The Transformation of the United States from a Rural to an Urban Nation

The 1920’s, wedged in between WW1 and the Great Depression exemplified an era of much progression but a lingering of traditionalism; nonetheless the period sparked a dramatic cultural change. With a combination of positive and negative forces, the events that characterized the era reflected American society and it’s heavy diversity. Positive forces were characterized by the economy and consumerism, women’s new sexual and political freedom, the New Negro, morality of Prohibition, while negative forces included the wealth gap, women’s traditional gender roles with bondage to child rearing sparking their support of prohibition, and the fear of the other: exercised by the Red Scare, KKK, and anti-immigrant policy.

Because of modern technological breakthroughs, a significant economic boom and ideology was made possible, yet the birth of corporations and concentration of corporate wealth eventually led to a huge wealth gap among citizens. Regarding economic growth from about 1923 to 1929, the national income rose by 150%, productivity rose by more than 60%, and corporate profits rose by more than 60%. The idea of big business was heavily intensified as Calvin Coolidge advocated “the business of America is business” ideology; because of this Americans also celebrated business as the embodiment of the highest American ideals. Pro business writer Edward Purinton in Big Ideas From Business: Try Them Out for Yourself! declared that American also stood for business, but among other things was really the salvation of the world. He writes, “What is the finest game? Business. The soundest science? Business. The truest art? Business. The fullest education? Business. The fairest opportunity? Business. The cleanest philanthropy? Business. The sa...

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...reedoms were destroyed. In turn, the 1920’s revealed progress; the word progress is important to use as it shows change in a positive direction but not to completion.

P.S. The footnotes made my paper exceed 8 pages.

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