Post-WWI American Society

1118 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Effects of the industrial revolution in america

After the war, the American people made the change from "old" ways to "new" ways. Many factors, such as new technology, fundamentalism, new looks and church led to tension between the old and the new. The 1920s were a time of conflicting viewpoints between traditional behaviors and new and changing attitudes. New technology in the 1920s attributed to the change. Inventions such as the radio helped improve communication. Court trials, conventions, and meetings were broadcasted. Electrical appliances improved homes. In 1922, Sinclair Lewis wrote, "These standard advertised wares- toothpastes, socks, tires, cameras, instantaneous hot-water heaters – were his symbols and proofs of excellence, at first the signs, then the substitutes, for joy and passion and wisdom" (Document A.) The invention of the motion picture was also very significant. The invention of the airplane was influential as well. Charles Lindbergh's nonstop, 33-hour flight from New York to Paris helped increase interest in planes. Afterwards, Lindbergh became almost a world hero. Mary B. Mullett stated in The American Magazine, "When, because of what we believe him to be, we gave Lindbergh the greatest ovation in history, we convicted ourselves of having told a lie about ourselves. For we proved that the "things of good report" are the same today as they were nineteen hundred years ago . . . to have shown us this truth about ourselves is the biggest thing that Lindbergh has done" (Document F.) Within two years, William E. Boeing had created the first commercial airplane and was flying people from San Francisco to Chicago in it. The automobile was the biggest invention of its time. The automobile helped the tourist industry, and created some new businesses, such as gas... ... middle of paper ... ...manding, and we expect to win, a return of power into the hands of the everyday, not highly cultured, not overly intellectualized, but entirely unspoiled and not de-Americanized, average citizen of the old stock. The KKK has now come to speak for the great mass of Americans of the old pioneer stock" (Document D.) By 1923, Klan membership grew to five million. However, there was a sharp decline in members within a decade, showing how the new frameset of mind took over the old quickly. Accept the new, changing world around them. They represented the old, racist values long thought to have been delegated to the South. In conclusion, some people were fixated on their old beliefs and did not accept the new adjustments taking place. New technology, and fundamentalism and new ways of looking all attributed to the tensions that were arising when the old and new conflicted.

Show More
Related

  • Greed and Envy: An Analysis of the 1920’s Consumer-Driven Society: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

    599 Words  | 2 Pages

    The 1920s was a decade of rapid expansion, wealth, envy, and greed. This is a time during which life felt as if it was moving in fast forward. Its basis was money and the extravagances that money could buy. America went under a radical change and social reform. America is becoming more industrialized, more Americans lived in cities than in the countryside. The development of technologies like radios, mo...

    Read More

  • The Old America vs. The New America

    872 Words  | 2 Pages

    The 1920’s is a period that defines the United States. Conflict and opposing values were increasingly prevalent in the American society. The country was torn between new political practices, views on the role of women, religion, social and artistic trends, science and more traditional beliefs. These were ideologies that were surfacing during the 1920’s. Much tension between the 'new America' and the 'old America' was caused by a number of wars and outbreaks (Lyndon).

    Read More

  • African American´s Limitations from 1865-1900s

    578 Words  | 2 Pages

    The population of African Americans from 1865 to 1900 had limited social freedom. Social limitations are limitations that relate “…to society and the way people interact with each other,” as defined by the lesson. One example of a social limitation African Americans experienced at the time is the white supremacy terrorist group, the Ku Klux Klan or the KKK. The KKK started as a social club formed by former confederate soldiers, which rapidly became a domestic terrorist organization. The KKK members were white supremacists who’s objective was to ward off African Americans from using their new political power. In an attempts to achieve their objective, Klansmen would burn African American schools, scare and threaten voters, destroy the homes of African Americans and also the homes of whites who supported African American rights. The greatest terror the KKK imposed was that of lynching. Lynching may be defined via the lesson as, “…public hanging for an alleged offense without benefit of trial.” As one can imagine these tactics struck fear into African Americans and the KKK was achiev...

    Read More

  • Social Dichotomy of the 1920s

    673 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Cultural Confrontations of the 1920’s: KKK, Scopes Trial

    1387 Words  | 3 Pages

    The 1920s were a time of change for the United States. Following the First World War there was a rush of new cultural, social, and artistic dynamism, partly fuelled by the Progressivism movement that was cut short when American entered the Great War. This decade was defined by a change from more rural farm life to industrialism in big cities. The shift from the frugality and traditional family values or previous generations to the happy-go-lucky consumerism and metropolitan life occurred more rapidly than any other social shift in living memory. These swiftly changing tides caused cultural clashes and confrontations throughout the decade as America struggled to define for itself a fresh national identity in the wake of its new position as a world power.

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of 1920's

    1298 Words  | 3 Pages

    It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of production, it was the age of destruction, it was the epoch of nativism, it was the epoch of racism, it was the season of skepticism, it was the season of anti-communism, it was the spring of gain, it was the winter of loss – in short, it was the 1920's. Indeed, the decade of the 1920s was a truly “roaring” and prosperous time, but at the same time, it was a period of chaos and conflict. The events that happened during this decade influenced the world as we know it today. More importantly, the thought that the 1920’s was an era of major change in the United States, both positive and negative, is indeed fascinating and it deserves thorough examination.

    Read More

  • Entertainment In The 1920's Essay

    854 Words  | 2 Pages

    After World War I, America was going through an uplifting time of good fortune and prosperity. This period of freedom, known as The Roaring Twenties was a time for fun and disobeying rules. The 1920s brought new and exciting things to American culture. Music, entertainment, pop culture, and fads were greatly impacted during this time in history. The effects of each of these areas still influences America today.

