Module 8: The Jazz Age: Redefining the Nation, 1919-1929

Image from Chapter 24 of U.S. History (opens in new window) from OpenStax, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution License v4.0 with the image information: The illustrations for F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Tales of the Jazz Age, drawn by John Held, Jr.

This module explores the Jazz Age. Many middle-class Americans experienced prosperity in the 1920s. Old and the new came into sharp conflict. This divide was geographic and philosophical. Some people embraced the new amusements and social venues of the decade. Women found new opportunities for professional and political advancement, as well as new models of sexual liberation; however, the women’s rights movement began to wane. After World War I, Americans were ready for “a return to normalcy."

Upon completion of this module, you will be able to:

1. Discuss the role of movies in the evolution of American culture (CO 1-7)
2. Explain the impact of radio on nationalization and homogenization (CO 1-5)
3. Analyze the ways in which the automobile, especially the Model T, transformed American life (CO 1-5)
4. Define nativism and analyze the ways in which it affected the politics and society of the 1920s (CO 1-5)
5. Describe the conflict between urban Americans and rural fundamentalists (CO 1-7)
6. Explain the issues in question in the Scopes trial (CO 1-7)
7. Explain the factors that shaped the new morality and the changing role of women in the United States during the 1920s (CO 1-5)
8. Describe the “new Negro” and the influence of the Harlem Renaissance (CO 1-5)
9. Analyze the effects of prohibition on American society and culture (CO 1-5)
10. Describe the character and main authors of the Lost Generation (CO 1-7)
11. Discuss Warren G. Harding’s strengths and weaknesses as president (CO 1-5)
12. Explain how Calvin Coolidge was able to defeat the Democratic Party (CO 1-5)
13. Explain what Calvin Coolidge meant by “the business of America is business” (CO 1-5)

To achieve these objectives:

1. Read the Module 8 Introduction above.
   
2. Read and view the materials in Module 8 (click below)
3. View the Module 8 PowerPoint below.
4. Complete Module 8 quizzes/assignments/discussion boards based on chapter/document reading.

Module Pressbooks Resources and Activities