People lost everything and had to live in cardboard boxes and newspaper .If there were lucky, they also lived in run down cars. Food was scarce and hard to find. People had to preserve everything that they did have and even stole just to eat. In the movie Cinderella Man braddock eldest son stole from the butcher to keep his family doing well.
The 1920s, also known as the “Roaring Twenties”, was an exhilarating time full of significant social, economic, and political change. For most Americans, it was full of the prosperity and peace that followed World War I. Middle-class life was full of leisure and class. For others, this time period was filled with hardships and challenges. Many immigrants and African-Americans faced discrimination and segregation from the rest of the United States. One notable, positive aspect of the 1920s was its booming economy.
They would have to go days, even weeks without a proper meal because their father spent all of the little money he made gambling, on some more gambling, booze, and cigarettes. Rose Mary hardly worked as well. She had the occasional teaching job, which she was not very good at, and her children sometimes literally had to drag her out of bed for her to go to work. Jeannette and her siblings had to scavenge through dumpsters and trash barrels at school to find sustenance. That is such an awful way to grow up.
There were a lot of children in one family, so money was an issue which was why most children worked. They were at home or at the factories they didn’t go
Introduction The Declaration of Independence of 1776 asserted that all men are created equal and are endowed with certain unalienable rights among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. However, the exhaustion of farm land by poor agricultural planning and the introduction of the assembly line reversed the flow in the 1920s. They helped to turn the migration of the people back to the city. Many farmers returned to the cities to work for such leaders of industry as Ford and Rockefeller. The American Dream indicated not about a better life but about wealth.
The Great Depression was far-reaching, and impartial. It affected people of all race, gender, status, and nationality. Men and women of almost all social classes felt the hard effects of unemployment and poverty. The Great Depression had devastating economic and political effects on the country during the 1930’s; however, the effects ran much deeper. Social inequality was boundless during this time period: the nation’s wealth was unbalanced, racial disparity was more prominent than ever, and gender still determined who was considered a first-rate citizen (Kennedy 70-73).
One of the most prominent social biases, both in the 1920’s specifically and throughout American history, is race. In the period after WWI, race tensions were heightening. Tom clearly does not approve of the idea that black people could rise socially and “infiltrate” his world. Even though Tom himself has a mistress, he says, “Nowadays people begin by sneering at family life and family institutions and next they'll throw everything overboard and have intermarriage between black and white. ”(Fitzgerald p130)
Imagine a world where there is a group who decides how people are going to look, act around each other, and perceive different issues and controversies. Now imagine that this represents our world. There is no need to imagine because this is how the world is since the beginning of humankind. For hundreds of years, there has been society pressures on many topics and issues. From race to body image, pressures to be “perfect” in the eyes of a powerful social group is present in any period of time in the Anthropocene Era.
The 1920s were the first years of the new, modern America, with a growing consumer society and new ideas and rules. America saw many changes throughout this decade, including but not limited to social, economic and political changes. Throughout this time, new values were made with the growth of new forms of entertainment and education. After the Progressive Era, the ideas of political figures changed with a new focus on conservative politics and less labor issues. With the new ability for people to buy other products than basic needs, their money went to new inventions, causing new industries to grow.
It was incomparable to the lives of the wealthy. Their lives were so terrible, that they did not feel like citizens. They were forced to work twelve hour days, six days a week. Even though they were working constantly, they could not pay their bills, feed their families, and some people did not have homes. Their lives at their workplaces were awful as well.
Elijah TuckerThe Roaring 20s: A Time of Discovery and TurmoilAmerican history is something us as American citizens should take an initiative to learn about since it is what has brought us to this very point. The 1920s have always been a part of history that has always intrigued me and drawn me into making me want to learn more. This time period in our history was a time of discovery of one's self and of the things unknown. It was also a time of civil unrest and turmoil in our country.
Along with changes within society, education experienced great changes as well. When World War I started, there was only about one million kids attending a high school. However, this number soared to over four million by 1926. With industry booming and the economy prospering, there was a need for higher skilled laborers. This is exactly what high schools became in the 1920’s, as they offered a big range of various courses for students who were interested in industrial jobs.
The 1920s' in America was a decade full of contradictions, characterized by both optimism, youth, and prosperity, and a growing conservative trend, isolation, and intolerance. I will examine two of these contradictions and explore how they contributed to the development of America during the 1920's and further on. Overlooking the era's overall sense of optimism, driven by economic growth and a youthful spirit, the presence of conservative values and beliefs shaped the nation's approach and had lasting effects on society. Also, this statement the contradictions of optimism and conservatism in the 1920's played a significant role in shaping America's development, leaving a lasting effect on its economic, social, and political landscape.
The 1920s carried much change in society. Some of these changes were more rights for women, jazz music, and prohibition. The people of the 1920s were disillusioned by society lacking in idealism and vision, sense of personal alienation, and Americans were obsessed with materialism and outmoded moral values (The Roaring Twenties).Cultural changes were strongly influenced by the destruction of World War I ending 1918. America needed to recover and with it youth rebelled against the norms of the older generations.
America experienced a sudden disregard of Victorian values following World War I, causing the generation of the 1920s to dramatically contrast the previous. This severe degree of change produced three major manifestations of the contradictions in the twenties. There were massive conflicts to the Jazz Age, technological advancements, and Black Migration. The contradictions of the 1920s reflect America’s conflicted state between advancement and convention, as the cultural and technological developments of the era coincide with the inability of individuals to stray from traditional norms and racist attitudes.
