The era of the 1920s in America is debated over and talked about by many people throughout the world, and for many decades. Barry Hankins in his book Jesus and Gin describes this era as a period of “culture war” in America. “The 1920s saw a culture war between those who believed that community values preceded individual rights and those who believed that individuals had rights that the community could not violate.” These culture wars consisted of political scandal, prohibition, and religious controversies, including norms on what to teach children in schools. “Scandal was part of what made the 1920s roar…” This quote is certainly true for that era, especially with president Warren Harding. He had prolonged affairs with Carrie Phillips …show more content…
Many people even today would debate the merits of prohibition and its’ benefits on society. “If the goal of Prohibition was to eliminate drinking in America, then it failed. If the goal was to significantly reduce drinking and reduce the influence of the saloon in American culture, then Prohibition was a success.” Prohibition did reduce drinking, but it also made crime bosses wealthy. Many other critics of Prohibition gave additional reasons against the law. Stanwood Lee Henderson “argued that Prohibition was responsible for corruption of women and degrading public decorum.” Michael Monahan “blamed Prohibition for religious bigotry, crime, drug addiction, and a general decline in “social happiness.” The 1920s expressed itself through prohibition primarily with flappers and drinking, leading to rebellion and moral …show more content…
Also, a man by the name of Clarence Darrow, who was a strong advocate in the Scopes trial, had been in an interesting case called the Leopold-Loeb murder case. “...he defended two Chicago teenagers who had engaged in a thrill killing just to see if they could get away with it. At the trial he urged that the young killers’ lives be spared because they were not responsible for their actions.” He claimed it was the society’s fault that these two boys committed murder. This shows how morally corrupt these times were and how people were not willing to take the responsibility needed for their