Materialism In The 1920s

In the 1920s, the United States experienced divisions arising from ethnic and racial identities and differences concerning scientific and religious beliefs. The "Roaring Twenties" consisted of bold experimental styles of young adults discarding old prohibitions and in the face of cosmopolitan change, traditionalists countered with an aggressive conservatism. Fundamentalists, who supported Americanization, the literal interpretation of the bible, and Prohibition, felt threatened by their decline in traditional values as pluralism became more popular. Contributing to the anti-modernist movement, the Ku Klux Klan, a well known organization from the south that strongly opposed the "modern temper," retaliated in surges of violence towards both blacks

As stated in 1926 by Hiram W. Evans, in "The Klan's Fight for Americanism," the Ku Klux Klan's fundamentalist ideals focus on loyalty only to the white race, to the traditions of America, and to the spirit of Protestantism which are condensed into the Klan slogan: "Native, white, Protestant supremacy." The fundamentalist approach to America's destiny is also evident when the Ku Klux Klan leader tells of the organization's plan to provide old-stock Americans leadership, preparing them for militant, constructive action toward fulfilling their racial and national destiny of a definite crusade for Americanism. In addition, the fundamentalists feel threatened by the moral breakdown that had been going on for two decades by pluralists that tolerate other than the sacredness of the Sabbath, their homes, of chastity, and the termination of teaching the children in their schools fundamental facts; those who maintained the old standards were faced with constant ridicule. While fundamentalism is on the decline, pluralism is rapidly increasing because of the new influx of immigrants in the early twentieth century that are drawn to keeping individual traditions rather than only having one belief system and peaceful

Shown in the Interactive Map, Lynchings by Race and State 1882-1962, on the PBS website on The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow, the oppression of blacks was sustained not only by the enactment of laws but through the use of violence as well. White fear and manifestation of hatred erupted and major race riots resulted in an estimated 3,446 blacks and 1,297 whites lynched in America between 1882 and 1968. The numbers for each state varied by race, with states in the southeast like Mississippi with 539 black lynchings and 42 white lynchings while other states like South Dakota had 27 white lynchings and 0 black lynchings. Because fundamentalism relies heavily on the old-stock American way of life, the arrival of immigrants, people with different languages, beliefs, and traditions, threatened their platform and resulted in the use of violence to instill fear while displaying