Citizens wanted normality to return to America. The 1920s was also known as an era of social transformation for women and American society. America was changing fast between War World I ending, and women testing new boundaries. The twenties was a positive and negative change for America. The 1920 had a paved a path which leads women towards social independents, and the twenties was also a decade that gave American a new view on their government. The prohibition movement had also made a huge impact on American society as a whole. The crime rates were rising fast in the cities, and citizens were illegally consuming alcohol. During the twenties between both events; women changing fashion and social norms for future generation, and the government making alcohol illegal. Had changed the view American citizens had on their society as a whole.
Before War World I ended, ladies in the United States were still living the same principles as the Victorian Era, but during the 1920s American women got to taste a forbidden fruit called independents. Independents were gradually given to females during the war. When the men were fighting, females got to taste independents which men had before the war. By the time the men returned home America women were slowly transforming out of their cage. When someone hears the phrase Flappers three words normally comes to mind. Partying, drinking, and dancing; these are the most commonly associated words citizens’ think of when they hear the term. It is true, that those three words explains a Flapper woman, but what most people do not know is how they changed the fashion and social world women during the 1920s. During the twenties Flappers were also known as the ‘’rebellious women’’ (Swartz, Dennis K."Fla...
... middle of paper ...
...that decade.
Works Cited
"An Overview of the 18th Amendment." 18th Amendment. laws.com, n.d. Web. 1 May 2014. .
Hanson, Erica. "Chapter Two: Prohibition, Chapter Three: Women and the Younger Generation break with tradition." A Cultural History of the United States through the Decades: The 1920s’’. San Diego, California, 1999. . Print.
Jennings, Peter, and Todd Brewster. "Boom to Bust 1920-1929. The century’’. New York: Doubleday, 1998. . Print.
Sagert, Kelly Boyer. ‘’Flappers: A Guide to an American Subculture’’. Santa Barbara, Calif: Greenwood Press, 2010. EBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 3 May 2014.
Swartz, Dennis K."Flappers. The Dandy’ ’N.P., n.d. Web. 5 May 2014. .
Time-Lifebook. “Prohibition." Our American Century: The jazz age: the 20s. Alexandria, Va.: Time-Life Books, 1998...Print.
History is an abundance of movements that demonstrate the changes in societal ideals and beliefs, it also conveys the struggle many people had to maintain conservative ideas. The 1920s was a major time frame when many changes occurred and began, it is the epitome of the struggle between a changing nation and the Conservatives who want it all to stay the same. The power struggle between the Conservatives and the rebellious members of society had been going on for years but it was the passing of the Volstead Act, which had kicked started the Prohibition, that created an explosive change throughout the society. Drinking became fashionable, everyone wanted to do it because it was forbidden. With one law being broken people began to break the societal norms; woman drank and smoked in public, blacks were becoming popular in society, and even the accepted religious facts were called into question. This disregard for the norms caused an uproar throughout society and were the main tensions between old and new ideal; the tension stemmed from the ideals about women, blacks and religion.
“Last Call,” provides the answers and explanations to these two questions and the historical viewpoint on the Prohibition Era. Daniel Okrent, who has authored four other books and is the first public editor of The New York Times, views Prohibition as one clash in a larger war waged by small-town white Protestants who felt overwhelmed by the forces of change that were sweeping their nation. He explains that this is a theory that was first proposed by the historian Richard Hofstadter more than five decades ago. Though many books and historical accounts have been written about Prohibition since then, Okrent offers an original account, which shows how its advocates combined the nativist fears of many Americans with legitimate concerns about the...
As a nation coming out of a devastating war, America faced many changes in the 1920s. It was a decade of growth and improvements. It was also a decade of great economic and political confidence. However, with all the changes comes opposition. Social and cultural fears still caused dichotomous rifts in American society.
Okrent, Daniel. Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition. New York: Scribner, 2010. Print.
Some people hated this idea of the Flapper and they blamed the war for these women’s new behaviors. After World War I, young women and young girls started to act free and go against their families. “Some people in society blamed the war for triggering this rebellion of youth and they claimed it had upset the balance of the sexes and, in particular, confuse women of their role in society and where they truly belonged” (Grouley 63). Some people hated the idea of the flappers and these women had become. These women, the flappers, in the 1920s felt free after the 19th amendment was passed. “Since the early twentieth century, the sexual habits of these American women had changed in profound ways” (Zeitz 21). Flappers drank, partied, and had romantic evenings with men. All of which were illegal for women. In addition, they were an embarrassment to society and they were able to get away with anything. “Flappers were a disgrace to society because they were lazy-pleasure seekers who were only interested in drinking, partying, and flirting” (Dipalo 1). For instance, Flappers went to clubs, drank, and hung out with men and were too lazy to do anything. Therefore, one consequence of the war was the creation of a new woman and this led to a movement like no other.
The 1920s was a time of conservatism and it was a time of great social change. From the world of fashion to the world of politics, forces clashed to produce the most explosive decade of the century. It was the age of prohibition, it was the age of prosperity, and it was the age of downfall.
Partying, drinking, and dancing; these are the adjectives most commonly associated with the life of a flapper. While these descriptions are accurate, they do not inform people of the advantages and gains flappers made for the female gender. The flapper embodied the idea of freedom from the usual duties of a young female in the 1920s. These women were no longer tied down with the expectation that they immediately become a wife and mother, as well as being conservative and modest. By diving into a look at the fashion, music, and lifestyle of the flapper during the 1920s it will become obvious that they were not only independent, liberated, and enjoying many more freedoms than they had previously throughout history, but that they also helped to pave the way for future generations of women’s quest for independence.
