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The 1920’s were a time of economic progress for most Americans. During this era, many companies grew larger, wages, for the most part. were increased, companies grew larger, and people had money to spend on new things. The prosperity of the 1920’s brought about a large and growing middle class, however the rural American did not feel the benefits of the booming prosperity. This feeling of inequality and isolation led to frustration and conflict during this time period. New York in the 1920s had grown rapidly to nearly 6 million residents. The city was the center of manufacturing, commerce, and culture. Life was exciting, people had money, dance music was blaring from from clubs and strange things were happening all over the city. …show more content…
Many of America’s rural citizens felt that the values associated with urban life needed to be fought against. From this mindset came many of the cultural battles that were the center of American life during the 1920’s. Rural America continued to represent the traditional spirit and values of hard work, religion, independence and self-reliance. The shift in urban values represented a threat to those traditional values. This fear led to groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, which grew dramatically in the 1920’s. Many of the Klan’s members were people from rural America who saw their status declining. “The KKK enjoyed a tremendous resurgence during the early 1920s as an organization of “respectable” Americans that embraced violence as a necessary and proper tool for defending traditional values against immoral urban elites, immigrants, and the working class. The Klan thrived in predominantly homogenous regions comprised of small towns populated by native-born, white Protestants, and its members were most often middle-class professionals, small businessmen, and skilled workers who felt threatened by the rise of large-scale corporate capitalism. Kansas neatly fit this demographic profile, and White was blind to the fact that his own rhetoric of native-born, white Protestant cultural superiority …show more content…
The Act suggested subsidizing American agriculture by raising the domestic prices of farm products. Essentially the government would by the product and then export it at a loss. Despite efforts, this Act was never passed as law. A considerable numbers of bills were introduced to Congress relating to agriculture during the 1924 session of Congress. “The Norbeck-Burtness Bill to authorize a $50,000,000 appropriation by Congress to be used as a revolving fund for making loans to certain farmers in the what areas with which to purchase live stock to promote a permanent system of self-supporting agriculture. This bill was defeated in the Senate on March 13 by a vote of 32 to 41.” (5) Although these were not passed, there were some relief efforts passed in part by the president and the House appropriating funds for agriculture. Despite their meager attempts, it was not enough to support the agricultural industry and nearly 600,000 farmers went bankrupt during the
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.
While early 20th century America was an era of great economic advancement and material wealth, the prevalent growth in industry had a profound impact on small, rural communities. An expanding upper class did not signify prosperity for all. Those who were unable to rise in society were left behind, forced to live under harsh environmental conditions as factories polluted rural towns. As detailed by Nick while accompanying Tom to the city one
...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.
Technology played an important role in the daily lives of Americans in the 1920s. Many inventions and new developments occurred during this time. A large number of items that are used today were invented by individuals and teams in research laboratories. This technology brought many conveniences such as electrical power and indoor plumbing into the home. Radios gave people access to the news and provided entertainment. Mass culture was also born and the automobile became the largest consumer product of the decade. By 1929, one in five Americans had an automobile on the road. America experienced a decade of economic growth due to the impact of technology in the 1920s.
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.
Lindop, Edmund, and Margaret J. Goldstein. America In The 1920s. Minneapolis: Lerner Publishing Group Inc., 2010. Print.
The 1920’s were a time of growth and innovation. The workforce was getting bigger, women finally had the right to vote, and African Americans started to integrate and migrate from the south to the north looking for jobs. The result was a larger working class and the creation of a new, middle class. Society became more consumer-based, allotting for more leisure time. Times could not get any better. Business was booming, America was turning into a world power, skyscrapers dotted the skylines, and a new music started to sweep the nation. However, not everything was good. There was a huge spike in crime, and the heroes of society were also the biggest criminals. Due to Jazz Age and prohibition, the 1920’s were an intense time period with a newfound drive for innovation, the new woman, and a loss of structure.
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...
