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The Pros And Cons Of The 1920's

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The 1920’s was a wonderful time period for the United States, but at the same time it was a horrible time period too. What is wondrous about the 1920’s was that women were able to gain more freedom. Also, the Jazz Era came about during this time period. There were also numerous amounts of execrable things, but only one part in history stands out the most. This was known as the Prohibition. Although the 1920’s had its pros, but whenever there are pros there are cons and the 1920’s had cons. The 1920’s marked a decade where women gained much more freedom. It all started on August 26, 1920 when the 19th amendment was finally ratified by congress (The Fight for Women’s Suffrage). When the 19th amendment was passed it gave all U.S. citizens …show more content…

At first, the economy started to fall into a decline because right off the bat the cost to enforce the Volstead Act was well around $300 million dollars (Prohibition). The Volstead Act was the act that enforced the ban on manufacturing, transporting and selling of intoxicating liquors (Prohibition). Without alcohol, saloons, breweries, and distilleries started to close down which would also affect barrel makers and truckers causing a rapid increase in unemployment levels (Prohibition). After the start of the prohibition, crime rates started to rise immensely. The owners of those saloons, breweries, and distilleries started making illegal alcohol. This would lead to illegal activities such as bootlegging and speakeasies. The most dreadful thing it would lead to was the rise of the famous mobster Al Capone. Al Capone was a famous mobster during the prohibition because he controlled the trafficking of alcohol in Chicago during this time. Capone made $60 million dollars a year from bootlegging illegal alcohol. The reason he made so much money was because he spent $75 million bribing the police throughout 1925-1931. He also had no competition, but whenever he did have competition he would kill

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By 1932, Americans had reversed the approval and disapproval making the disapproval rating had gone higher. Americans disapproved the prohibition because the criminality and murder went up, business’ were going down and it was impossible to enforce no alcohol. The rate of criminals went up leading to more murders when the Prohibition was enforced. Many criminals such as gangsters, racketeers, bootleggers, and dope sellers got “helped” out by prohibition. Especially in the Great Depression, were alcohol was even more wanted.

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778 Words | 4 Pages

Instead of it solving problems in the country, it created even more because criminals used it as a way to make money and gangster, Al Capone, was one of them. Woodwiss states that Al Capone made more than anybody from it with a yearly income of millions upon millions of dollars. This shows how much money could be made from bootlegging and how Capone was the biggest seller of it. Another thing Woodwiss states is that Capone spent millions of dollars to pay off law enforcement and officials at all levels to make him and his partners immune from arrests. This shows how corrupt the city of Chicago was and what many gangsters like Al Capone did.

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“It’s never too late to be who you want to be.” The 1920’s and 1930’s was a time for women to start showing more freedom. African Americans to become more known. A nationwide ban on alcohol, known as prohibition, and major unemployment-causing debt. Many people fear the rise of communism.

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A problem with prohibition was the jobs it took away, “The act also banned liquor advertising, and the use or sale of anything that might lead to its manufacture,” (Smith 133). Also, vehicles that were once used for the transportation of alcohol were to be seized or destroyed. So, people whose lives once revolved around the profits from alcohol were left with nothing. The rise of bootlegging soon began. In the early times of Prohibition, citizens did whatever they could to get around the laws, and lawmakers underestimated the lengths people would go to obtain alcohol.

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The 1920’s: America’s Deterioration Although the 1920’s brought an economic boom and a monumental achievement in women’s rights, the 20’s were not beneficial to the United States of America. There is a widespread misconception that the 1920’s were an American golden age due to the economic success and progress in gender equality; however, America in the 20’s exemplifies the dangers of national complacency after major success. The 1920’s were harmful to America as a country because of the conflict over modernity, or old versus new, the rise of an exploitative consumer culture, the prevalence and promotion of racism, and the lack of respect and equality for women, even after their successful suffrage movement.

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753 Words | 4 Pages

The 1920’s in America can be considered the best and the worst of times. It was the decade that roared. Industries were booming, soldiers were coming home from war, and the Nineteenth Amendment was passed, allowing women’s freedom. According to the on-line article “The Decade That Roared, “young Americans were looking to cut loose and have a good time” (1). On that note, the Eighteenth Amendment passed prohibition, banning alcohol.

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775 Words | 4 Pages

The Roaring Twenties, characterized as a progressive era toward changes and advances, it was a start for freedom and independence for women. Women gained political power by gaining the right to vote. They changed their traditional way to be, way to act and dress to gain respect, and the liberty of independence. Society had different ways of ideals and the ways women were willing to do were disapproved of, and it was wrong for lots of different people, including women from the older generation. In the 1920’s women went through a lot of changes that made them a free spirit, changes that made them what they are now and having the liberty of being independent.

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539 Words | 3 Pages

Prohibition The 1920’s were a time of change for America. Not only was it a new decade but also a change in America. After World War I, men came back to their families changed men and not always the gentlemen their families were used to. Alcohol became an issue.

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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.

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224 Words | 1 Pages

The 1920s had both negative and positive effects, not just one or the other it depends on how you look at it. The 1920s was a time after WW1 when America thrived, new inventions were being developed that made everyday life more efficient. Women had just gained the right to vote, and equality in America was moving forward. Most were financially stable, and it was a time when most were carefree and happy.

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747 Words | 3 Pages

Prohibition was a federal law put in place by the Eighteenth Amendment that made it illegal to sell or consume alcohol. This new law was met with massive backlash and due to this backlash smugglers emerged. With these new smugglers and “underground” bars sparked a new source of income for those willing to get involved with crime. This helped create a new social class of “new money” that was comprised of those who made their own fortunes and in the case of the 1920’s this was done through crime. Prohibition was later repealed due to the wide hatred of the law and massive crime against it.

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187 Words | 1 Pages

Prohibition during the 1920s taught us that dictating individual choice or imposing your own set of morals on others does not work. In fact, during prohibition things became worse. People turned to the black market in order to purchase alcohol and the mafias filled this void. The mafia grew since they were producing their own alcohol and selling it. This led to increased violence and murders by mafia groups trying to control territories.

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534 Words | 3 Pages

The Roaring Twenties was a prime era for women. Because of the toils of many strong women, ideals were flipped on their head, to America’s benefit. In the late 1800’s, two women, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, quickly realized that women would not be able to share their political views unless given the right to vote. Because of the fact that women had basically no other societal roles besides housework, they were not respected during this time period.

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462 Words | 2 Pages

Prohibition led to the rise of organized crime and failed as a policy due to many loopholes and large numbers of corrupt officials. Though started with good intentions it was not a good policy because it destroyed jobs and attempted to destroy an industry. These reasons lead to Prohibition’s failure and the repealing of the 18th Amendment in

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857 Words | 4 Pages

    The 1920´s was a time of great attitude change in Americans. Before the 1920´s people lived in rural towns which changed quickly due to the industrial revolution moving more and more people into the cities. Technology changed, and then came the way people loved. Before the 1920´s people married and usually never

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