Emerging culture, Jazz music, and the Radio
There was more leisure time for Americans, their hours cut, they went from 70 hours to 45 hours in a week. Writers made sports and athletes seem like gods. They turned them into American heroes. Babe Ruth was the home-run king, outfielder, and pitcher. There were the first planes and pilots like Lucky Lindy to fly across the Atlantic. Lucky Lindy was born in Detroit, and eventually was hired by Henry Ford to help plan aircraft operations (Charles). Women were allowed to do more things, and were more socially accepted in society. Did not have to have a husband or family, could join the workforce. Americans flocked to the movies. Silent movies-Charlie Chaplin became a Hollywood favorite. First sound movie with jazz music in it was The Jazz Singer. The phonograph became important part of culture. It helped with technological advances and business enterprises. Radios also contributed to the culture, helped bring distant events to homes. Jazz music emerged from the South and Midwest in the 1920s. Mainly African American gave the age its jazz, but it was also influenced by other cultures and come together. Artists created modern art. Writers wrote about the war, and other literature like The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald. (Lapsansky-Werner 231-233, 243-245)