Radio Politics

Sources: American RadioWorks
PBS
Virginia EDU

The radio started making it's way into politics in 1924, when Calvin Coolidge's inauguration speech was broadcasted to 24 million people through the use of the radio. This was just the first step in what proved to be a very exciting decade in the world of radio, if you could afford to buy one of course. After the 1924 election both presidential parties used the radio to benefit their campaigns. Little fun fact, these politicians had to pay for their own air time, and it was about 10,000 dollars an hour. Franklin Roosevelt was the most famous president of that time to use the radio to reach people, as his "fireside talks" allowed him to connect with millions of people in the comfort of his own home. Also, news networks could finally establish themselves thanks to radio, and things such as NBC and CBS came into existence. I think it is also really cool how much information could go to so many people just because of the radio. It is interesting to think of a time when you might never had heard the president's voice. The radio allowed everyone to know when the Hindenburg blimp blew up which was a pretty major thing because it would have taken weeks for newspapers to convey the same information.

Speeches

1. I think some of the speeches went better than others, but thats how everything goes. I think that some people really shined with their ability to talk in front of people and it was obvious that others had difficulty.
2. I think Madi did really well because of her vocabulary usage, and I think that Avani had the most coherent essay. If I'm being honest I think using bigger words to prop up an average essay is kind of mediocre but thats just me. I think that it was cool that Carson nailed the whole fake mad thing.
3. I would like to have made my words larger font to read more easily. Also I would have liked to have used some bigger words.

Speech

           The 1920s brought the American people closer together, by making many communities of like minded individuals, but also drove them apart, creating a growing tension between those who did not hold similar beliefs. Through the invention of new conveniences, like the automobile, rural peoples could now more easily interact with those from the city. However, this community overlap did not always produce unity. In fact, it is quite possible that the ability to interact with one another only strengthened the divide between modernist city dwellers and their more rural, traditional counterparts, creating fundamentalist movements such as the Ku Klux Klan focused on the oppression and eradication of those with contrary beliefs.

         While the 1920s produced a number of very important inventions that created more convenience for the average consumer, the automobile completely changed the lives of both rural communities and city dwellers alike. It gave them escapes from their own world, most of the time by allowing them to enter the other. This allowed for much more interaction between the two groups, who quickly learned that on many fundamental principles, they disagreed. This sprouted from a fear of the change that the modernists were seeming to fight for. This fear created a divide between those who lived on farms and those who lived in cities.

          Fear is a very powerful motivator for violence, which many of the rural peoples resorted to. These people were now considered fundamentalists, as they viewed keeping Christianity at the center of American Culture as a necessity. They were opposed by modernist, or urban peoples, who had since adapted the idea that Christian teachings can work together with science for their modern society. This divide, as well as fear of change, created the Ku Klux Klan, an organization focused on the oppression of minorities and anyone who did not share their fundamentalist views. They operated in the open, claiming to be leaders of their community, while lynching those who were only guilty of holding different view points or being of a different color. While this organization did lose credibility after a series of scandals, their appeal alone showed just how deep the divide of the country had become.



            While the 1920s created the ability for American people to come together, it ironically drove them even further apart. It made people revert back to their animalistic behaviors in which fear and anger seemed to rule logical thought. In a time when so many Americans were focused on going forward, they actually took step after step in the wrong direction.

Mini Book Review Short

In Karen Carter's debut as a writer, her book The Life of a Normal Guy in the 1920s perfectly captures the tension of the prohibition era. She tells a story with such a soft tone, it allows almost any reader to connect with the characters and therefore empathize with them. The sweetest of the tone can only be combatted with the ferocity of the subject that she is writing about. Using periodic language, she quickly brings the reader on to the front lines of the action, truly an exhilarating read.

Mini Book Review

Andrew Johnson's new book, entitled Average Family that is Somewhat Average in a 1920s American Society, is truly a testament to the people of that time period. It tells the story of a family that, on the surface at least, appears to be very ordinary. However, upon connecting with each character on a very intense personal level, I realized something not only about the book but about myself. His writing style is so poignant and elegant, enthralling any reader lucky enough to get his hands on a copy of this book. Andrew has created a story here that needs to be told, and he told it in the most eloquent way I have seen in all my time as a professional. If you want to know anything about anything, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy. - Ward Pullen

1920s Mini Book

I wrote a 1920s mini book on the rising Fundamentalist movement across America during the time period. I really enjoyed this project because it made me feel like I was a part of the 1920s, using their slang. I used 14 of their words, and titled the name character John. He is a fundamentalist with a daughter in Dayton. 

Poison Gas WWI Notes

1. Poison Gas was used widespread for the first time in World War 1, beginning with the Germans using it at the battle of Ypres in order to push back the French. Article : Gas used at the 2nd Battle of Ypres

2. This use of gas by the Germans violated the Hague Convention. It was very successful in driving back the French as it had never before been used that widespread so there was naturally no defense to it. They first called them "Asphyxiating gas bombs". Article: The effect of chlorine gas on French troops at Ypres

3. This caused the British to return the favor, by using chemical warfare right back at the Germans. They did this in the city of Loos. It successfully captured trenches from the Germans, but not for long. The Germans quickly launched a counter attack which proved devastating for the British. Article: British use of gas at Loos

4. The Allies eventually admit that they have decided to begin using poisonous gas as a method of warfare. Article: Allies confirm their use of Gas