| FACTS about this decade. Population: 123,188,000 in 48 states Life Expectancy: Male, 58.1; Female, 61.6 Average salary: $1,368 Unemployment rises to 25% Huey Long propses a guaranteed annual income of $2,500 Car Sales: 2,787,400 Food Prices: Milk, 14 cents a qt.; Bread, 9 cents a loaf; Round Steak, 42 cents a pound Lynchings: 21 |
| Art & Architecture | Books & Literature | Fashion and Fads | People & Personalities |
| Events | Music | Education | Radio |
The purpose of this web and library guide is to help
the user gain a broad understanding and appreciation for the culture
and history of the 1930s. In a very small way, this is a
bibliographic essay. While there is no way we can link to
everything, we have attempted to find areas of special interest and to
select information that we hold dear today - movies we watch, songs we
sing, events that move us, people we admire.
To see the whole picture, we encourage users to browse
all the way through this page and then visit the suggested links for
more information on the decade. We feel the best way to immerse
oneself in a topic is to use both Internet and the library. The
real depth of information is best read in books. More
photographs, more information, more depth. Then, there is
information that will be found only on the Internet; a journal from
someone, photographs like those on our pages. If you can add a
valuable site or information to this page, we invite you to write. Thanks
for the visit. ENJOY!
In the Great Depression the American dream had become a
nightmare. What was once the land of opportunity was now the land of
desperation. What was once the land of hope and optimism had become the
land of despair.The American people were questioning all the maxims on
which they had based their lives - democracy, capitalism,
individualism. The best hope for a better life was California. Many Dust Bowl farmers
packed their families into cars, tied their few possessions on the
back, and sought work in the agricultural fields or cities of the West
- their role as independent land owners gone forever. Between 1929 and
1932 the income of the average American family was reduced by 40%, from
$2,300 to $1,500. Instead of advancement, survival became the keyword.
Institutions, attitudes, lifestyles changed in this decade but
democracy prevailed. Democracies such as Germany and Italy fell to
dictatorships, but the United States and its constitution survived.
Economics
dominated politics in the 1930's. The decade began with shanty
towns called Hoovervilles,
named after a president who felt that relief should be left to the
private sector, and ended with an alphabet soup of federal programs
funded by the national government and an assortment of commissions set
up to regulate Wall Street, the banking industry, and other business
enterprises. The
Social Security Act of 1935 set up a program to ensure an income
for the elderly. The
Wagner Act of 1935 gave workers the legal right to unionize. John L. Lewis founded
the Congress of
Industrial Organizations (CIO) and conditions for blue-collar
workers improved. Joseph P.
Kennedy, a Wall Street insider, was appointed Chairman of the Securities
and Exchange Commissions.
By the beginning of the next decade the United States had gone from a laissez-faire economy that oversaw its own conduct to an economy regulated by the federal government. The debate over which is the best course of action still rages today.
The Presidents of the 1930s were Herbert Hoover and Franklin Delano Roosevelt
| Important Historic and Cultural Events |
Library of Congress browsing areas :
E -F - U.S.
History [ Remember, history covers all areas of the
library.]
| REF E18.5.U75 | Timetables of American History | Include history and politics, the arts, science and technology, and other info of interest. |
| REF E178.5.A48 1981 | Album of American History | This is a great book to give the reader the real flavor of the decade because it is made up of photographs, captions, and brief entries. |
| REF E174.D52 | Dictionary of American History | From very brief to multi-page signed entries on topics in American History. |
| REF E169.1A471872 1995 | America in the 20th Century | 1930-1939 is covered in volume 4. Typical of Marshall Cavendish, this encyclopedic set is accessible and gives easy to use background information for this decade. Covers from art to transportation. |
| REF E173.A793 | The Annals of America | Use volume 15. Set contains essays and excepts from important writers and on important topics of the time. Most valuable for this research. |
|
|
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| REF N7593,C93 | Dictionary of American Portraits | Photographs or drawings of important Americans. Brief description of their contribution. Arranged by person. |
| REF E176.D563 | Dictionary of American Biography | Annual. Arranged by person. Up to 1 page biographical entries. |
| REF E176.W64 1897-1942 v.1 | Who Was Who in America | Brief entries alphabetical by person. |
This decade saw the beginning of the American regionalist style with Grant Wood's famous work, "American Gothic". Artists that adopted this style include John Steuart Curry, Thomas Hart Benton, Georgia O'Keeffe with her southwestern themes, and Edward Hopper with his realistic scenes from city life.
