1920's Response To Modernity Research Paper

The 1920’s Response to Modernity The United States went through a lot of changes during the roaring twenties. Technology became more advance, transportation became easier with cheaper cars, and stock markets were rising. Due the vast changes, American culture in the 1920’s could be seen as a battleground of conflicting responses and reactions to modernity. One example of the changes from traditionalism to modernism was the advancement of technology. More and more people are moving into the city than living in the farmlife (class lecture). As for transportation, the introduction of the Model T in the automobile industry changed the way people traveled around the city. The Model T was cheaper and more affordable, which means the common people

An example of that conflict of moving into modernism was the passing of the Eighteenth Amendment. “Implemented by the Volstead Act passed by Congress”, the Eighteenth Amendment legally prohibited alcohol from being sold and purchased (696). For many people, drinking beer was how they celebrate, whether it was for a holiday or after a long day of tiring work (class lecture). The prohibition of alcohol were opposed largely in the eastern cities, and many people ignored it (697). The prohibitionist “overlooked the tenacious American tradition of strong drink and of weak control by the central government, especially over private lives” (697). They did not account for the fact that they cannot take away something that has been done for ages, something that the authorities cannot take away from people holding it dear, or something that many people cherishes (697). Because many people ignored the prohibition, they just buy it off the hook, or illegally. Sure, crime rates from alcoholism and cirrhosis decreased because of the prohibition, but still Americans wanted their freedom to celebrate with the traditional alcohol they’ve always had