Life In The 1920's

The "Roaring Twenties," the "Jazz Age," the "Golden Age"; what happened in this decade that made it so "roaring, jazzy, and golden?" What made up the twenties? Known for fun, style, and prosperity, the ‘20s were one of the most exciting, controversial, and productive periods in America. This paper will cover some (not all) of the significant events and inventions that happened in this revolutionary decade. Well-known parts of the "Jazz Age" include, jazz, flappers, fashion, and the radio. Also notorious for being a reckless, irresponsible, and materialistic era, the 1920s also had some infamous problems; Prohibition, gangsters, and the start of the great Depression. Many new things arose in this era. The new technologies that became

The 1920's had many influential writers in literature. While reaching this time period it is almost certain that the names William Faulkner, Earnest Hemingway, and F. Scott Fitzgerald will be found. Each of the writers has their own personal style of writing and each one of the lives has influenced what they write about to even the way they each portray their literature.

Three ways society changed in the 1920’s are through culture, economy, and social norms like fashion and women's rights. The 1920’s was a time of change. The United States had just won the war and after the war the United States just wanted to “return to normalcy”. But nothing was normal after the war; the 1920s was a time where the United States was at a peak prosperity. But this can be countered with organized gang violence, increased rate of murder, and countless robberies. Even though prosperity in the 1920s can be counter argued. Overall the 1920s was a time of change; a time for a change in culture, for a change in the economy, and for a change in social norms.

The 1920’s era is unparalleled by the sheer magnitude of cultural change, beginning in many ways with the spread of women’s suffrage in the immediate post war years.The 19th amendment of the US Constitution in 1920 finally brought the vote to American women ( a surprising late adopter of women’s suffrage was France in 1945! ) and with it a new sense of freedom and rights of feminine self expression. As the old order of class society crumbled, there was a massive liberation in the creative arts around the developed world.

The 1920’s was a great and important decade for the United States. After World War I, the United States went through events and changes that, overall, made the United States a much better place to live. New advances in technology and industry improved American life in more ways than just one. Americans had better wages during this time, more leisure time, and overall, had a better life than ever before. In addition, the 1920’s advocated social and cultural change as well. During this time period, the United States did not return to Normalcy, and instead developed attitudes that changed the life of the people of the United States forever thanks to social changes, cultural changes and changes in technology.

The 1920’s should be considered a time of prosperity in American history. America was introduced to new a modern identity. There was many cultural norms in the 1920’s. The decade also saw an economic boom, through new modern industries and the automotive age. The government went back to a hands off, “Laissez-Faire”, government. The government and politics were going for the return to normalcy type of outlook.

The 1920’s was the era of not only mass consumerism, social changes, and profound cultural conflicts but that of the Lost Generation and the effects of World War I during this time period. World War I had a significant impact on the lives and the writing styles of the Lost Generation, changing their perspectives on both the government and their lives.

There were many social changes during the 1920s, especially changes to the arts. One major social change of the 1920s was women’s rights. Women gained the right to vote and became more liberated. The iconic flapper style, loose short dresses and blunt bobs, was created during that time (History.com Staff). Many cultural changes occurred during the Jazz Age.

During the 1920s, there occur several social and political changes occurred. For the first time, Americans began to step out of their comfort circles. Nicknames for the decade, such as “the Jazz Age” or “the Roaring Twenties,” in a way express all of the excitement it was like to have lived through out such a time. As the economy boomed, wages rose for most Americans and prices fell, resulting in a higher standard of living and a dramatic increase in consumer consumption. More and more people began to go out and live life under a new light and experiment with new things.

The 1920s was a huge time period for the United States. Modern technology such as automobiles, radios, and advertisement had taken America by storm. Rural areas were on the decline. American cities had attracted not only rural and urban citizens, but also people from all over the world. In America during the 1920s, citizens struggled with accepting other races and ethnicities into their widely populated country.

The twenties is said to have been a unique era. It was full of constant excitement. It was known as the “Jazz Age”. It was a period where Americans took time to find joy in their new freedoms. The twenties was an age of thrills and success where music, art, and literature flourished and social norms began to change, however this time was actually accentuated by a certain violence and chaos due to conflicting American ideals on issues such as Prohibition, race, and immigration.

The beginning of this new jazz age sparked a time of immense change, changes that gave this decade a nickname known as “roaring”. Controversy between modernists and traditionalist was the beginning to a social war. The Nineteen Twenties were a turning point in society due to many reasons; those being social and cultural changes, new literature and authors emerging, and the economy on the brink of greatness.

The women in the twenties became much more provocative. In general, women sought greater personal freedom and equality with men in her social life (Gales Research 1998).

Although our current generation has vastly progressed and advanced since the “roaring 20s,” there are countless attributes in which both eras directly resemble one another. These periods were the focal points of advancements in technology, women’s rights, and culture. The groundbreaking advances in technology for both generations had sparked a whole new outlook on our nation’s future ahead. Women’s rights were also a major turning point for education and the workforce, both in the 1920s and the modern day. Lastly, the influence of many individuals in the cultural communities of the “roaring 20s” and the modern day have greatly impacted the foundations of art, music, and sports. Without a doubt, the way of life for individuals in both eras have extremely similar concepts, where both seem to focus on establishing a progressive and strongly developing future.

The twenties showed a lot of economic promise and progressive ideals, but many problems and social divides still plagued the nation. Coming out of World War I, the United States underwent a lot of change culturally, technologically, and economically. Although many good things such as electricity, film with sound, and jazz came out of this time, the impact of WWI and media had several powerfully negative outcomes that sustained through the 1920’s. Looking at the Jumpin’ Jive video, one should not assume that all was well in America.