Chapter 24 speech

                  The 1920s was a time of radical changes for American society.  There were many groups and individuals that challenged traditional American views.   Because of changes in social views such as the image of the woman, prohibition, and creation theories, fundamentalists began to feel threatened.  Because they felt this way, the KKK was formed and all of the major societal changes in the 1920s helped the spread of the Klan. 

Between 1900 and 1930 High school attendance rates more than doubled and college attendance rates increased 3 times.  This caused scientific creation theories to be exposed to more people in the United States than ever before.  Because more people were exposed to other creation theories than the Bible, Tennessee passed a law in 1925 that made it illegal “to teach any theory that denies the story of the divine creation of man as taught in the Bible.”  The most famous violation of this law is the Scopes Monkey Trial.  This trial happened in Dayton, Tennessee shortly after the creation law was passed.  This trial attracted media attention nationwide.  And the trial was devastating for fundamentalists when it was proved that the Bible could have more than one interpretation. 

                  Another challenge to fundamentalist’s views were the new views of womanhood that were emerging.  Many behaviorists such as John B. Watson began to challenge the idea that women had a natural capacity for motherhood.  There were many other women’s movements in the 1920s that challenged fundamentalists views.  These movements included birth control, led by Margaret Sanger, and the social image of the “flapper”.  A modern woman’s lifestyle changed to be full of things like dress, hairstyle, speech, and behavior.  In addition to all of these movements it was now becoming socially acceptable for women to smoke, drink, dance, wear provocative clothing, wear makeup, and attend parties. 

 The failure of Prohibition most likely upset many fundamentalists.  Prohibition caused problems with organized crime and illegal liquor that was far more poisonous than legal liquor.  By the end of the 1920s Prohibition was repealed.  It would be safe to assume that fundamentalists were outraged at the fact of Prohibition’s failure.

                  The most famous fundamentalist group is the KKK.  The KKK was formed in 1915 in Stone Mountain, Georgia near Atlanta.  After World War 1, membership skyrocketed because the Klan dedicated themselves to purging America of outside influences.  The Klan viewed themselves as patriots and defenders of morality.  They also promoted Bible reading in school.  And they were against irreligion, premarital sex, divorce, and drunkenness.  Based on the Klan’s beliefs they did not support any social change movements.  And all of the social movements that were against the Klan’s views made the Klan even more popular.