The roaring 20’s: Flappers and Joe Louis

Time Line

¯        In 1920 women get the right to vote.

¯        From 1921 to 1929 was the Roaring 20’s.

¯        On October 29, 1929 the Stock Market Crash.

¯        The Great Depression was from the crash of ‘29 to mid-1943.

The 1920’s

o   The 1920’s was a good decade if you had the money. If not you could still buy stuff on credit in the stores.

o   Some of the bad things were that there was less taxes. That meant less money for schools and to hire police men and all those other services provided by government.

People’s unavailability to pay their debts contributed to the crash of ’29.

Flappers

Flappers were the modern women of the time. They were very controversial: they would cut their hair shorter, though not all of them; they would wear shorter dresses, which back then showing any skin was very scandalous due to the Victorian style of the past; they would hang out with the boys, smoked in public and drink too, though drinking was still illegal.

It was a very materialistic society, kind of like it is today. Though back then it led to the Stock Market Crash.

Check out these videos: It’s a bunch of films from the 20’s involving mostly the fabulous life of flappers and you might notice some similarities between then and today’s society.

·         Flappers - The Roaring Twenties – check out minute 4:22, does it seem familiar with teen's clothing problems and their parents.

·         To live in the 1920’s – check out minute 1:20 for the foldable car.

The other video that is as well very remarkable is Joe Louis - America's Hero Betrayed. It’s an inspiring documentary about an African American boxer at the time that held the World Heavyweight Champion from 1937 to 1949. He created an uproar of the African American community and the American society, despite the color of his skin.

Monument to Joe Louis at Detroit