Americans, in the years following the end of World War I found themselves in an era, where the people simply wished to detach themselves from the troubles of Europeans and the rest of the world. During the years of the Twenties, the economy was prosperous, there was widespread social reform, new aspects of culture were established, and people found better ways to improve their lifestyle and enjoy life. The 1920’s exemplified the changing attitudes of American’s experimentation toward foreign relations, society, culture, and economic pursuits.
Following the end of World War I, many Americans demanded that the United States stay out of European affairs in the future. The United States Senate even refused to accept the Treaty of Versailles, which officially ended World War I and provided for the establishment of the League of Nations. The Senate chose to refuse the Treaty in the fear that it could result in the involvement of the United States in future European wars. Americans simply did not wish to deal with, or tolerate the problems of Europe and abroad. There were many problems running rampant throughout the country following the conclusion of the war.
One of the greatest problems, which arose, was the Red Scare, which was seen as an international communist conspiracy that was blamed for various protest movements and union activities in 1919 and 1920. The Red Scare was touched off by a national distrust of foreigners. Many Americas also kept a close eye on the increasing activities of the Klu Klux Klan who were terrorizing foreigners, blacks, Jews and Roman Catholics. Many feared that morality had crumbled completely. Before World War I, women wore their hair long, had ankle length dresses, and long cotton stockings.
In the twenties, they wore short, tight dresses, and rolled their silk stockings down to their knees. They wore flashy lipstick and other cosmetics. Eventually, women were even granted the right to vote with the passing of the 19th Amendment. It was up to this time period that women were not seen as an important aspect in American society. As if rebelling from the previous position of practically non-existence, women changed their clothing, their fashion, and even cut their hair shorter into bobs which were very similar to the style of men.
The similarities were no mere coincidence, but an attempt of the women in American society pushing towards equality. Once the women had the right to vote with the passing of the 19th Amendment, they did not just sit back. The women of the 1920’s hungered for a position of equality for both men and women in society. Literature, art, and music also reflected the nations changing values. There were many famous authors, playwrights, musicians and artists that left their mark during the Twenties. A great author of the time was F. Scott Fitzgerald whose works included The Beautiful and Damned, and Tales of the Jazz Age.
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, exemplified the American Dream. The story shows the often misconception of the American Dream being a life of prosperity, parties, happiness, and utopian places. The book uncovers the characters’ pursuit of this dream only to discover the American Dream as the American Tragedy. Many Americans who immigrated to the United States in the 20’s were believing the same misconception, only to later find the hidden truth that the American Dream was not all what it was cracked up to be. One of the greatest American authors to emerge from the Twenties was Ernest Hemingway.
Many of Hemingway’s finest works presented the attitudes and experiences of the era’s so called “lost generation. ” Both tradition and changes in American life inspired the artists and composers in the 1920s as well. In the Twenties, Jazz was becoming very popular. It was a new feeling of pleasure, and enjoyment, which came hand in hand with the beginnings of jazz music in America. With jazz becoming big, Americans veered away from traditional song and dance and began exploring other types of music such as jazz. Americans enjoyed new dances such as the Charleston, popular for the time.
Cheerful, light, easy feeling accompanied with jazz music was just an extension of American feelings during the Twenties; joyous and free spirited. Besides music, people in America began finding other ways to entertain themselves. Americans found many ways to entertain themselves in the 1920’s. They flocked to the theaters to see such stars as Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Rudolph Valentino. Other Americans swarmed to baseball stadiums to watch such top athletes as home run slugger Babe Ruth and boxing champion Jack Dempsey.
Radio also opened the doors for new entertainment such as nightly shows for audiences to listen to. Families across the United States would gather around the radio to get the latest news and information from around the world. The radio gave the news hungry Americans what they wanted and took America closer to a more technologically advanced society. When the Twenties rolled around, Americans found themselves engulfed in a bolstering economy. In the 1920’s business was an obsession. Economic expansion created booming business profits, which in turn raised the standard of living for most Americans.
The Twenties were a fabulous decade outlined by a booming economy, and big business finding new ways to become bigger. New stores were popping up all over the nation and stores that were already around, grew into chains which stretched the length of the United States. Large businesses were expanding. Small business entrepreneurs took advantage of the good times as they began popping up all over the United States. Americans were moving into a period of economic prosperity. Even industrial workers, whose strikes for higher pay had availed them little in previous decades, benefited.
From 1922-1929, the national income was up 40% from $60. 7 billion to $87. 2 billion. The use of labor saving machinery in factories and on farms enabled workers to produce more goods faster and less expensively. This led to higher amounts of production. At some points, the American consumer could not even buy the goods as fast as they were produced. Since the economy was in such good shape, many Americans could afford to purchase refrigerators, washing machines, and radios. Low-income families could afford to buy an inexpensive Model T, which Henry Ford developed in 1908.
The number of passenger cars in the United States jumped from fewer then 8 million in 1919 to about 27 million, or one for every five Americans, in 1929. Traffic jammed Americas highways and created still another need for businesses, roadside restaurants, tire manufacturers and gas stations. Standard Oil gas stations grew from 12 in 1920 to 1,000 by 1929. With all the expansion and the economy doing well, business became the foundation of society. Calvin Coolidge epitomized the time when he was quoted saying, “The business of America is business. ” The Stock Market became a very important aspect of the economy in the 1920’s.
As the economy was flourishing, many Americans found it a practical investment to put money into the Stock Exchange, as the return could be quite large. Stock prices rose gradually in the early 20’s, but skyrocketed in 1927, and 1928. Average stock prices tripled from 1925 to 1929. The high profits seemed to confirm President Hoover’s pledge of a new era of abundance, during which “poverty will be banished from this nation. ” The nations illusion of unending prosperity was shattered on October 24, 1929. Worried investors who bought stock on credit began to sell. This led to the development of a panic amongst investors.
The panic only worsened things and on October 24, 1929, stockholders sold a record of 16,410,030 shares. By mid-November, stock prices had plunged 40%. The crash of the Stock Market led to the Great Depression. The depression was the worst in the history of the United States and proved to be a terrible price to pay for the false sense of prosperity and national well -being of the roaring Twenties. There were, however, many people who found other ways to make a living. Some of these ways were prohibited. With the passing of the 18th Amendment, also known as the noble experiment, it became illegal to manufacture or sell alcoholic beverages.
Thousands of Americans began making liquor at home which quickly became known as bathtub rum. Gangsters disregarded the law and found it quite profitable bootlegging liquor and selling it to illegal bars known as speakeasies. Police were often bribed not to intervene in the activities of smuggling. Bootlegging, although prosperous to the ringleader, was a dangerous activity in which underworld mobs fought for control of the liquor traffic. There were many new inventions, which were created during the Twenties, as well as new methods and techniques.
Department stores began introducing installment payment plans to their customers. The idea of “Buy Now and Pay Later” became very popular. Many Americans were now buying items with money they did not have. Department stores profited by this through the radio commercials, which persuaded listeners to spend a larger portion of their income on their products. The 1920s was a very experimental decade. There was a major revolution in society, culture, political, and economic pursuits. It was a time when people wanted to forget about worries and live with a free spirit, unlike any other time before that.