Many of the nation's most memorable skyscrapers (the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and Rockefeller Center) were completed in the early 30's. In 1937 the Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece of home design, "Falling Water", was built. In 1932 the word "mobile" was coined to describe the kenetic sculpture created by Alexander Calder. In 1935 Andrew Mellon gave his $25 million dollar art collection to the American people and contributed $10 million to the construction of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
LINKS
| N 6490 .L792 1997 | Visual Arts in the Twentieth Century | History of art in the 20th Century which includes all art forms and architecture. Set up chronologically by decade. |
| ND 237 .P73 S65 1987 | Jackson Pollock | a biography with illustrations of his work. |
| NA 737.K32B73 1992 | Kimbell Art Museum | Architecture in detail, an examination of the building with photos, drawings and discussion. |
The 1930's were a
perilous time for public education. With cash money in short supply
parents were unable to provide their children with the necessary
clothes, supplies, and textbooks (which were not furnished in some
states) to attend school. Taxes, especially in rural areas, went
unpaid. With the loss of revenue, school boards were forced to try
numerous strategies to keep their districts operating. School terms
were shortened. Teachers'
salaries were cut. One new teacher was paid $40 a month for a five
month school year - and was very glad for the job! When a rural county
in Arkansas was forced to charge tuition one year in order to keep the
schools open, some children were forced to drop out for that year. One
farmer was able to barter wood to fuel the classrooms' potbellied
stoves for his four children's tuition, thus enabling them to continue
their education.
| American Education : The Metropolitan Experience 1876-1980 | History of education. Other titles by Lawrence A. Cremin may be helpful. | |
| REF E173.A793 | Annals of America | Vol. 13, p 201 - 211 contain two essays - one on Education and the Changing National Life at the turn of the century and the other "The Difficult Art of Giving" by Rockefeller. |
| REF E174.D52 | Dictionary of American History | This multi-volume set has a very good entry under "Education". Volume 2 |
| LA11.L8 1972 | Our Western Educational Heritage | The final long chapter contains history of American educational system. |
With the reduction of spendable income, people had to
look to inexpensive leisure pursuits. President Roosevelt
helped make stamp
collecting a popular hobby. 
Paris fashions became too expensive for all but the
very rich, and American designers came into their own. Hollywood
movie stars such as Bette Davis and Greta Garbo set fashion trends in dresses
designed by Adrian
and Muriel King
and hats designed by Lily
Dache. Clothes
had to last a long time so styles did not change every season.
The simple print dress with a waist line and longer hem length replaced
the flapper attire of the 1920's. 
The use of the zipper
became wide spread for the first time because it was less expensive
than the buttons and closures previously used. Another innovation
of the 30's was different hem lengths for different times of the day -
mid calf for day wear, long for the
evening. Men's
pants were wide and high waisted. Vest sweaters were an
alternative to the traditional matching vest of the three piece
suit. Hats were mandatory for the well dressed male.
LINKS:
BOOKS
Fads of the Day
| REF E169.1.P19 1991 | Panati's Parade of Fads, Follies and Manias | Arranged by decade, includes fads, dance crazes, radio, tv, popular books and songs. |
| E 169.1.R7755 1964 | Mass Culture: The Popular Arts in America | Important essays analysing mass culture in American history. |
| E169.1.S9733 1984 | Culture as History : The Transformation of American Society in the Twentieth Century | Excellent source for this topic. Events which transformed the social, political and cultural face of America in this century. |
Costumes / Fashion
GT 1710.M37 |
Jocks and Nerds: Men's Style in the 20th Century | Great book on men's fashion from the with chapters from the jock to the man about town and the dandy. |
| GT 596.E9 | History of 20th Century Fashion | Chapters covering designers and the development of manufacturing are best for the 1930s. |
| GT605.H35 1992 | Common Threads: A Parade of American Clothing | Includes an overview of the 20th century, then chapters on contributors to changes in fashion. If you only see one book, this is the one. It has photographs of people in turn of the century dress styles from the suffragettes to the businesslike attire of women & workman's factory attire to those in the 'oldest profession'. |
| GT 615.H86 | The Way We Wore: Styles of the 1930s and '40s | Wonderful photographs and descriptions of all clothing articles during this period. |
LITERATURE
Many of America's most distinguished
writers produced works of fiction during the thirties. The list
includes such names as F.
Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest
Hemingway, John
Dos Passos, and Thornton
Wilder. Some of the novels of this period explored what was
happening in the country during the Great Depression. John Steinbeck's
The
Grapes of Wrath chronicled the life of a displaced Oklahoma family
who had lost its farm to the drought of the Dust Bowl. James T.
