Roaring Twenties Dbq

The United States has undergone many innovations and events during the 20th century. The U.S. became a growing economic powerhouse has technology and innovation enhanced and resulted in improvements to everyday life due to the changes made after World War I and by Franklin Roosevelt during his presidency. After this postwar era, the U.S. entered one of its most productive decades in history. Known as the “Roaring Twenties,” change in social, economic, political, and cultural aspects gave the U.S. a time of prosperity. However, this prosperity would only last for a little as the Stock Market Crash of 1929 would bring hardships back to the people. To resolve this, Franklin Roosevelt stepped in and with his political establishment and influence,

Factories and defense plants needed workers, so women were available to take those jobs. Not only did jobs in the labor force open, but also positions in office as well. “As white women, many of whom had been in the workforce before the war, moved into these highly paid positions, African American women… took over white women’s lower-paying position in factories.” Responsibilities of women changed because of this as well. Not only did women have to do the cooking, cleaning, and supporting the children, they had to also do their responsibilities at work. Looking at the short story written by Meridel Le Sueur, women were struggling trying to find work. Women constantly waited, sat there “hour after hour, day after day, waiting for a job to come in.” When World War II started, it gave women the opportunity they have been desperately waiting for and it benefited the nation greatly. Women worked in all types of jobs ranging from ammunition to being welders and shipbuilders. Even though women faced inequality and gender segregation, women continued to push and demonstrate their competence in the workforce. Expectations for women expanded and displayed the idea that women should not be frowned upon in the workforce because they could do any job that was typically only set out by men. As more women joined the workforce, this would change the

The United States wanted no part in this war until Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, which resulted in the U.S. entering the war. “Wartime propaganda portrayed Japanese soldiers as uncivilized and barbaric, sometimes even inhuman” which resulted in intensified animosity toward the Japanese. To stop Japanese advancement, the U.S. focused on air strength to have air superiority over Japan. The U.S. later figures out that “German scientists had discovered how to split uranium atoms”5 which will ultimately lead to the creation of the atomic bomb. To end this once and for all, the U.S. decides to target the City of Hiroshima as it was the headquarters of the Japanese Second Army and the epicenter of Japanese communications and Nagasaki was chosen as it was the epicenter for producing war materials and contained Japan’s largest seaport. After the bombs were dropped on Japan, the Japanese had officially surrendered their war a couple days afterwards. The destruction and casualties of this bomb was catastrophic. People were burned head to toe, exposure to radiation was severe, and the people were in a state of nightmare. The bomb “had more than two thousand times the blast power of the British Grand Slam, which is the largest bomb ever yet used in the history of warfare.” Japan had to surrender after this attack or they would have faced total destruction from the United States. This bombing eventually led to the deterioration of