What is so important about the 1920s?
Throughout this unit, we will be looking at why the Roaring 20s are so important to the growth of the American Culture. We will research primary sources, such as music from the 1920s, news articles, pictures, and political cartoons to understand what made the 1920s so important to our history. This was an era of social change and celebration with the conclusion of the first World War. Yet, we were not able to celebrate due to Prohibition and the 18th amendment. People went against this amendment, causing the growth of speakeasies and organized crime.
The 1920s was an era of social change happening every day. Following the First World War, people we searching for ways to forget the atrocities that happened. Those who were left at home had to figure out how to help the war effort with salvaging supplies and rationing in whatever way they could. After WWI ended, they found that there was an excess of materials. With how many men were lost, the generation became known as “The Lost Generation” and those who were left behind by those lost in war wanted to forget what they had dealt with.
"Why don't they pass a constitutional amendment prohibiting anybody from learning anything? If it works as well as prohibition did, in five years Americans would be the smartest race of people on Earth"
--Will Rogers
Prohibition was a big change to American culture. After WWI’s ending, people wanted to celebrate, and alcohol was a great way to forget the worries. However, the Temperance movement talked about how alcohol created the worst evils to come out of people. When the 18th amendment passed, suddenly, there was a huge surge of Speakeasies, and bootlegging alcohol. This helped with the growth of the popular culture of the time, as the speakeasies needed entertainment.
This lead to the growth of the Jazz age and Flappers. Women were wanting to have a chance to look different than they had before, which would promote their push for suffrage. Women’s attire became less feminine and shapely. The dresses were loose fitting with fringe in order to distort their shape. The hairstyles became shorter and more boyish as well.
This era is when Women’s lives changed for the better. The first wave of Feminism brought huge social changes, ending with the 19th amendment granting women suffrage. As of 1920, there was another 50% of the population who could vote, which changed a lot of things when it came to elections.
Sports, radios, and movies grew to huge popularity in the 1920s. Radios became a common household good, which allowed news and entertainment in a whole new medium. Parents and children could gather around a radio to listen to the music from the Harlem Renaissance or to listen to sports and news. When movies began to grow in popularity, families would go there and enjoy the silent movies and music attached to them in order to find more entertainment.
With all of the excitement and frivolous spending of the 1920s, people were turning to the stock market and buying on credit, with money they did not have. This practice lead to the darkest part of American History with the stock market crash at the end of the 1920s. The political leaders of this time fell in a backseat role to all of the social and political changes that happened.
This era is when Women’s lives changed for the better. The first wave of Feminism brought huge social changes, ending with the 19th amendment granting women suffrage. As of 1920, there was another 50% of the population who could vote, which changed a lot of things when it came to elections.
Sports, radios, and movies grew to huge popularity in the 1920s. Radios became a common household good, which allowed news and entertainment in a whole new medium. Parents and children could gather around a radio to listen to the music from the Harlem Renaissance or to listen to sports and news. When movies began to grow in popularity, families would go there and enjoy the silent movies and music attached to them in order to find more entertainment.
With all of the excitement and frivolous spending of the 1920s, people were turning to the stock market and buying on credit, with money they did not have. This practice lead to the darkest part of American History with the stock market crash at the end of the 1920s. The political leaders of this time fell in a backseat role to all of the social and political changes that happened.