Farrell wrote a trilogy of novels about an Irish-American named Studs
Lonigan and his attempt to rise above his poor beginnings.
Richard Wright took
on the issue of racial prejudice and the plight of blacks in Native Son.
Erskine Caldwell's
novel Tobacco
Road described the life of poor whites in the rural South. 
All four of these works were cited on the
recent Modern
Library list of the top 100 novels, in English, of the 20th century.
There were notable works in other forms of literature. The poet Carl Sandburg published his poem "The People, Yes" in 1936. Ogden Nash wrote light verse for the New Yorker magazine. Dr. Seuss delighted children with his rhyming books for youngsters learning to read. Wallace Stevens' collection of poetry, The Man With the Blue Guitar was published in 1937. The public speaking instructor, Dale Carnegie, in 1936 penned the book whose title How to Win Friends and Influence People was to become a part of the language.
LINKS The Modern Library | 100 best novels published in English in the 20th century.
"It Don't Mean a Thing (if it Ain't
Got That Swing)". The title of this Duke Ellington song sums up
the "in" music of the thirties. There were popular songs such as "Brother,
Can You Spare a Dime" that spoke to the hardships of the time, but
the young people flocked to hear and dance to the big
bands of Benny Goodman,
Duke
Ellington, Glenn Miller,
and Tommy Dorsey.
In this same era Broadway
produced some of the most famous and lasting American musicals. George and Ira
Gershwin wrote the hits Strike Up
the Band, Girl
Crazy, and Of
Thee I Sing. Cole Porter produced such works
as Anything
Goes, Jubilee,
and Red
Hot and Blue. Songwriters and lyricists like Irving Berlin, Johnny Mercer, and Richard
Rodgers composed melodies still being played and sung today.
The Federal Music Project
(FMP) supported the musical arts and sponsored performances of both
classical and popular
compositions. The FMP emphasized American music and promoted the
works of Aaron
Copland, Roy Harris
and Virgil Thomson.
In 1936 the Department of the Interior hired Woody Guthrie to travel
throughout the Northwest and perform his folk songs. During this
tour he wrote twenty-six songs in twenty-six days. By 1938
Guthrie was making appearances in support of labor unions and wrote
such songs as "I Ain't
Got No Home", inspired by visits to migrant labor camps.
.
It was in 1935 that George Gershwin's
American folk opera Porgy and Bess
was first performed. In 1931 Congress designated "The Star
Spangled Banner" as the national anthem. In 1938 Kate Smith sang Irving
Berlin's
"God Bless America" and made the song her own. There have
been many proponents of making this the national anthem, replacing the
hard to sing "Star Spangled Banner". In the same year a young Mary Martin
captivated theatergoers with her rendition of
"My Heart Belongs to Daddy" in Cole Porter's Leave It to Me.
LINKS
BOOKS
Library of Congress browse area: M
| REF ML200.H15 1996 | A Chronicle of American Music 1700-1995 | Arranged by year, historical highlights, world cultural highlights, American art and literature, music - commercial and cultural. |
| REF ML197.S634 1994 | Music Since 1900 | Arranged by day, includes important premiers and musical events. |
| REF ML128.S37L4 1984 | The Great American Song Thesaurus | Arranged by year, summary of world and musical events, list of important songs. |
| REF ML390.S983 1986 | Show Tunes 1905-1985 | Features important composers. Lists their shows and the published music for each show. |
Radio
reached its zenith of popularity in this decade.By 1939 about 80
percent of the population owned radio sets. Americans loved to
laugh at the antics of such comedians as Jack Benny, Fred Allen,
George
Burns and Gracie Allen, Amos and Andy, and
Fibber
McGee and Molly. The soap opera dominated the daytime
airwaves.Our
Gal Sunday began each episode with the question, "Can a
girl from a little mining town in the west find happiness as the wife
of a wealthy and titled Englishman?' Many a woman's ear was
glued to her radio every day in hopes of learning the answer. The
heroics of the Lone
Ranger, the Green Hornet, the Shadow, and Jack
Armstrong, all-american boy, thrilled listeners both young and old
and sold countless boxes of cereal. News broadcasts by
commentators like H. V.
