American History - Part 163 - Coolidge - The Roaring 20s
Channel: ListenAndReadAlong
Date: 2013-08-02

Welcome to THE MAKING OF A NATION -- American history in VOA Special English.
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 women also began to drink alcohol with men in public for the 1st 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.
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. 
An important force behind these changes was the growing independence of American women. In 1920, the nation passed the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which gave women the right to vote.
Education was another important force behind the social changes of the 1920s. More and more Americans were getting a good education. The number of students attending high school doubled between 1920 and 1930. Many of the schools now offered new kinds of classes to prepare students for useful jobs.
Two inventions also helped cause the social changes. They were the automobile and the radio. The automobile gave 1,000,000s 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 1920s. 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.
The wide interest in this kind of popular culture was unusually strong during the 1920s. People became extremely interested in exciting court trials, disasters, film actors, and other subjects.
For example, 1,000,000s 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 5,000,000 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.
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 1,000,000s of Americans listened to the boxing match in 1926 between Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney. In fact, 5 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.
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, 1927. 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.
The 1920s was 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"