Traditional Values Conflicted with a Modern Era in the Roaring Twenties

The 1920s was a decade of exhilarating societal changes and reflective cultural conflicts in the nation. For many Americans, the expansion of cities ignited the ascend of a consumer culture, the upsurge of mass entertainment, changes in the religious and moral climate, the boiling tensions of the black racial movement and the changing role of women in society. The United States was going through a cultural civil war where traditional values conflicted with an era of modernity. Mass culture and entertainment growth had a profound and often controversial impact on the nation in the 1920s. As the United States became urbanized, we became a mass-production/mass-consumption economy. This fueled better wages for the urban worker and more wealth for the investors, but not everyone benefited as the agricultural arena continued to decline and rural farmers suffered tragic losses. With better wages, the middle class consumer was able to purchase more modern conveniences such as washing machines, refrigerators and other appliances that made everyday living easier. But without doubt, one of the biggest impacts was the advent of the mass production of the automobile. Mass production made the automobile more affordable and many middleclass families could afford to own one. As more families could travel by automobile for vacations and entertainment, the need for service stations and roadside restaurants increased, as did the need for better highways. Americans were looking for more ways