Time of Revival During The 1920's

The 1920’s were a time of revival for the country. They successfully ended World War l and rapid changes began emerging for businesses and citizens as they attempted to improve their lifestyles. The old methods prevalent in America were altering and people tried to change their regular customs. However, despite the success of the era, many began blaming their problems and hardships such as crime, death and poverty, on alcohol and the immigrants coming to America for an improve life. Many cultural conflicts including prohibition, the KKK, nativism, the Harlem Renaissance and bootlegging, emerged, which altered conditions in the country and resulted in various positive and negative outcomes.

Alcohol became more and more popular as the years went by. People used it as an escape from reality and for recreational purposes. Eventually, it became to cause problems for many families and businesses. Women who passionately opposed the use of alcohol formed the Temperance Movement. They believed that alcohol caused societies ill such as crime, murder and fraud. Men would spend hours at saloons wasting all their money earned at work on alcohol. Thus, women began to blame their failed marriages and family relationships on alcohol. Instead of the husbands using their earned money on their family, food and education, they were wasting it on German made alcohol. At the time, Germany, America’s enemy, as a whole was despised by America. Americans were any-Germany therefore if they purchased beer; it meant that they were supporting the enemy’s economy. Throughout the country, people realized that change must occur in order to enhance the way of life. After much controversy, legislation passed the 18th amendment, the ban of alcohol. The amendmen...

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...e nativists were not the only people who hated foreigners. The newly formed KKK was basically anti everything they weren’t. They hated anyone who wasn't an Anglo Saxon. The power of the KKK and the nativists had a severe impact of the expansion of diversity in America. Both powers united stopped different races and cultures from entering the country. Originally, immigrants came to fill in the vacant jobs of the soldiers fighting in the war, however the united forces believed that they had no place on American soil. While the outcomes of the Harlem Renaissance were positive and created a comfortable living experience for African Americans, the results of the actions of the KKK and the nativists negatively affected immigrants who aspired to come to America. These cultural conflicts of the 1920’s made life for some easier, while it made it more challenging for others.