1920s Synthesis Paper: 1920s Synthesis

Essential Question: 

What does your primary source suggest about 1920s society and how did individuals function within that society? Click for full assignment. Topic choices include: 

• Jazz and the Arts: painting, poetry, figures, Harlem Renaissance 
• Consumerism and Economy:  politics, Prohibition, job market
• Fashion and Trends: hobbies, “the Flapper,” style
• Historical Figures and Social Impact: musicians, politicians, gangsters, writers 

Database Login/Password at home: montytech1

Do an Advanced Search in JSTOR and only search articles dated 1920 to 1932 for Primary Sources.

Do a general search. Note: You will have more success with Pop Culture Universe (1920s) and American History. For primary sources, click on Advanced Search and click in the Documents and/or Media Box.

 Look for ebooks and other sources. For secondary sources, try this page (type in 1920s and your search term). For primary documents search this page.

New York Times: Please see me for access.

Miss something?  Watch the Video Tutorial for an overview of Sources and Works Cited with MyBib.com.

MyBib.com is a free citation generator for MLA, APA, and Chicago style. Create a new Project & Add a Citation.  Choose website, book, journal, video, etc.  For database articles, click More then Write/Paste.  To copy or print your final list, click on Download Bibliography.  Click here for handout. Watch the video!

Primary Sources

• Jazz Primary Source
• Harlem Renaissance Primary Source
• Poetry Magazine Archive
• Harlem Renaissance Primary Source Set from Library of Congress
• "Harlem Rent Parties": Frank Byrd Narrative (1938) ABC-CLIO

Secondary Sources

• Harlem Renaissance (U.S. History in Context)
• Surging Creativity: The Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts of the 1920s
• Jazz (GVRL)
• Art Nouveau (U.S. History in Context)
• 1920s Art and Entertainment (U.S. History in Context)

Primary Sources: Prohibition//Cars

• Government and Politics (American Primary Sources)
• Library of Congress Prosperity and Thrift
• Clarence Darrow Against Prohibition
• Eighteenth Amendment (ABC-CLIO)
• The Association Against the Prohibition Amendment
• Valentine's Day Massacre (NYTimes)
• 1920s Prohibition Documents

Politics

• A Clash of Cultures (Topics: prohibition, women, KKK, Scopes Trial)
• 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

• Mass Advertising in the 1920s (Gale Group)
• America in Class Collection on Consumerism
• America in Class Collection on Prosperity
• American in Class Collection on Business

Secondary Sources

• A New Era...An Economic Revolution
• How Normal Were the 1920s

Primary Sources

• Flapper Jane
• A Flapper's Appeal to Parents
• Flapper News Articles from Chronicling America
• The Case Against the Younger Generation
• Young Men's Fashions of the 1920s (Gale Group)
• Vogue Magazine Articles from the 1920s
• Fashion Topics of the Times
• New York Public Library Digital Collection of 1920s Fashion

Secondary Sources

• Flappers (U.S. History in Context)
• Flapper Americana Novissima (U.S. History in Context)

Primary Sources

• 1920s Notable People (long list from Christopher Newport University)
• Becoming Modern: Social Issues in the 1920s
• Bartolomeo Vanzetti: court statement (1927) (ABC-CLIO)

Secondary Sources

Examples of primary sources (must have been created during the 1920s, 1932 max):

• Newspaper or magazine article from the time period.
• A review published in a newspaper or magazine.
• A letter republished online.
• An autobiography, diary, or nonfiction book from the time period.
• A song (with or without lyrics)
• A photograph

Archive.org: A huge collection of resources. Search in the Internet Archive box, then narrow it down by year (1920-1929) and you can further narrow it down by type.

Old Magazine Articles: (Search) A collection of scanned articles from various time periods.

Media History Digital Library: A collection of articles that you can navigate.  Search for your term, narrow to 1920 to 1929.  Then click on Read in Context.

scholar.google.com: Enter your search term and then limit by years: 1920 to 1929.

The Chicagoan is available online.  Search for your term.

The Modernist Journal Archive.  Search the archive.