The Boom In The 1920's

“The Jazz Age. The Roaring Twenties. The Lawless Decade. The Era of Wonderful Nonsense. The Boom.” (Baughman, “Introduction”). The 1920s was a time of tremendous transformation. After coming out of World War I, America was ready for a change. After all of the turmoil, unrest, and instability that the war brought, prosperity, leisure, and decadence were greatly sought after. Many years of financial struggles lead to a decade of extreme wealth for the vast majority of the country; the 1920s saw an increase in the amount of billionaires in the U.S. by about 400% since the previous decade (Mcdonnell). Money overflowed in America in the twenties. Americans indulged in spending money like never before; it was enjoyable. Jazz was the music of

The 1920s delivered prosperity, decadence, excess, and pleasure. The radio was a monumental piece of technology that gave Americans a whole new form of entertainment. In 1920, there was a single radio station and only about five thousand Americans had radios. The first radio station was called KDKA and it was based out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For a long period of time, most Americans thought that radios were not a smart purchase. In fact many people wondered just who would spend their money on a radio, but by the year 1922, that mindset changed. New York City’s radio station, WEAF, broadcasted the first paid radio commercial and almost instantly radios became popular (Edelman). Soon, almost every family owned a radio and listened to the most popular music of the time, jazz. Jazz music introduced many fresh themes to the United States. Jazz symbolized rebellion. Jazz music encouraged the startup of new, vigorous dances such as the Charleston (Gianoulis). Such dancing and music had never been experienced before. At elaborate parties held almost weekly in the 1920s, jazz music and lively dancing filled the rooms. Parties were a popular pastime of the weekends. In the 1920s, prohibition was in effect, so the consumption and sale of alcohol was illegal (“The 1920s”). However, at the parties, alcohol was available because many of the billionaire hosts of the parties were bootleggers (Mcdonnell). So, wherever alcohol was, the party was. Indulging in illegal alcohol, vigorous dancing, and high energy jazz was a major form of pleasure in the twenties. The 1920s was a time where leisure and pleasure were celebrated. Also, because of the newfound love of leisure, unexpected forms of entertainment surfaced. Many advances in sports took place during the twenties. The National Football League was founded on August 20, 1920 in Canton Ohio (Pendergast). Before 1920, football had generally been a college