Tradition and Conservatism Surviving in a New and Changing United States

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The Twentieth Century in the United States was a time of much change and controversy. In between the 1920s and 1980s, the United States struggled between new and changing attitudes and going back to traditional values and nostalgia on the other. Many events occurred that brought about change that has and will remain changed in the United States. However, many traditional values still present themselves and survive in a changed United States. Many times, if a change failed or was not approved by society, the people would go back to the tested and true traditional values. Areas that where controversial or where values where tried included public schooling, government, civil rights, and women’s rights.
Notably, one of the wars waging between changing attitudes and traditional values occurred in the 1920s in the public school system. The Scopes Trial was brought to court when a Tennessee teacher started teaching evolution. It was against Tennessee law to teach evolution in a publicly funded school. H. L. Mencken wrote about the Scopes Trial in the Baltimore Evening Sun. Mencken wrote about the defending attorney, Clarence Darrow, and the prosecution that was led by William Jennings Bryan (70). Mencken portrayed Bryan as a controller and the Tennessee people as sheep or ignorant people that will believe anything. Mencken was on the side of Scopes while he disagreed with the fundamentalists (70). Scopes was found guilty and it was an initial win for traditional values (Davidson 505). Today many states allow for teaching of all theories as long as they have equal teaching time, but evolution and creationism in the classroom is still a controversial topic.
During the Great Depression, one of the main changes came to the United States go...

... middle of paper ...

...1980s, but some have been challenged and overruled by new ideas. Many subjects in society: public schooling, government, civil rights, and women’s rights were debated to determine if they should remain traditional or change. Often, changes in certain issues that did not prove up were reverted to the traditional way. Many of these changes affect the United States today.

Works Cited

Davidson, James West, et al. HIST 202 U.S.: A Narrative History Volume 2: Since 1865 With Additional Materials for McNeese State University. Boston: McGraw Hill Learning Solutions, 2012. Print.
Blackmun, Justice. “Roe vs. Wade.” Davidson 132-133.
Mencken, H. L. “The Scopes Trial.” Davidson 70.
Kennedy, John F. “John F. Kennedy’s Radio and Television Report to the American People on Civil Rights.” Davidson 116-118.
Roosevelt, Franklin D. “First Inaugural Address.” Davidson 74-75.

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