Social Studies - 2018-19
VUS.10a - 1920's Popular Culture
The student will apply social science skills to understand key events during the 1920s and 1930s by
a) analyzing how popular culture evolved and challenged traditional values;
BIG IDEAS
The 1920’s and 1930’s were a time of cultural and economic changes in the nation. During this period the nation faced significant domestic challenges including the Great Depression.
UNDERSTANDING THE STANDARD
Popular culture began to evolve into an age of modernism that challenged traditional values.
ESSENTIALS
Modernism marked the beginning of a period that rejected conventional ways of viewing and interacting with the world. The movement was reflected in art, architecture, literature, music, entertainment, and fashion.
Mass media and communications
Radio: Broadcast jazz, entertainment programing, sporting events, and Fireside Chats
Movies: Provided escape from Depression-era realities
Newspapers and magazines: Shaped cultural norms, established a consumer culture, and sparked fads
Challenges to traditional values
Traditional religion: Darwin’s theory, the Scopes Trial
Traditional role of women: Flappers, 19th Amendment
Open immigration: Rise of new Ku Klux Klan (KKK), a Red Scare
Prohibition: Smuggling alcohol, speakeasies
KEY VOCABULARY
Terms & Events
Mass Media
Prosperity
Jazz
Traditional values
Popular Culture
Cultural Norms
Darwin’s Theory of Evolution
Scopes Trail
KKK
Prohibition
Smuggling
Speakeasies
People
Flappers