Snapshot: The Decades

1920s: A Decade of Turmoil: Newspaper Project

Students are divided into two groups to create rival newspapers that take different stands on problems in 1920s society. One of the newspapers is to be extremely conservative in its viewpoints and the other is to take a more liberal stance toward the issues. The students research and analyze these issues and write the articles with facts, but bend the article to fit their paper’s beliefs on these topics.

Standards
Social Studies
Grade 10

History, Benchmark F
The United States in the 20th Century
9. Analyze the major political, economic and social developments of the 1920s including:

a. The Red Scare.

d. Immigration restrictions, nativism, race riots and the reemergence of the Ku Klux Klan.

Objectives

Students will do research on the topics associated with political and social turmoil that existed in the 1920s.
Students will create the front page of a newspaper using at least seven articles from the research that they have completed.
Students will present their newspaper to the class and teacher.

Time Needed
This activity will take three classroom periods to complete. The fourth classroom period will be used for presentation of these newspapers to the teacher and the opposing newspaper team.

Procedures

Divide the class into two rival newspaper groups. Assign one group a conservative position and the other a liberal position to cover these topics: the Red Scare, immigration restrictions, race riots and the reemergence of the Ku Klux Klan.
There can be up to seven different articles included in their newspaper. All five topics must be addressed in some way on the front page of this newspaper. Photographs and illustrations are encouraged.
If the class is large, students can work in pairs on the articles.
Tell the students that these papers are printed in New York City sometime during the mid-1920s.
The students are to name their newspapers.
Articles should be laid out in such a fashion that the newspapers look professional. This can be done using poster board, regular paper or a computer program such as Publisher or Illustrator.
Students in each group will choose an editor who will decide on the layout, check the content and information of each article and edit for correct grammar and spelling.
Students should include pictures when possible.

Materials

Text book
Internet connection

Resources

1920s

1920s Essential Questions http://www.chs.helena.k12.mt.us/faculty/hhillZ/questions1920.htm
American Cultural History 1920-1929 http://kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/decade20.html
The Politics of Prosperity: 1920s http://us.history.wisc.edu/hist102/lectures/lecture15.html
The Roaring Twenties http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1564.html
The Roaring Twenties http://www.sagehistory.net/twenties/Twenties.htm

Red Scare

The Palmer Raids — Provides a brief overview of the 1918-1921 Palmer Raids, a series of raids against radicals and leftists spurred by A. Mitchell Palmer, Presidents Wilson's Attorney General, and provides a link to Palmer’s essay, "The Case Against the Reds.” http://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/hist409/red.html
The Wilson Administration: The Red Scare 1919-1920 http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1343.html

Immigration Patterns

The American Immigration Home Page http://www.bergen.org/AAST/Projects/Immigration
Immigration to the United States http://www.eh.net/encyclopedia/article/cohn.immigration.us
Internal Security Act http://www.nwrel.org/cnorse/booklets/immigration/2.html
Timeline for U.S. Immigration Policy http://www.closeup.org/immigrat.htm#timeline
Third World Immigration http://www.oswaldmosley.com/um/immigration.htm
U.S. Immigration Policy http://www.closeup.org/immigrat.htm
History of Liberty State Park http://www.libertystatepark.com/immigran.htm

Nativism

Nativism http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/women/html/wh_026700_nativism.htm
The Tenement Museum http://www.tenement.org

Racism

The Negro Holocaust: Lynchings and Race Riots in the United States: 1880-1950 http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1979/2/79.02.04.x.html
Race Riots 1920’s http://www.assumption.edu/ahc/raceriots/default.html
The 1919 Race Riot http://homicide.northwestern.edu/crimes/raceriot
Riots and Massacres in the Jim Crow South http://homicide.northwestern.edu/crimes/raceriot
Black Gangs of Harlem http://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/gang/harlem_gangs/index.html
Segregation in the United States http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761580651/Segregation_in_the_United_States.html

Ku Klux Klan

The Klan Rides Again: The Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s — Looks at the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s. http://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/hist409/klan.html
Women of the Klan: Racism and Gender in the 1920s — Contains excerpts from Kathleen M. Blee’s “Women of the Klan,” examining the beliefs and activities of Klanswomen in the 1920s. http://xroads.virginia.edu/~UG97/blues/sexs.html

Print Resources

Bureau of Census, United States Department of Commerce. “Historical Statistics of the United States, Part 1” (1975).

Caporole, Rocco. The Italian Americans Through the Generations. New York: The American Italian Historical Association, 1975.

Gallo, Pat. The Urban Experience of Italian-Americans. New York: The American Italian Historical Association, 1975.

“Immigration.” Collier Encyclopedia. 1997 edition. 1997.

“Italians.” American Immigrant Cultures (1997).

Lay, Shawn. The Invisible Empire in the West. Illinois: 1992.

“Our Immigrant Delimma.” New York Times 1920.

Vecoli, Rudolph J.. Italian Immigrants in Rural and Small Town America. New York: The American Italian Historical Association, 1987.

“Want Immigrants on Farms.” New York Times June 6, 1920.

Evaluation
Rubric for A Decade of Turmoil: Newspaper Project

	Exemplary (5 points)	Accomplished (4 points)	Developing (3 points)	Beginning (2 points)
Layout of Newspaper	Neat, typed and professional, with column format, pictures and captions. Pictures are included, articles have titles and bylines, all five topics are addressed and project has headline info. Includes fillers such as ads or personals. No extra white.	At least four of the topics are included. Includes limited articles, pictures and captions. Professional, typed and has some fillers. White space still apparent.	More of the assigned topics included and a column format is attempted. More use of pictures, captions, titles and bylines. Less blank space. Some professionalism evident.	Some assigned topics are included, but newspaper lacks column format. Zero to limited use of pictures, captions, titles or bylines. Too much blank space in the layout. Lacks professionalism.
Articles	Articles have title, byline picture and caption. Each is of interest and well-written. Answers all journalistic questions. Historical content is excellent and well-developed.	Most articles contain a title, byline, picture and caption. Most articles are of interest and answer the journalistic questions. Theme is more consistent. All writers’ work is included. Historical content is good.	More writers’ works included. Some articles have title, byline, picture and caption. Some are of interest. Journalist questions not answered. Inconsistent theme. Historical content present but not developed.	Less than one article from each writer included. Very limited use of titles, pictures, bylines and captions. Historical content weak.
Grammar and Mechanics	One or no grammatical or mechanical errors.	Two to six grammatical or mechanical errors.	Seven to 11 grammatical or mechanical errors.	Twelve or more grammatical or mechanical errors.
Content	Each writer contributed at least one article and at least two members have two articles. Also includes catchy ads, interesting job descriptions and other fillers. The theme of the paper is followed throughout. Lots of artistic appeal.	Each writer contributed at least one article. Some ads and fillers are included, although not quite as catchy. Follows a theme. Some artistic appeal.	Two or three writers wrote at least one article, but most were written by only one writer. Some fillers, but limited thought is put into it. No artistic appeal.	Articles written by two or fewer writers. No artistic appeal. No fillers. Did not do the assignment of making a newspaper.