Kaltenborn and
Edward R. Murrow kept the public aware of the increasing crisis in
Europe. Franklin Roosevelt used the medium in his "Fireside Chats" to
influence public opinion. One of the most dramatic moments in
radio history occurred on May 6, 1937, when the German airship Hindenburg burst
into flames as it was about to land in Lakehurst, New Jersey. The
horror of the incident was conveyed live by the reporter Herb
Morrison. His reaction to what was happening in front of him
still enthralls today. On October 30, 1938, a twenty-three-year-old Orson Welles
broadcast on his Mercury Theater of the Air the H.G. Wells story War of the Worlds.
Despite the disclaimer at the end of the program, the tale of a Martian
invasion of Earth panicked a million listeners who mistook the play for
a newscast. Such was the influence of radio in this its golden
age.
The
New York's World Fair of 1939 - true to its theme of "The World of
Tomorrow" - gave its estimated 25.8 million visitors a glimpse of the
future. The fairgoers marveled at the flickering images of a TV set
at the RCA Building and were amazed at the General
Motors exhibit of a seven-lane cross-country highway system.
Many of the innovations demonstrated did not become a part of every day
life until after World War II, but there was a peek at the technology
to come. Medical advances in the thirties included a new and
safer way to do
blood transfusions. An advance that was to save many a
soldier's life in the upcoming war. In 1937 Chicago's
Cook County Hospital opened the first blood bank that
stored blood given by live donors. This, with improved anesthesia,
made the chances of surviving major surgery on vital organs much
greater.
Pure scientific research suffered from the lack of funding. Nevertheless, in physics ground breaking experiments in atom smashing were being conducted at such institutions as Columbia University and the California Institute of Technology. Albert Einstein immigrated to the United States in 1933 and became a professor at the Institute for Advanced Studies at Princeton University. From here in 1939 he wrote his famous letter to President Rooseveltrecommending the development of the atomic bomb. In the field of astronomy the ninth major planet, Pluto, was discovered in 1930.
Industrial research led to better refrigeration for foods, a variety of products made from synthetic materials such as plexiglass, nylon, and cellophane, and improved manufacturing techniques such as polymerization, which increased production of gasoline by nine million gallons a year. In 1938 American physicist Chester F. Carlson made the first copy by an electrostatic process called xerography. To the Top
The
theater flourished in this fourth decade of the twentieth
century. In addition to musicals, Broadway marques lit up with
play titles like Green
Pastures by
Marc
Connelly, The
Man Who Came to Dinner by George S. Kaufman
and Moss Hart,
The Children's Hour by
Lillian
Hellman, Winterset
by Maxwell
Anderson,
Abe Lincoln in
Illinois by Robert
Sherwood, and Waiting
for Lefty by Clifford
Odets. In 1936 the foremost American dramatist Eugene
O'Neill won the Nobel prize for literature for such works as Anna Christie
and Mourning
Becomes Electra. 
Hollywood turned out movie after movie to entertain its Depression audience and the 30's are often referred to as Hollywood's "Golden Age". Movie goers wanted mainly escapist fare that let them forget their everyday troubles for a few hours. They swooned over such matinee idols as Clark Gable, Bette Davis, Greta Garbo, and Errol Flynn. They laughed at the likes of W. C. Fields, Bob Hope, and the Marx Brothers. America fell in love with the little curly headed moppet Shirley Temple and flocked to see her tap dance and sing to the song "The Good Ship Lollipop". Busby Berkeley's elaborate dance numbers delighted many a fan. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers tapping and ballroom dancing across the screen enthralled the audience. Notable writers like William Faulkner and F. Scott Fitzgerald penned screneplays. Not all movies were fantasy and lightness. The picture version of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath brought to film the story of the Joab family and its migration from the Dust Bowl of Oklanhoma to the agricultural fields of California. One of the top money makers of all time Gone With the Wind debuted in Atlanta, Georgia in 1939. Walt Disney produced the first full-length animated movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937.
LINKS: The WPA Federal
Theater Project
Classic Movies
BOOKS
| REF PN2189.L85 1983 | Twentieth Century Theatre | A theater buff's bible. This book lists and describes by year premiers, productions, revivals, events, births/death/debuts in both America and Great Britain. |
| REF PN1993.5.U6H55 | The Transformation of Cinema | Volumes 1 and 2 are needed to cover this decade. A great source for information about early cinema. Photographs. |
| REF ML390.S983 1986 | Show Tunes: 1905-1985 | Arranged by composer. |
This page written and
maintained by Bettye Sutton.
Design by Peggy Whitley
Subject Guides Kingwood
College Library
Twentieth Century
Decades Write the
Library
Pictures from Bettye Sutton and Priscilla Milam.
Created: 1998
Updated: June 30, 2005
