate Commerce Act of 1887

d.      “ICC”

e.      Pure Food and Drug Act

Book Thesis on Progressive Era

Defining the Progressive Era in one thesis/sentence for a "book" of Progressive topics
Thesis:
The Progressive Era was focused on the bettering of people, whether in life, security, social problems, or overall wellness, the public and government worked together to improve the conditions of America during the Progressive Era and humans living during the time period.

Multiple Choice Question Writing

1.      Immigration was a major factor in Progressivism in the United States, so which two cultures      immigrated to the U.S. with the highest percentage in the 1900s?

a.       Austro-Hungarian and Northwestern European

b.      Italian and Austro-Hungarian

c.       Russian and Baltic States and Italian

d.      German and Austro-Hungarian

e.      Italian and Canadian

2.       How old was Roosevelt when he assumed presidency?

a.       Fifty-four

b.      Forty-three

c.       Sixty-two

d.      Forty-two

e.      Sixty-six

3.       What was one of Roosevelt’s first targets after the election?

a.       The “Square Deal”

b.      The Hepburn Railroad Regulation Act of 1906

c.       The Interstate Commerce Act of 1887

d.      “ICC”

e.      Pure Food and Drug Act