How would Frederick have disagreed? Create other questions for yourself and others based on details in the painting. Primary Source Document #1 - Analysis Questions: 1) Close Reading / Analysis: Complete the observation/inference chart below. What constitutes a successful use of humor in persuasive prose? How did she argue that it strengthened, not weakened, character? Comfort and convenience from manufactured goods. What power did consumers hold in the new "consumptionism" that they could not exercise before, according to Frederick? The four large paintings—each five feet by four feet—are flamboyant, witty, unapologetically busy, and incontestably eye-catching. "1 In The Cathedrals of Fifth Avenue, the "cathedrals" are the secular temples of consumer worship—the exclusive shops and restaurants of Fifth Avenue, their names and logos emblazoned in the sky like fireworks. analyze and evaluate primary source materials (1920s ads) to draw conclusions about shifts in American society in the post‐World War I era. As new changes arose in the 1920’s with consumerism, the older population saw a clash between value’s. Objectives To introduce students to the importance of consumerism in the 1920s, when there was a shift from "inner-directed" to "outer-directed" ways of … 1800-1809 1810-1819 1820-1829 1830-1839 1840-1849 1850-1859 1860-1869 1870-1879 1880-1889 1890-1899 … How was the word adapted for political and psychological aspirations of the nation? Answer the questions in the charts after each document in terms of the writing prompt. How do they compare with movie theater advertising today? The 1960s became the decade of the car in Finland. Collected commentary. G.K. Chesterton explained that during the Roaring Twenties values had altered, and that books that described success as what got people to their riches did “not teach people to be successful, but [it did] teach people to be snobbish; [it did] spread a sort of evil poetry of worldliness…In [their] society, temperance will not help a poor man to enrich himself…Good work will not make him a rich man” (Chesterton). What unique modes of conveying a message does humor offer? How did the automobile manufacturing experience of each man influence his opinion? American Consumerism 1920s Fact 25: 75% of the U.S. population spent most of their yearly incomes to purchase consumer goods including food, clothes, radios, and cars. Imagine yourself settled into a movie theater seat and viewing these brief ads for flour, hand cleaner, and the electric refrigerator before the main feature. What did Strauss identify as the core danger from the new "consumptionism"? Robert S. Lynd and Helen Merrell Lynd quoted from a veteran official of a loan company that “People [didn’t] think anything [during the 1920’s] of borrowing sums they’d never have thought of borrowing in the old days. During the economic growth of the 1920s, both consumerism and advertising came of age. Why? (Compare, What commentary, if any, did Stettheimer incorporate in. This is a primary source that was created by Susan Levine, and was published on April 2, 2007. However, the import of cars was only liberalised in 1963. This lesson plan offers suggestions about how you can use primary sources to illustrate the larger social and cultural changes of the era. News advised people to buy as much as they can because of the "Invincible Stock Market". "For better or for worse," wrote consumer activist Stuart Chase, "we have entered the Age of the Salesman. Illustrated with numerous advertisements, this collection samples the ardent opinions voiced by champions and critics of "consumptionism" in the 1920s. Robert S. Lynd and Helen Merrell Lynd quoted from a veteran official of a loan company that “People [didn’t] think anything [during the 1920’s] of borrowing sums they’d never have thought of borrowing in the old days. Directions: Read the writing prompt below and answer the question in the chart beneath it. Production between 1860 and 1920 increased by 12 to 14 times in the US while the population only increased three times.Supply outstripped demand and problems of scarcity were replaced by problems of how to create more demand. Materials (What primary sources or local resources are the basis for this lesson?) This document was created for a book that is called Gender in History. Race Relations in America Wish List. How would William Retlaw's list of "magic words" that appear most often in advertising compare to a similar list today? METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART/NHC, Humorists on salesmanship. The 1920s was a period of vigorous economic growth in the United States. Why are their parents more realistically portrayed, the bride's father looking straight out from the canvas? In a personal style unique among the American modernists, artist Florine Stettheimer created her Cathedrals series to showcase, and whimsically satirize, New York City's pre-eminence in entertainment, consumerism, finance, and art. Success was perceived as one taking another’s failure as their own success. Consumerism The 1920s saw a burst of personal prosperity & consumer spending –Mass production led to a huge number of new products: Cars, electric appliances, new fashions –Advertising boomed to convince people to spend their money –Companies offered ways for consumers to buy on credit through monthly installment plans . Consumerism, America in the 1920s, Primary Sources for Teachers, America in Class, National Humanities Center Great primary resources and silent commercials on consumerism in the Twenties, including discussion questions. (See Rogers on credit buying and Chase on the "Age of the Salesman" in the collected commentary.) ), Silent theater commercials. The electricity boom revolutionized our way of life in areas such as transportation, communication, personal beauty, housekeeping, entertainment, and many more. How did the producers hope to motivate the viewers to buy their products? End the dialogue with (a) a shared insight that surprises both parties, (b) a prediction for the year 2000, or (c) an appearance by you with a consideration they had overlooked. Compare the Twenties' boom-and-bust with similar economic cycles before and after the decade. How did the producers hope to motivate the viewers to buy the products? They will then fill out the graphic organizer. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, See also in this collection: "Age of Prosperity. – (please 1920s … Try your hand at humor. If they spent more than their income, then they would gradually become poor. You can use them to display text, links, images, HTML, or a combination of these. How might one of the economists or social scientists (in the collected commentary) have expressed the same points? (2 pp.) And in their unique fashion, so did humorists. According to Samuel Strauss, how was the vast increase in consumer goods "outward evidence of the new force" in American democracy? Why are the spectators more interested in the wedding party than in the ticker-tape parade for a visiting dignitary (at center left)? Be sure to demonstrate how the speakers' perspective as consumer activists, humorists, etc., influenced their positions. Duke University's Describe the visual elements and organization of, How did the "cathedral" motif provide Stettheimer an effective format for depicting secular aspects of American culture? The multi-media materials include rare and hard-to-find items from the General Collections, Primary Sources and Graphic Organizer After reading a short description of American consumerism, students will explore three print advertisements from the 1920s--one of soap, one of chocolate, and one of mouthwash. The rise of industrialism in the first half of the nineteenth-century, meant that for the first time goods could be mass-produced. Will Rogers viewed that “in the old days there [were] few things bought on credit. "2 In numerous articles with hard-hitting prose, Chase warned Americans of the wiles of modern salesmanship. But something was new about Americans' relationship with manufactured products, and it was accelerating faster than it could be defined. What unique modes of conveying a message does humor offer? Consumerism definition is - the theory that an increasing consumption of goods is economically desirable; also : a preoccupation with and an inclination toward the buying of consumer goods. Observations (Name 3 things you observe from the page above?) The original mission of the FBIS was to monitor, record, transcribe and translate intercepted … When you are done, fill out the chart below. Types: PowerPoint Presentations, Worksheets, Activities. What information did they convey? Show more details Add to cart. What was Retlaw's opinion of this phenomenon? Why was it the "greatest idea that America has to give to the world [today]"? Complete the chart below as you read the commentary to organize the major issues and positions. Did they agree on any central points? Social Studies Resource Buddies. Primary Sources As new changes arose in the 1920’s with consumerism, the older population saw a clash between value’s. Edit them in the Widget section of the. Compare The Cathedrals of Fifth Avenue with The Cathedrals of Broadway in this collection. Try to make at least 5 observations and 4 inferences. A guide to government documents and publications useful for primary source research. That decade marked the beginning of the modern era as we know it. primary-source materials from the 1920s, reflecting the prosperity of the Coolidge years, the nation's transition to a mass-consumer economy, and the role of government in this transition. People took opportunities to reach riches, and made it easier for the once poor citizens to climb the social ladder to prosperity, This is a text widget, which allows you to add text or HTML to your sidebar. A Clash of Cultures (Topics: prohibition, women, KKK, Scopes Trial) Ku Klux Klan: Membership Requirements (ABC-CLIO) Alain Locke: "Enter the New Negro" (1925) (ABC-CLIO) Discontinuing the Model T; Car Ownership in the Early 20s; Early 1920s Car Design; Primary Sources: Economy, Consumerism, and Prosperity Things people never used to buy before, were being bought for their entertainment. What unprecedented opportunities and threats to American democracy were presented by mass production and consumption? Influences of the 1920s & WWI Primary Sources Analysis Activity. refrigerators, washing machines, and vacuum cleaners. Photo of newspaper from the 1920s. Rosanne Tomyn’s article “Changes in Social Class in America in the 1920s” highlights some of the changes that consumerism brought to the American social classes. Write an editorial comparing 1920s consumerism with that of the 21. Why is the painting fun to look at (and why is it important to ask)? How did "Middletown"—Muncie, Indiana—reflect the national consumerism of the 1920s, according to sociologists Lynd and Lynd? Did they use persuasion, repetition, humor, or other devices? Include two or more comments for each factor (paraphrase the comments). According to William Chenery, what made the American consumer a "new king"—for the better? However, widespread economic growth during the third decade of the twentieth century did not occur without social and cultural conflicts. How did Stettheimer portray herself and her sisters in the painting (far right)? Not only did the latest goods become necessities, consumption itself became a necessity, it seemed. How would you describe the Andy Consumer ads in. (4 pp. Was this a real or presumed problem? From the small town farmer to the city dweller, consumerism became an obsession. by the ever-increasing "standard of living"? Advertising has … This lesson plan will