    Read More

  • America in the 1920s

    819 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many of the inventions during the 1920s modernized America. Inventions of the 1920s include the American Hammond Organ, adhesive bandages, car radios, loudspeakers, electric shavers, and traffic signals. Household items like electric irons, toasters, refrigerators, air conditioners, radio, television, and vacuum cleaners made daily life very different from previous generations. The radio was in almost every home and provided listeners with sports, concerts, and news. Radio quickly became a national obsession. For those that could not afford a radio, the radio in public places became a gathering place and allowed people to keep up with issues and share ideas and opinions. The first movie with sound was introduced and started the movie industry. As automobiles became more affordable, movie theatres became more popular. The 1920s not only introduced sound to movies, but also Technicolor. Movies soon became America’s favorite form of entertainment. The aviation industry was also stimulated with Charles A. Lindbergh’s first flight across the Atlantic Oce...

    Read More

  • Today’s America Versus World War II America

    1295 Words  | 3 Pages

    There is a fine line between what American society looked like during World War II and contemporary America. The dilemma is that society has gone from patriotism and a fight for liberty to “everyone walking around with a chip on his or her shoulder” (Carr 2). This two distinct differences on America culture and society is manifested in, Howie Carr’s “Take $2000 and Call Me in the Morning” and Ronald Reagan’s speech, “The Boys of Point du Hoc”.

    Read More

  • 1920s Labor Grievances

    518 Words  | 2 Pages

    The 1920s was an era of great cultural, technological, and economic expansion. It was a prosperous time for the upper and middle classes. This time period named the “New Era” because the United States seemed to be on the cusp of great change and fortune. The 1920s seemed to be a prosperous time for America but looks can be deceiving.

    Read More

  • Ku Klux Klan In The Secret Society

    1205 Words  | 3 Pages

    We study the beginning of America and the movement of settlers into a new land. Then we look at the formation of the United States through the Revolutionary War. But nothing has ever changed this country from the inside as much as the Ku Klux Klan invasion into the country. The Klan’s influence and ability to cause destruction within a society inspired leaders and dictators such as Adolf Hitler. During the height of the Klan’s power and influence, it was doing many things right. It had attracted mass amounts of people with a simple message and used them to complete a secret agenda. Had the KKK continued to find new ways of bringing people to their cause and working to achieve superiority first, they may have caused an unforeseen amount of damage to the United States. Mistakes that were made by the members grew attention to them and caused society to see them as they were. The Ku Klux Klan of the modern day is still alive. It is barely breathing but growing and changing everyday. The hate will live on through the young, but the good people in the world are the key to truly changing the world for the

    Read More

  • The Great Depression And The Cold War

    1688 Words  | 4 Pages

    The 20th century brought about many changes, with several events molding society in the way we know of it today. With the Great Depression, World War 2 , and the Cold War, America faced many internal and external threats, that endangered the American way of life and forced the country to reshape it’s views to move past events that seemed, at the time, to be the lowest points.

    Read More

  • The Roaring Twenties and Its Effect on American Culture

    1045 Words  | 3 Pages

    In 1918 when World War I ended, American society and culture changed immediately after. World War I resulted in the death of nine million soldiers and twenty one million wounded. Families were left mourning the loss of their relatives and people titled World War I as a “war to end all war.” With the nation going through such tragedy, change was bound to happen. During the 1920s there was a change in consumer culture, art, music and literature. So much changed happened during the 1920s that it’s referred to as the roaring twenties. Entertainment was on a rise and the way that Americans were used to living started to change. Along with that came immigration laws that changed American culture as well.

    Read More

  • The Ku Klux Klan

    847 Words  | 2 Pages

    The KKK was once an African American hate group in the late 1800’s, created by Confederate generals who wanted to continue suppressing their former slaves with terror. It was shut down after their leaders were plagued with scandals, and their business dealings put out into the open, for all to see and read. People finally understood what the Klan was about and obviously did not want it. Although in 1915, William J. Simmons watched D.W. Griffith’s “Birth of a Nation” which depicted the story of what happened after the Civil War, through the eyes of a glorified Klansman. He was stargazed at how Griffith depicted the Klan, and as him being a long time joiner of clubs, he decided to bring back the Ku Klux Klan. A surprising fact is how a man like this could lead a group of hate, as he used to be a minister. (“Ku Klux Klan -- Extremism in America”) This second generation of the Klan created almost an “Invisible Empire” by their high point. Their members were scattered across state and federal government, and one could say that they “co...

    Read More

  • The Ku Klux Klan

    2117 Words  | 5 Pages

    The critical time periods in the Ku Klux Klan’s history can be simply broken down into separate “Klans.” Former Confederate soldiers in Pulaski, Tennessee formed the first Klan around a year after the end of the Civil War. Soon after, Nathan Forrest, a former Confederate lieutenant general, was named the “Grand Wizard” of the organization. The “main objective of white supremacy organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan, the White Brotherhood, the Men of Justice, the Constitutional Union Guards and the Knights of the White Camelia was to stop black people from voting” and restore the white supremacy the South saw prior to the Civil War ("Effects of the Klu Klux Klan"). At this point, Klansmen would ride at night through towns brutally intimidating, blacks and radical Republicans. These tactics got so bad that in 1870, Congress began passing the first of three...

    Read More

More about Post-WWI American Society

Open Document