The 1920s for the United States was a time of change. New changes politically, socially, and economically had impacted the American society in several ways, both good and bad. The changes had led to positive things for the US, including a growing economy, new technology, and more rights for women. On the downside, the new changes in the US had caused racial competition and tension over labor and other opportunities that had been created in the US.
In the 1920's the term flapper referred to a "new breed" of women. They wore short skirts and dresses which were straight and very loose. The arms were left bare and the waistline was dropped to the hips. By 1927 the length of the skirts had rose just below the knee which when they danced would be shown. The chests appeared to look very small and women would tape themselves to look even smaller. Bras were also sold to make them appear very small. Their hairstyles were cut very short and were known as a bob, another popular style that was later introduced was the "Eaton" or "Shingle". These styles had slicked the hair back and covered the ears with curls. Women started wearing "kiss proof" lipstick in shades of red, their eyes were ringed a dark black color, and their skin was powered to look very pale. One of the big things with the flappers were that they smoked cigarettes through long holders and drank alcohol openly in public now. They also started dating freely and danced all night long very provocatively. Jazz music was rising in population and the flappers brought it out even more. Not all women changed into becoming a flapper, yet the little numbers impacted the 1920's in a huge way.
The roaring twenties, a decade of celebration and partying after world war I finished, a decade of breaking way of tradition, and also a decade of banned alcohol. As part of the 18th amendment, alcohol was prohibited and the manufacturing, transportation, importation, exportation and selling of alcoholic beverages were illegal. This ban was put in place to lower crime and corruption, reduce social problems, lower taxes needed to support prisons and poorhouses, and improve the health and hygiene in America. Unfortunately, the problems the prohibition sought to resolve went on to become worse, causing a rise in crime (making it organised), courts/prisons to overload, and the population's health took its toll.
In the beginning of the twenties America was in the midst of an economic boom, people were happy- World War I was over and Americans were rich. But by the end, because of prohibition, and in large part because of the stock market crash, the American economy quickly declined into the Great Depression. During this time the 18th Amendment- prohibition- was passed. Prohibition's supporters were initially surprised by what did not come to pass during the dry era. When the law went into effect, real estate developers and landlords expected rents to rise as saloons closed and neighborhoods improved. Theater producers were expecting an increase in customers as Americans searched for new ways to entertain themselves, ways that did not involve alcohol. But this did not happen. Instead, there was a decline in amusement and entertainment industries all over the United States. Some restaurants even failed, as they could no longer make a profit without legal liquor sales. On the whole, the initial economic effects of Prohibition were largely negative. The closing of breweries, distilleries and saloons led to the elimination of thousands of jobs, and in turn thousands more jobs were eliminated for barrel makers, truckers, waiters, and other related trades. One of the most profound effects of Prohibition was on government tax revenues. Before Prohibition, many states relied heavily on excise taxes in liquor sales to fund their budgets. Almost 75% of New York’s revenue came from liquor taxes, but with prohibition in effect, all that reven...
The 1920's was a time of change in the United States. “The Roaring Twenties” had an outstanding impact on the economy, social standards and everyday life. It was a time for positive results in the industry of consumer goods and American families, because of higher wages, shorter working hours, and manufacturing was up 60% in consumer goods. But it was also a time of adversity and opposition for others, such as immigrants and farmers. Immigrants had lots of competition when they were looking for work and they weren't treated fairly by Americans, depending on where they came from and what they believed. Farmers were paid very little because the price of food kept going down, they also had the Dust Bowl to worry about. African Americans became further infused with mainstream America during the Harlem Renaissance. They were also able to organize and elect officials who would make life better for them. The Roaring Twenties was a very exciting time to live in and we can all learn what the real world is like, and how we can prepare to be ready for it, today and in the future.
"The Prohibition Era." The Prohibition Era. Historic Patterson, 22 Mar. 2013. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.
Individuals on both sides did not hesitate to voice their opinions on flapper life to the public, mainly in the form of letters to magazines that reported, and oftentimes promoted, the chic, and exhilarating flapper lifestyle. In an open letter to the editor of the Chicago Daily Tribune, a popular newspaper founded in 1847, a woman by the name of Mrs. Smith addresses the changing standards for young women in the newly renovated society. She refers to flapper women as the most “appalling women” she has ever laid her eyes on, condemning flapper culture, and applauding traditional temperance. Written in 1920, directly after the passing of the 19th amendment, Mrs. Smith admits that while she is “content with the progression of [women’s] legal rights,” she, herself, “would not dare to vote,” as she associates this with “prancing around like these young adults are.” Here, we see the motive behind traditionalists seeking to inhibit evolution in society merely as a result of their distaste for a certain group of women. Any prospect of equality among people with this view was been replaced by a petty judgment of the current trend, therefore trivializing the recent, major progress in regard to women’s
In the 1920’s, the Nineteenth Amendment was passed, which gave women the right to vote. During this decade women became strong and more independent. Women were accomplishing a lot more than they had before. Women started going to college so she could earn her own living. More women started leaving the home and working at a factory or as a secretary. Women were discriminated at the work place. They received lower wages then man did. In the 1920’s, the term flapper was introduced. It was first used in Britain after World War 1. Young women were labeled as flappers who wore makeup shorter skirts. Fl...