The USA in the 'Roaring twenties'

1. In the 1920s working hours fell and wages rose for most Americans. As a consequence people had more money, such as more free time.

2. The older generation saw jazz and everything associated with it as a corrupting influence on the young people of the USA.

3. Jazz music brought with it new dances like the Charleston.

4. The flapper, a woman who wore short dresses and make-up and who smoked in public, became a common site in the cities.

5. Movie stars such as Rudolph Valentino and Clara Bow were presented as sex symbols.

6. In 1920 more Americans lived in towns and cities than in the country.

7. Skyscrapers became a symbol of the growing prosperity in the cities.

8. Contraceptive advice was openly available for the first time. Sex outside marriage was much more common than in the past.

9. The more conservative rural states were worried by the deluge of sex-obsessed films, and 36 states threatened to introduce censorship legislation.

10. However, many in the countryside saw the lifestyle of the cities as decadent.

11. As a consequence people spent more time outside, with friends.

12. During the 1920s movies became a multi-billion dollar business and it was estimated that, by the end of the decade, a hundred million cinema tickets were being sold each week.

13. Movie stars such as Rudolph Valentino and Clara Bow were presented as sex symbols.

14. New stars like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton made audiences roar with laughter, while Douglas Fairbanks thrilled them in daring adventure films.

15. In 1927 the first ‘talkie’ was made.

16. Cars helped the cities to grow by opening up the suburbs. They carried their owners to and from their entertainments.

17. Cars took Americans to an increasing range of sporting events, beach holidays, shopping trips, picnics in the country, or simply on visits to their family and friends.

18. Baseball stars like Babe Ruth became national figures.

19. Baseball became a big-money sport with legendary teams like the New York Yankees.

20. By the end of 1922 there were 508 licensed American radio stations.

21. Most households had their own radio set.