Bright Dreams, Hard Times: America in the Thirties

1. The changing relationship between Americans and their national government

2. Flowering of artistic and intellectual activity

3. Role of religion in public life

4. Democratization of American culture through new technologies (radio and sound movies)

Democratization of American culture through new technologies (radio and sound movies)

Radio and sound pictures ushered in great changes in America. News reached people more quickly, and closed the gap between rural and urban America. Political and religious leaders could reach the general public directly. Radio broadcasted President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Fireside Chats” directly to citizens where he shared his hopes and concerns for the American people.

Other leaders also understood radio’s ability to reach the American public, including Louisiana Sen. Huey Long, Father Charles Coughlin, and Aimee Semple McPherson. Through broadcasting their messages to the American public, political and religious leaders, entertainers, and advertisers influenced and inspired Americans and brought together audiences across the nation in a way that had not been done before.

Similar to radio, sound pictures had become a means for relief from daily hardships. Moviegoers escaped for a few hours as they watched popular film stars Errol Flynn, Will Rogers, or Clark Gable, or delighted in Walt Disney’s animated film “Snow White.” While sound movies entertained, they also informed. For example, Pare Lorentz’s films illustrated the struggle of Dust Bowl Americans ("The Plow that Broke the Plains," 1936) and argued the TVA’s successes in its ecological efforts ("The River," 1937).