The Roaring Twenties Between 1920 and 1929 the nation’s wealth more than doubled. The economy was booming and America’s lifestyle reflected that. Most people lived in the city and diversity across the country shrunk. All Americans were buying the same items, listening to the same music, and dancing the same dances. This lifestyle was fast paced and deemed “racy.”
Emma Lynch Mr. Holland APUSH January 27, 2017 Roaring 20s DBQ The 1920s appeared to be a period of turning inward for Americans, as they had been disillusioned and damaged by World War I. President Warren G. Harding had coined the term ‘a return to normalcy’, which was a nostalgic vision of American society with traditional values and roles, and was widely accepted and eagerly embraced by the population. It was during this time that America experienced “The Roaring Twenties”, an outstanding period of prosperity. There was also a significant shift from an agrarian society to an industrial society, which as a result, caused tremendous tension between traditionalists and modernists.
Ara Hajinlian Mr. Rodriguez American Literature May 25th, 2023 The Roaring Twenties The 1920s, also known famously as ‘The Roaring Twenties’, was an era of American society that brought about waves of new modernity and dynamism to the country due to the materialism and rapid economic growth brought along by the aftermath of WWI. Consumer goods, such as automobiles, radios, cinemas, and sound movies, brought waves of entertainment and modernity to people across the United States, allowing the influence of many popular social norms to spread rapidly among consumers. Consumerism would grow rapidly in the 1920s as a result, and the economy experienced rapid and unprecedented growth.
In the 1920s, or aka “Roaring Twenties”, with the outcome of WW1, the pull of cities, and changing attitudes changed the outlook to many young Americans. These Americans were being referred to as “wild young people.” In the rebellious, pleasure-loving atmosphere of the twenties, many women began to assert their independence, reject the values of the 19th century, and demand the same freedoms as men. The Flapper or an emancipated young woman who embraced the new fashions and attitudes of the day began to take over much of the female population.
There was lots of something of the excitement and the changes in social conventions at the time. As the economy boomed, wages rose for most Americans and prices fell, which resulted in a higher standard of living and a dramatic increase in consumer consumption. Young American women also changed the way they dressed, thought, and acted in a manner that shocked traditional parents or partners. These changes were encouraged by the new mass media such as motion pictures. Many issues such as a call for women’s suffrage, the Harlem Renaissance, and a shift in the definition of class from lineage to wealth threatened the social basic status and the white male’s
As a result of technological progress and new opportunities for Americans to consume popular culture, the 1920s can be remembered as a period of immense innovation. Despite the fact that more traditional ways of thinking existed such as feelings toward immigrants and religious fundamentalism, to a greater extent, the 1920s were characterized by roles of women and the fight for freedom and equality. Before the 1920s, roles of women were mainly traditional. In general, the duty of a woman included taking care of the children, and the household. In the 1920’s, women just began to rebel against the traditions of the society, starting with becoming Flappers.
The 1920s carried much change in society. Some of these changes were more rights for women, jazz music, and prohibition. The people of the 1920s were disillusioned by society lacking in idealism and vision, sense of personal alienation, and Americans were obsessed with materialism and outmoded moral values (The Roaring Twenties).Cultural changes were strongly influenced by the destruction of World War I ending 1918. America needed to recover and with it youth rebelled against the norms of the older generations.
Women felt a sense of independence and began to act differently. Alcohol was banned. Jazz music and sports rose in popularity. The 1920’s were a decade with numerous profound social changes that aided in forming today’s society. New inventions shaped America during the twenties.
The Twenties was an age of dramatic social and political change. For the first time, a lot of Americans lived in cities rather than on farms. The nation’s total wealth more than doubled between 1920 and 1929, and this economic process swept several Americans into an affluent but unfamiliar “consumer society.” People from coast to coast bought a similar merchandise (thanks to national advertising and therefore the unfold of chain stores), listened to similar music, did a similar dances and even used a similar slang! Several Americans were uncomfortable with this new, urban, generally racy “mass culture”; in truth, for many–even most–people within u. s., the Twenties brought a lot of conflict than celebration.
The 1920s in America, also known as the Roaring Twenties, was a time of political, social, economic, technological, and cultural developments. These developments created new changes and helped shape the ways of life of the American people. Women played a significant example in social changes. From improvements in the education system, to minor developments such as the changes in attire. Another major development was economic production.
Despite this, women were able to make a huge impact on America through social reforms. Many young women went against the beliefs of their parents. Prior to the Roaring Twenties, America was in a Victorian era. Women wore dresses that were floor-length, their hair was long and premarital sex was almost non-existent. During the 1920’s however, some women became what are known as “flappers”.
Women in the 1920s are somewhat similar to the LGBT Community. In a way gays are the new women. Just as females were struggling to attain their voting rights, the gays are also experiencing the same situation. Although few states allowed it, numerous states and countries still disapprove of same-sex marriage. However, the majority of the gay population are very open with their sexuality, and they’re demanding for marriage rights.
The 1920’s is traditionally viewed as an era for the freedom of sexual identity, but some critics such as Elise McDougald, argue that such freedoms raised unforeseen dangers for African American women (Monda 24) since being sexual was directly linked to satisfying racist notions (Scheper 682). In the eyes of white America, the African American ethnicity was teeming with ghosts of “barbarism” (Dawahare 23) that bled directly into the sexual lives of African American women, creating a racist expectation that all African American women are sexually “hypersexual, primitive, exotic, and always available.” In Larsen’s Quicksand, Helga Crane struggles with this racist and sexist “primitive” expectation (Scheper 682) as she attempts to explore her
The 1960s also saw the then-radical development of another field: sexology and gender studies. With the advent of second-wave feminism in the 1960s along with the foundation of sex research institutes and journals, most notably the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction in the late 40s, the definition of sexuality began to broaden and its study became less conjectural and less taboo . Prior to this, sex research was generally limited to the niche interests of psychiatrists and physicians, sometimes dubbed “sexual radicals. ” As the search for a more holistic and objective view towards sex began to permeate academia, the forces of sex and architectural theory underwent interdisciplinary scholarly dialogue in the 80s and
I realized that sex and women were like water and vinegar in the 1960s. Nothing was worse than getting a reputation of “sleeping around”. Once a woman got that reputation, nobody would want to hangout with her. However, since sex was the key to making a women more valuable in marriage women had to improvise. Women found other ways to keep their boyfriends sexual interested without having sex.