During World War I, England’s agricultural economy was badly damaged. This inconvenience for the English was a blessing to American farmers. Since the invention of the combine, and various other mechanical harvesting machines, American farmers could increase their crop yield. In turn they could export the extra crops to England for more money. Once England got back on it’s feet, American farmers could not find any exports for their crops. As they continued to produce more than the American people could consume, the prices of agricultural goods dramatically dropped. By the 1930’s many farmers were in serious need of help, with heavy farm loans and mortgages hanging over their head’s. Nothing had been done to help the farmer’s during The Hoover Administration. So in 1933 as part of Roosevelt’s New Deal, the Secretary of Agriculture, Henry Wallace devised a plan to limit production and increase prices. Which came to be known as the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933, also known as the AAA. The AAA was established on May 12, 1933 it was the New Deal idea to assist farmers during the Great Depression. It was the first widespread effort to raise and stabilize farm prices and income. The law created and authorized the Agricultural Adjustment Administration to: Enter into voluntary agreements to pay farmers to reduce production of basic commodities ( cotton, wheat, corn, rice, tobacco, hogs, milk, etc..), to make advanced payments to farmers who stored crops on the farm, create marketing agreements between farmers and middlemen, and to levy processing taxes to pay for production adjustments and market development. Basically the AAA paid farmers to destroy their crops and livestock in return for cash. In 1933 alone cotton farmers were paid $100 million to plow over their cotton crop. Six million piglets were slaughtered by the government after they bought them from farmers. The meat was canned and given to people without jobs. In order for this new bill to work there needed to be money to pay the farmers, this money came from the companies that bought farm products in the form of taxes. While it seemed like a good idea to pay farmers to cut back on crops to lowering the surplus and boost the economy, The Supreme Court found the Act unconstitutional in 1936.
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 consumer goods industry 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.
In 1920, for the first time, the United States census revealed that more Americans lived in cities than in rural areas. This fact speaks to a dramatic cultural shift that had taken place. The older ethnically homogenous white Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP) culture, characterized by their traditional religion and farm life fell into decline. Overtaking its influence was a new, secular, urban mass culture rooted among diverse ethnic groups. It was a culture that provided more opportunity for equal participation to women and minorities than did the older traditional culture. Like all periods of change, however, the Twenties were accompanied by a reaction against these changes, as the older culture tried to reassert itself as the dominant group. The result was a decade marked by striking cultural conflict. Those who considered themselves traditional Americans, committed to traditional ways of life, launched a cultural war against those who presented a threat to it. There were many common themes that connected the three essays, “Sacco and Vanzetti”, “The Scopes Trial and the American Character”, and “Rural-Urban Conflict in the 1920’s”. Together they present an accurate interpretation of the Roaring Twenties.
Political differences also created tension during this period. For instance, the Tennessee Revolution Case, also known as the ‘monkey trial’ which made headlines in 1925. There was conflicting views over teaching or not teaching evolution in schools. The presence of the KKK intimidated the Jews, blacks and Catholics who demanded to be represented in politics. 100% Americanism movement and the KKK put pressure on the government showing the grassroots uprising tension in the country. The KKK group represented a yearning f...
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.
During the twenties the economy had a definite impact on the society. It benefited some, but hurt others. The people that benefited were the prairie farmers and the oil companies. The people who didn’t benefit were American soldiers returning from WW1. Around the middle of the twenties, a wheat farmer was the person to be. Business was booming for all the wheat farmers, places like Europe, which were in war, were hungry for American’s wheat and contributed tremendous business to the American wheat industries. Farmers began making more money than ever before, and they started buying farm machinery to take place of their cattle and horses. Prices of wheat were at an all time high, which gave America’s wheat industry an even bigger advantage and a bigger form of money making in our economy. American soldiers on the other hand who had returned from war were expecting to be employed when they returned, but not even after fighting for their country could they get a job. It was very hard to get a job because women and immigrants had taken them all during the war. American soldiers were surprised at how difficult it was to...
The 1920s were a period of economic growth and change. Real wages for most workers increased while stock prices increased as much as they had in the previous three decades; for the first time, 2,500, the majority of Americans lived in cities and towns. The appearance of current medicine permitted child mortality rates to decline significantly among the rich, but fewer other Americans appreciated regular admission to physicians.