(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
THE MAKING OF A NATION -- a program in Special English.
(MUSIC)
As we have seen in recent programs, the administrations of
President Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge were a time of economic progress
for most Americans. Many companies grew larger during the 1920s, creating many
new jobs. Wages for most Americans increased. Many people began to have enough
money to buy new kinds of products.
The strong economy also created the right environment for many important
changes in the day-to-day social life of the American people. The 1920s are
remembered now as an exciting time that historians call the "roaring twenties."
VOICE TWO:
The 1920s brought a feeling of freedom and independence to millions of
Americans, especially young Americans. Young soldiers returned from the world
war with new ideas. They had seen a different world in Europe. They had faced
death and learned to enjoy the pleasures that each day offered.
Many of these young soldiers were not willing to quietly accept the old
traditions of their families and villages when they returned home. Instead, they
wanted to try new ways of living.
VOICE ONE:
Many young Americans, both men and women, began to challenge some of the
traditions of their parents and grandparents. For example, some young women
began to experiment with new kinds of clothes. They no longer wore dresses that
hid the shape of their bodies. Instead, they wore thinner dresses that uncovered
part of their legs.
Many young women began to smoke cigarettes, too. Cigarette production in the
United States more than doubled in the ten years between 1918 and 1928.
Many women also began to drink alcohol with men in public for the first time.
And they listened together to a popular new kind of music: jazz.
Young people danced the Fox Trot, the Charleston, and other new dances. They
held one another tightly on the dance floor, instead of dancing far apart.
VOICE TWO:
It was a revolution in social values, at least among some Americans. People
openly discussed subjects that their parents and grandparents had kept private.
There were popular books and shows about unmarried mothers and about
homosexuality. The growing film industry made films about all-night parties
between unmarried men and women. And people discussed the new ideas about sex
formed by Sigmund Freud and other new thinkers.
An important force behind these changes was the growing independence of
American women. In nineteen twenty, the nation passed the Nineteenth Amendment
to the constitution, which gave women the right to vote.
Of equal importance, many women took jobs during the war and continued
working after the troops returned home. Also, new machines freed many of them
from spending long hours of work in the home washing clothes, preparing food,
and doing other jobs.
VOICE ONE:
Education was another important force behind the social changes of the
nineteen-twenties. More and more Americans were getting a good education. The
number of students attending high school doubled between nineteen twenty and
nineteen thirty. Many of the schools now offered new kinds of classes to prepare
students for useful jobs.
Attendance at colleges and universities also increased greatly. And colleges
offered more classes in such useful subjects as teacher training, engineering,
and business administration.
Two inventions also helped cause the social changes. They were the automobile
and the radio. The automobile gave millions of Americans the freedom to travel
easily to new places. And the radio brought new ideas and experiences into their
own homes.
Probably the most important force behind social change was the continuing
economic growth of the nineteen twenties. Many people had extra money to spend
on things other than food, housing, and other basic needs. They could experiment
with new products and different ways of living.
VOICE TWO:
Of course, not all Americans were wearing strange new
"flapper" clothes or dancing until early in the morning. Millions of Americans
in small towns or rural areas continued to live simple, quiet lives. Life was
still hard for many people including blacks, foreigners, and other minority
groups.
The many newspaper stories about independent women reporters and doctors also
did not represent the real life of the average American woman. Women could vote.
But three of every four women still worked at home. Most of the women working
outside their homes were from minority groups or foreign countries.
The films and radio stories about exciting parties and social events were
just a dream for millions of Americans. But the dreams were strong. And many
Americans -- rich and poor -- followed with great interest each new game, dance,
and custom.
VOICE ONE:
The wide interest in this kind of popular culture was unusually strong during
the nineteen twenties. People became extremely interested in exciting court
trials, disasters, film actors, and other subjects.
For example, millions of Americans followed the sad story of Floyd Collins, a
young man who became trapped while exploring underground. Newsmen reported to
the nation as rescue teams searched to find him. Even the "New York Times"
newspaper printed a large story on its front page when rescuers finally
discovered the man's dead body.
Another event that caught public attention was a murder trial in the eastern
state of New Jersey in 1926.
Newsmen wrote five million words about this case of a minister found dead
with a woman member of his church. Again, the case itself was of little
importance from a world news point of view. But it was exciting. And Americans
were tired of reading about serious political issues after the bloody world war.
VOICE TWO:
The 1920s also were a golden period for sports.
People across the country bought newspapers to read of the latest golf
victory by champion bobby jones. "Big Bill" Tilden became the most famous player
in tennis. And millions of Americans listened to the boxing match in nineteen
twenty-six between Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney. In fact, five Americans
reportedly became so excited while listening to the fight that they died of
heart attacks.
However, the greatest single sports hero of the period
was the baseball player, Babe Ruth.
Ruth was a large man who could hit a baseball farther than any other human
being. He became as famous for his wild enjoyment of life as for his excellent
playing on the baseball field. Babe Ruth loved to drink, to be with women, and
to play with children.
VOICE ONE:
The most famous popular event of the 1920s was neither a court
trial nor a sports game. It was the brave action of pilot Charles Lindbergh when
he flew an airplane across the Atlantic Ocean without stopping. He was the first
man in history to do this.
Lindbergh flew his plane alone from New York to France in may, nineteen
twenty-seven. His flight set off wild celebrations across the United States.
Newspapers carried story after story about Lindbergh's success. President
Coolidge and a large crowd greeted the young pilot when he returned to
Washington. And New York congratulated Lindbergh with one of the largest parades
in its history.
Americans liked Lindbergh because he was brave, quiet, and handsome. He
seemed to represent everything that was best about their country.
VOICE TWO:
The 1920s were also a time of much excellent work in the more serious arts.
We will take a look in our next program at American art, writing, and building
during the exciting "roaring twenties".
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
You have been listening to THE MAKING OF A NATION, a program in Special
English. Your reporters have been Harry Monroe and Kay Gallant. Our program was
written by David Jarmul. The Voice of America invites you to listen again next
week to THE MAKING OF A NATION.