1920s – History and SPL Programs

The Decade of the 1920s is our first destination
in our Journey back in time!

Check out our 1920s Board on Pinterest to be taken back to the Roaring Twenties! 

The 1920s were an age of dramatic social and political change. For the first time, more Americans lived in cities than on farms. The nation’s total wealth more than doubled between 1920 and 1929, and this economic growth swept many Americans into an affluent but unfamiliar “consumer society.” People from coast to coast bought the same goods (thanks to nationwide advertising and the spread of chain stores), listened to the same music, did the same dances and even used the same slang! Many Americans were uncomfortable with this new, urban, sometimes racy “mass culture”; in fact, for many–even most–people in the United States, the 1920s brought more conflict than celebration. However, for a small handful of young people in the nation’s big cities, the 1920s were roaring indeed. Source.

Read More About:

The “New Woman”

The Birth of Mass Culture

The Jazz Age

Prohibition

The “Cultural Civil War”

Source Citation: The Roaring Twenties. (2012). The History Channel website. Retrieved 2:48, May 30, 2012, from http://www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties.

 

Join us this week for these “Between the Decades” Programs.

Summer Reading 2012 Starts Today! – This Program runs from June 4th to August 10th – This year’s Summer Reading Program is so HUGE that it spans the whole of time and space. Look for programs about the mystery of night, history through the years, and our little corner of the world. The library will offer reading incentive programs for All Ages. Visit the Summer Reading Page for more information on how to participate.

#Dear Photo SewickleyThis Program runs all summer long! – Take a Picture of a Picture of the Past – Take a picture of a picture of the past. This summer we’re going to be sharing our memories of Sewickley and surrounding areas through old photographs. The contest will run from Monday, June 4th to Monday, August 6th. Photos can be submitted via Twitter, Instagram, or email. All photos will be posted to our Pinterest Board, and the person who submitted the picture that gets the most likes and repins (combined) will win a night out for 4 at the Dependable Drive-In in Moon Township. Get more information at dearphotosewickley.com. Please register.

Decades Documentaries – The Roaring Twenties (1920s) – Tuesday, June 5 @ 2PM – Just the Facts: Emergence of Modern America: The Roaring Twenties. No Registration is Required. 30 min. Not Rated.

Prohibition Woes? Learn How to Become a Home Brewer! – Thursday, June 7 @ 7PM – Have you ever considered brewing your own been? Even though in 2012 you can legally buy it from a store, beer brewing in the comfort of your own home and with ingredients of your choosing, can be a wonderful hobby. Greg Kamerdze, a self-taught home brewer, will go over the necessary equipment, ingredients for various types of beers, and the process of brewing, bottling, and even kegging your own beer. Please register.

Decades Movies: Brighton Beach Memoirs (1930s) – Friday, June 8 @ 2PM – New York, the 1930s…and a young man’s mind is on the Yankees and sex (not necessarily in that order), as well as trying to deal with his argumentative family. Personal, telling, and touching, Neil Simon’s acclaimed comic memoir stars Blythe Danner, Bob Dishy, Judith Ivey and Jonathan Silverman. (1986, 110min, PG-13) No Registration is Required. The 1920s movie was shown on June 1st. Don’t worry, we’ll catch up in two weeks.