1920s- Social Movement

The threat of Communism, Fascism, and Socialism
The Palmer raids, the Red Scare, a drive to rid the country of "reds," begin under the auspices of the U.S. Dept. of Justice. On January 3, the New York Times reports that 650 are arrested League of Nations first council in Paris. President Wilson formally convoked the Council in accordance with the League provision for the summoning of the first Assembly by the President of the United States. It was to be the last official participation by the U. S. in the entire history of the League of Nations. The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution went into effect, prohibiting the making, selling, possession, and consumption of alcoholic beverages. Prohibition, the most flouted law in history was repealed in 1933.
The American Socialist Party nominates Eugene V. Debs for president, and he is the first candidate to mount a campaign from jail. Beginning in september he is permitted to issue weekly public statements that are then circulated by the party. He runs on the slogan, "From the Prison to the White House," and polls 3.5 percent of the vote. U.S. POLITICS - Following the end of World War I and the freedom from the war-time economy and lifestyle, U.S. politicians focused on the social and cultural issues of the day. People wanted an end to labor problems and racial strife, less immigration, conservative politics, a return to christian values, and less government interference in their lives. By the 1920s, many Americans had grown tired of war and constant attempts at reform, including numerous attempts to pass moral legislation. Many people longed for a simpler way of life. Warren G. Harding's policy of a "return to normalcy" was an attempt to capitalize on this populist feeling.

Disputes over human origin and the Scopes trial
made for great oratory between eminent rivals, and it put the debate over teaching evolution on front pages across the country. But one thing the Scopes "monkey trial" of 1925 did not do was settle the contentious issue of evolution in the schools, which continues to incite strong passions and court actions to this day.
Narrowly, the trial was about challenging a newly passed Tennessee state law against teaching evolution or any other theory denying the biblical account of the creation of man. Broadly, the case reflected a collision of traditional views and values with more modern ones: It was a time of evangelism by figures such as Aimee Semple McPherson and Billy Sunday against forces, including jazz, sexual permissiveness, and racy Hollywood movies, which they thought were undermining the authority of the Bible and Christian morals in society.
John Scopes, the 24-year-old defendant, taught in the public high school in Dayton, Tenn., and included evolution in his curriculum. He agreed to be the focus of a test case attacking the new law, and was arrested for teaching evolution and tried with the American Civil Liberties Union backing his defense. His lawyer was the legendary Clarence Darrow, who, besides being a renowned defense attorney for labor and radical figures, was an avowed agnostic in religious matters.
The state's attorney was William Jennings Bryan, a Christian, pacifist, and former candidate for the U.S. presidency. He agreed to take the case because he believed that evolution theory led to dangerous social movements. And he believed the Bible should be interpreted literally.
The weather was stiflingly hot and the rhetoric equally heated in this "trial of the century" attended by hundreds of reporters and others who crowded the Rhea County Courthouse in July 1925. Rather than the validity of the law under which Scopes was being charged, the authority of the Bible versus the soundness of Darwin's theory became the focus of the arguments.
"Millions of guesses strung together," is how Bryan characterized evolutionary theory, adding that the theory made man "indistinguishable among the mammals." Darrow, in his attacks, tried to poke holes in the Genesis story according to modern thinking, calling them "fool ideas that no intelligent Christian on earth believes."
The jury found Scopes guilty of violating the law and fined him $100. Bryan and the anti-evolutionists claimed victory, and the Tennessee law would stand for another 42 years. But Clarence Darrow and the ACLU had succeeded in publicizing scientific evidence for evolution, and the press reported that though Bryan had won the case, he had lost the argument. The verdict did have a chilling effect on teaching evolution in the classroom, however, and not until the 1960s did it reappear in schoolbooks

Isolationism, immigration, and communism

America's isolationist philosophy after World War I gave rise to a xenophobic feeling across the nation. This was concentrated in rural areas and especially in the South where the Ku Klux Klan gained widespread support and sought to persecute immigrants and minorities in the 1920s. At the same time, communism was still a new philosophy in government, and much of the general American public held a hostile view toward it. The beginning of the 1920s saw the height and fall of First Red Scare as exemplified in the trials of Sacco and Vanzetti. This opposition to Communism was caused mostly by its anti-war associations and its connection with a series of bombings

Roaring Twenties
Roaring Twenties is a phrase used to describe the 1920s, principally in North America, that emphasizes the period's social, artistic, and cultural dynamism. 'Normalcy' returned to politics in the wake of World War I, jazz music blossomed, the flapper redefined modern womanhood, Art Deco peaked, and finally the Wall Street Crash of 1929 served to punctuate the end of the era, as The Great Depression set in. The era was further distinguished by several inventions and discoveries of far-reaching importance, unprecedented industrial growth and accelerated consumer demand and aspirations, and significant changes in lifestyle.
The social and societal upheaval known as the Roaring Twenties began in North America and spread to Europe in the aftermath of World War I. Europe spent these years rebuilding and coming to terms with the vast human cost of the conflict. The economy of the United States became increasingly intertwined with that of Europe. When Germany could no longer afford war payments Wall Street invested heavily in European debts to keep the European economy afloat as a large consumer market for American mass produced goods. By the middle of the decade, economic development soared in Europe, and the Roaring Twenties broke out in Germany (the Weimar Republic), Britain and France, the second half of the decade becoming known as the "Golden Twenties". In France and francophone Canada, they were also called the "années folles" ("Crazy Years").[1]
The spirit of the Roaring Twenties was marked by a general feeling of discontinuity associated with modernity, a break with traditions. Everything seemed to be feasible through modern technology. New technologies, especially automobiles, movies and radio proliferated 'modernity' to a large part of the population. Formal decorative frills were shed in favor of practicality, in architecture as well as in daily life. At the same time, amusement, fun and lightness were cultivated in jazz and dancing, in defiance of the horrors of World War I, which remained present in people's minds. The period is also often called "The Jazz Age".

