How Did African American Culture Change Between The 1920s And 1930's

Throughout American history, society has changed. Public opinion changes, as the surrounding environment changes. One prime example of this drastic change was the 1920s and the 1930’s. These two decades show how a culture’s political, social, and cultural life can change within years.

During the 1920s, life seemed like a utopia. Everything was perfect, and people did not think this time of prosperity would end. This time is also known as the “Jazz Age”, tokened by F. Scott Fitzgerald. This title describes the rebellious and calm nature of the public. These traits are shown in political, social, and cultural life, during this time. Politically, the “Jazz Age” was still racist against the African American population. Although slavery had ended

Mable Puffer and Arthur Hazzard had made the commitment to get married; however, Mable was white while Arthur was black. This was deemed as a severe problem to Concord, New Hampshire. The mayor of Concord had stated that he will not perform the wedding. After finally finding someone to marry the two, Hazzard was arrested the night before their wedding, and Puffer was deemed insane and taken into custody. The social life during the 1920’s would be described as bold. Some of the woman had become rebellious, and we named flappers. Flappers were women who turned away from the traditional roles that women in prior time were portrayed as. These women would cut their hair short and would wear the minimal amount of clothing. Makeup was used heavily, especially red lipstick. Smoking, drinking, gambling, and dancing were activities that flappers would partake in. These girls wanted more out of life than the typical house wife. Most woman; however, were not flappers, yet, the rebellious woman had shaped the way woman are perceived. The cultural life within the 1920s had a laid-back attitude. The average person had time and money for recreational activities. For many sports, like baseball, was one main way Americans devoted their time and money to. Baseball was

This period is known for the Great Depression. This depression had brought the nation the worst of times. Many Americans had fell into poverty and were desperate for a job. Herbert Hoover was the first president to face the Great Depression. While in office, he had denied that economy was in an economic crisis. He believed the economy will find work itself out. Due to this belief, Hoover refused to take action. This approach had failed, and it had actually made the situation worse. When Franklin D. Roosevelt took presidency, he immediately took action. He implemented his program called the New Deal. The New Deal were fast trial and error actions that were taken in order to restore the hope into the nation. One of the first of the regulations that Roosevelt had implanted was the Emergency Banking Relief Act. This act gave banks a four-day holiday. By doing this, it allowed for the financial panic to settle down. During the 1930s, the social life within the 1930s was trying regain the hope within the nation. One example of this was the “fireside chats.” More than 10 million families had own a radio. This allowed for the families to relax and listen. One of the popular radio broadcasts was President Franklin Roosevelt’s “fireside chats.” These chats were very casual in tone. Roosevelt created these to help calm the worries of public. These chats had worked, and Americans were able to slowly regain their faith of