Gaining Power In The 1920s

The 1920s were a decade of increased general wealth and buying power. The status quo changed and new ideas spread. Prohibition was in place, but speakeasies abounded and the party culture flourished. The KKK may not have been a pushover, but its power was ultimately reduced by the end of the decade. Advances in living standards and progressive ideas mean that it is fair to think of the decade of the 1920s as the “Roaring 20s” in spite of its negative sides. One aspect of the “roar” of the 1920s was that of increased buying power. The development of new manufacturing techniques in the 1920s allowed Americans to purchase new products, resulting in an increased standard of living. Perhaps the most important product made available to the general public was the car. Henry Ford’s use of the assembly line, which popularized the technique, decreased the time to make one car by 87%. This allowed more

White Americans patronized establishments such as the Cotton Club, where black artists performed the popular music of the day, some of which contained stories of oppression and other hardships of life while African-American. While the Cotton Club and other performance venues were segregated, so non-performing African Americans could not enter, African-Americans still had access to the music and the messages it contained due to the formation of the mass media. Radio ownership increased by 500% from the beginning of the decade to the end, which allowed people to access the music and therefore popular culture of the 1920s, even if they were unable to see live performances. This development was important to the “roar” of the 20s not only because it gave access to the new ideas of the decade to more people, but because it is an example of the spread of African-American culture at the same time black empowerment was