Disputes over human origin and the Scopes trial
made for great oratory between eminent rivals, and it put the debate over teaching evolution on front pages across the country. But one thing the Scopes "monkey trial" of 1925 did not do was settle the contentious issue of evolution in the schools, which continues to incite strong passions and court actions to this day.Narrowly, the trial was about challenging a newly passed Tennessee state law against teaching evolution or any other theory denying the biblical account of the creation of man. Broadly, the case reflected a collision of traditional views and values with more modern ones: It was a time of evangelism by figures such as Aimee Semple McPherson
Aimee Semple McPhersonAimee Semple McPherson, also known as "Sister Aimee" or simply "Sister," was an evangelist and media sensation in the 1920s and 1930s; she was also the founder of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel.... and Billy Sunday
Billy SundayWilliam Ashley "Billy" Sunday was noted first as a professional baseball player, and then more famously as an evangelist.... against forces, including jazz, sexual permissiveness, and racy Hollywood movies, which they thought were undermining the authority of the Bible and Christian morals in society.John Scopes, the 24-year-old defendant, taught in the public high school in Dayton, Tenn., and included evolution in his curriculum. He agreed to be the focus of a test case attacking the new law, and was arrested for teaching evolution and tried with the American Civil Liberties Union backing his defense. His lawyer was the legendary Clarence Darrow, who, besides being a renowned defense attorney for labor and radical figures, was an avowed agnostic in religious matters.The state's attorney was William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings BryanWilliam Jennings Bryan was an United States lawyer, statesman, and politician. He was a three-time Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States...., a Christian, pacifist, and former candidate for the U.S. presidency. He agreed to take the case because he believed that evolution theory led to dangerous social movements. And he believed the Bible should be interpreted literally.The weather was stiflingly hot and the rhetoric equally heated in this "trial of the century" attended by hundreds of reporters and others who crowded the Rhea County Courthouse in July 1925. Rather than the validity of the law under which Scopes was being charged, the authority of the Bible versus the soundness of Darwin's theory became the focus of the arguments."Millions of guesses strung together," is how Bryan characterized evolutionary theory, adding that the theory made man "indistinguishable among the mammals." Darrow, in his attacks, tried to poke holes in the Genesis story according to modern thinking, calling them "fool ideas that no intelligent Christian on earth believes."The jury found Scopes guilty of violating the law and fined him $100. Bryan and the anti-evolutionists claimed victory, and the Tennessee law would stand for another 42 years. But Clarence Darrow and the ACLU had succeeded in publicizing scientific evidence for evolution, and the press reported that though Bryan had won the case, he had lost the argument. The verdict did have a chilling effect on teaching evolution in the classroom, however, and not until the 1960s did it reappear in schoolbooks.

Free At Last
The dramatic appeal of these songs exist in their subtlety. For instance, the song "The Berlin Wall" uses key words to describe the drama. As mentioned earlier the word "Berlin Wall" was used to describe a blockade made by police in Selma, Alabama, which in the latter days of the Cold War had a negative feeling attached with the word. When this song was sung to the tune of "Joshua Fit The Battle of Jericho" the singer was caught up in visualizing the Hebrew army singing and shouting until the walls of Jericho fell. This inspired them to feel the same about the "Berlin Wall", not only giving the singers a goal but also a small drama with which to relate.
The idea of a goal to be accomplished flows right into the presence values in the songs. This particular one is the possibility of success, a value which not only plays an important part in directing an audience but also gives them something to accomplish. Related closely to this value is that of challenge. This value embodies the myth that wisdom can be gained through testing. "We Shall Overcome" again is a good example. Though the words "we shall overcome" are somewhat vague they still carry a sense of trial and tribulation, almost says saying "no matter what lies ahead, we shall overcome all our obstacles".
The last and most important value contained in the civil rights movement is the wisdom of the rustic. This value is the ''jes' plain folks" answer that will win out over the sophistication of the bureaucracy every time. Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" clearly illustrates this value. Several soul searching questions that summarized the confusion and injustice of America during the 60's are asked in this song:
How many roads must a man walk downBefore you call him a man?How many seas must a white dove sailBefore she sleeps in the sand?How many years can some people existBefore they're allowed to be free?All of these questions are answered simply by, "The answer is blowin' in the wind" which implies that if people stop fighting and killing they could hear all these answers and more just by listening to the ever-present, all-knowing wind that rolls off the plains.
It can be seen that the protest songs of the civil rights movement contained the four essential elements of effective persuasive discourse. As a result of the use of these elements, civil rights songs were effective in creating unity and strength in that movement.