The 1920's

President Calvin Coolidge once said, "The business of America is business" (Napolo 35). During the 1920's, America saw a shift toward widespread business expansion and economy prosperity. Economic expansion created new, booming businesses and thriving business profits which in turn raised the standard of living for many Americans. During this time in America, businessmen advocated a return to laissez-faire economics, less government regulation of business, and less government support for labor unions. The federal government supported big businesses by way of high tariff policies and cutbacks in the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). From 1922-1929, the national income was up 40% from $60.7 billion to $87.2 billion (The Roaring Twenties). Also, the War stimulated a number of old industries, such as petroleum and steel, and helped create a host of new industries, such as plastic and rayon production; nonetheless, the total annual expenditure of money spent on new machinery for industry in 1918 was $2.5 billion, compared to $600 million in 1915 (Schultz). Furthermore, the use of labor saving machinery in factories and on farms enabled workers to produce more goods faster and less expensively, which led to higher amounts of production and worker productivity, thereby raising the wages of workers (The Roaring Twenties). Many new businesses became preeminent and prosperous during the 1920's, such as the steel industry, department stores, and the automobile industry. In 1920, for example, Woolworth had 1,111 stores, and in 1929, they expanded to 1,825. J.C. Penney, on the other hand, expanded from 312 stores to 1,395 (The Roaring Twenties). During this time, department stores also introduced installment payment plans to their cus...

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...the 1920's proved vital to the growth of America and provided an enormous stimulus for the national economy.

Citations (5 in alphabetical order)

"America's Economy in the 1920's." Modern World History. May 2005. 21 February 2006. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/America_economy_1920's.htm.

Mintz, S. "The Consumer Economy and Mass Entertainment." Digital History. 21 February 2006. http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=454.

Napolo, Tony. Our Century 1920-1930. 2nd ed. Milwaukee: Gareth Stevens Publishing, 1993.

Schultz, Stanley K. "The Politics of Prosperity: The 1920's." American History 102. 20 February 2006. http://us.history.wisc.edu/hist102/lectures/lecture15.html.

"The Roaring Twenties." Jaipur Internet LLC. 16 February 2006.

https://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=23336.