offer suggestions about how teachers can use primary sources to illustrate the larger social and cultural changes of the era. Why are the bride and groom depicted like figures on a wedding cake? What positive aspects did home economist Christine Frederick identify in the new "consumptionism"? What was this "new force" and why did Americans view it as the "natural fruit of that democratic seed" which the earliest colonists had planted in America? Selections can be divided among students for research and classroom discussion. But something was new about Americans' relationship with manufactured products, and it was accelerating faster than it could be defined. Is similar motivation used today? What information did they convey? What did you discover from close viewing of the canvas? The rise of consumerism Article written by: Matthew White; Published: 14 Oct 2009 ... where merchants depended heavily on enslaved Africans as their primary source of labour. Yes, said some—people can live in unprecedented comfort and material security. Zip. Government Documents as Primary Sources: 1920-1929. by . Although spending isn’t always the solution. Imports of raw cotton, sugar, rum and tobacco, for example – products that were shipped by the tonne into prosperous British ports such as Bristol, Liverpool and London – all originated in the expanding plantations of the Americas and the Caribbean, where merchants depended heavily on enslaved Africans as their primary source of labour. Advertising, installment buying, consumer credit, the allure of ever-better mass-produced goods—did these herald the triumph or decay of American civilization? What was the core of their disagreement? If consumers stopped buying enough goods, the entire nation would be seriously weakened. If you were to keep on buying items on credit, how long will you continue before you have to pay it off? Here we read columns by two of the most popular humorists of the 1920s—the urban wit Robert Benchley, on "How to Sell Goods," and the "cowboy philosopher" Will Rogers decrying slogans in advertising and politics. Wouldn’t people find themselves being bankrupt? Mass-produced consumer goods like automobiles and ready-to-wear clothes were not new to the 1920s, nor were advertising or mail-order catalogues. Was that good for America? 1760-1769 1770-1779 1780-1789 1790-1799 1800's Toggle Dropdown. Why did Frederick support advertising, especially in women's magazines? ", Will Rogers decrying slogans in advertising and politics, Prosperity and Thrift: The Coolidge Era and the Consumer Economy, Consumerism: Introductory notes with links, Smoked continuously from Trepassy to Wales, Prosperity and Thrift: The Consumer Era and the Consumer Economy, 1921-1929. Why did Strauss think the Founding Fathers would have disagreed with this view of modern consumer culture, despite their hope that future generations would live in material comfort? What were the benefits and downsides of installment buying, according to James Couzens and C. H. Hanch? Did any use humor? Jul 17, 2016 - Consumerism, America in the 1920s, Primary Sources for Teachers, America in Class, National Humanities Center The advancement of technology and production gave people more free time to spend on entertainment. All Dates; 1700's Toggle Dropdown. Why did Stuart Chase describe the abundance of manufactured goods a "wilderness in which we consumers wander without chart or compass"? American Consumerism 1920s Fact 24: Easy credit via Installment Plans saw a massive increase in consumer indebtedness, together with an equally dramatic decline in consumer savings . Compare the two lists of modern conveniences and expectations in the commentary: (1) "The New Standard of Living" in Chase's. Was the American economy producing "too many goods to consume"? Ten years later, the number had risen to over 710,000. Although this proved beneficial for banks, more citizens were stuck in poverty, and the excessive spending wasn’t what they were able to contribute to. more... less... "... assembles a wide array of Library of Congress source materials from the 1920s that document the widespread prosperity of the Coolidge years, the nation's transition to a mass consumer economy, and the role of government in this transition. By the early 1920s, when American markets were … 16 Ford had become an important advertiser in Finland in the early 1920s. Consumerism, America in the 1920s, Primary Sources for Americainclass.org DA: 18 PA: 50 MOZ Rank: 73 "The Rise of Consumerism in the 1920s ," video lecture by Michael Flamm (Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History) Emergence of Advertising in America, 1850-1920 (Duke University Libraries) Primary sources in History Matters (George Mason University and the City University of New York) Not so fast, said others—can we predict where consumerism will take us before we're inextricably there? The growth in production in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries required growing markets and this meant expanding the consuming class beyond the middle and upper classes to include the working classes. Due to increased productivity, luxury items were made more affordable, which gave way to a larger middle class. What response to the painting, and to consumerism, do you think Stettheimer intended? Jun 27, 2017 - Consumerism, America in the 1920s, Primary Sources for Teachers, America in Class, National Humanities Center Consumption in the 1920s The prosperity of the 1920s led to new patterns of consumption, or purchasing consumer goods like radios, cars, vacuums, beauty products or clothing. What did they use as visual enticement? Overall, what benefits and harm to American civilization resulted from modern consumer culture, according to the commentators in this section? PRIMARY SOURCE COLLECTION * Leonard Dove, The New Yorker, October 26, 1929 — CONSUMERISM — Mass-produced consumer goods like automobiles and ready-to-wear clothes were not new to the 1920s, nor were advertising or mail-order catalogues. Subjects: Primary Sources Tags: 1920s , history , primary sources Trible Library provides links to other websites to aid in research and is not responsible for the … 1920s Prohibition Documents; Politics. Diagram of the ‘Brookes’ slave ship . Grades: 7 th - 12 th. Why were women most significant in this development? Rapid rise in prosperity induced sweeping changes in technology, society, and economy. The final objective of the salesman is to put it across, to get away with it, to secure the order. What constitutes a successful use of humor in persuasive prose? The signature on the dotted line becomes the Supreme Good. According to John Crowe Ransom, what made the American consumer a "new man"—for the worse? Primary sources included are from the papers (business and financial records, diaries, letterbooks, correspondence, etc.) Your taste had to be in harmony with your income, for it had never been any other way”(Rogers). At center is the cathedral "altar," modeled on the entrance to St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Cathedral, as a society wedding party exits the church and enters the enticing secular domain of Fifth Avenue. Consumer Goods, Advertising, & Credit. Prosperity and Thrift: The Coolidge Era and the Consumer Economy, 1921-1929 – Library of Congress – A variety of sources from the 1920s that illustrate the prosperity of the Coolidge era, the nation’s transition to a mass consumer economy, and the role of government in this transition. What main points did Robert Benchley and Will Rogers deliver in their humorous essays? Subjects: Social Studies - History, U.S. History. What did they use as visual enticement? The beginning of advertising agencies by the late nineteenth-century meant that this new profession would present their message in a way to influence the consumer. Most historians agree that personality gained societal importance over character in the 1920s, and they connect this transformation in values to the emergence of a consumer culture. The expansion of credit in … Select one of the pairs below and create a dialogue (not all pairs held opposing viewpoints). This diagram depicting a slave ship loaded to its full capacity was widely known across the UK. Culturally, the 1920s saw a bitter dispute between the Analyze each of the documents in the packet in terms of the writing prompt. Select one of the serious narrative pieces in the collected commentary and rewrite it in the style of Robert Benchley or Will Rogers. Roger’s tone can be seen as disgusted in American citizens, which is portrayed when he claimed that the excessive spending of money was “a disappointment more than a catastrophe”(Rogers). What factors nurtured or weakened the unprecedented prosperity of the 1920s? Which commercial was most successful, in your opinion? Each unfurls from a central arch, the "cathedral altar," and is constructed like an "elaborate stage design for an over-the-top Broadway musical production number. of dozens (both prominent and average) slaveholding families from plantations in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina South Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia. Everything is on Google Docs and will Why is it so hard? How to use consumerism in a sentence. - Onward flour, 1920s (0.41) Mass-produced consumer goods like automobiles and ready-to-wear clothes were not new to the 1920s, nor were advertising or mail-order catalogues. This consumerism later became a contributing factor to the start of the Great Depression because it greatly increased the amount of consumer debt in America. $2.50. Rogers is identifying the causes towards the Great Depression and how it ultimately cost America’s economy. What role did "workingmen" and labor unions play in the economic panorama of the period? Introduce an issue about 1920s consumerism at the beginning of the dialogue. why. (16 pp. How does their discussion resemble today's commentary on consumerism? ), The Cathedrals of Fifth Avenue, oil on canvas, 1931. The PowerPoint leads into an assignment that prompts students to break down some primary source/1920s advertisements. How did "prosperity" become a hallmark of national pride? At the beginning of the decade, Finns owned about 180,000 cars. Read the primary source document for your assigned aspect of consumer culture, and then answer the questions that follow the primary source document. How would modern consumerism change Americans' basic attitudes, goals, and character, for better or for worse? How could it threaten the nation itself? "Consumptionism" gives the consumer more power than ever before. ‐ Students will compare and contrast advertisements from the 1920s to today’s advertisements. Which of the three ads was most successful, in your opinion? The Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Daily Report includes radio and television broadcasts, newspapers and periodicals, government statements, books, and other sources of unrestricted information such as databases and gray literature from non-English sources around the world. Arranged by decade. After World War I, American citizens realized how life was short and they should spend it to the fullest- literally and metaphorically. Evidence of consumerism and false prosperity during this time. However, in the lower classes income disparity was a huge issue. How would Stuart Chase have disagreed? Emmanuel Saez, the UC Berkeley economics professor found that … Consumerism is the theory that individuals who consume goods and services in large quantities will be better off. They will assume an obligation for $2,000 [then] as calmly as they would have borrowed $300 or $400 in 1890” (Lynd). 1920s Consumerism Advertising Analysis Lesson.