1920s Dbq Analysis

The Folly of Patriarchy The 1920s was a time period that seemed to usher in the modern age. As the twenties saw the end of the First World War, there was a great deal of social and political change that was ushered in. Americans began to move from rural areas to urban areas, chasing the so called ‘American Dream’ which had greatly differed from what it was originally. Initially, the American Dream was the strive for hope. In the twenties, it was the strive for wealth.

In the early twentieth century, women’s status in society was continuously evolving. Women began to defy societal rules and expectations. They showed more skin, drank alcohol, and smoked cigarettes (Document E). These types of activities were considered scandalous at the time, but only then could they be done as a sign of protest. After WWI, women became more integrated into the workforce and

President Woodrow Wilson was the last of the Progressive Presidents and as such caused great economic, political and social change. He served between 1913 and 1921 during which he imposed economic change through reforms, both national and international political change and a change in the role of women, giving them the right to vote. The effects of Wilsons presidency created abundant change within American society that had long lasting impacts. Political change was imminent in Wilsons second term as he was given emergency presidential power to, in some cases, bypass Congress, to speed up the law-making process. For example, he imposed the Selective Services Act in 1917 which authorised conscription in the US so that the military could be built up quickly and would not have to rely wholly on volunteers; according to Khan Academy this was well received by the American public as they were incredibly patriotic and believed it was their responsibility to support their nation, as such few men dodged.

During the 1920s, and also shown throughout the book The Great Gatsby, organized crime was rampant with bootleggers controlling the flow of alcohol, crime bosses killing people in their way, and organized crime powers that control institutions. One way that organized crime ran rampant through the 1920s is bootlegging, bootlegging was an illegal way of making alcohol because of the prohibition, which was a ban on all alcoholic beverages. In the 1920s, a major bootlegger and gangster was Al Capone ,others refer to him behind his back as "scar face", one of his main jobs was "The illegal sale of liquor, called bootlegging, became a growth industry, especially in urban areas such as Detroit, New York, and Chicago, where the

Changes Sparked an Uprise Between World War I and World War II was a time known for flappers, Prohibition, and new inventions, and new ways to earn money. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby helps illustrate numerous unavoidable societal changes, such as the increased wealth gap between the upper and lower classes, new technological advances, and the passing of the Eighteenth Amendment. The Great Gatsby took place during the 1920s, The 1920s was a time of dramatic change, innovations, and political revolutions, all which sparked an uprise in society. The Great Gatsby began when the middle class narrator, Nick Carraway moved next door to infamous Jay Gatsby in West Egg, outside of New York City. To the community, Gatsby is known for both his substantial wealth and lavish parties, but people are unsure of how he had gained his wealth, which caused him to become the center of rumors around Long Island.

During the 1920s Americans were questioning whether to stick with the traditional views on life or go with the new modern views. The 1920s or the Roaring Twenties was a period in American history in which the economy grew massively, new inventions and ideas came about, and values were changing. Americans in the 1920s were divided by two very different viewpoints, traditional views like prohibiting alcoholic beverages in the United States and the belief in fundamentalism, however, the modern views of the new flapper and the theory of evolution were more appealing to Americans and would eventually transform American values because the ideas were new and it was an act of rebellion against their parents. Traditional Americans believed that

The 1920s was an era in American history where many cultural trends began to emerge in American society that we would consider pop culture and the American economy was in good shape. For example, the 1920s was an era when the government had taken a backseat to the economy and adopt a laissez-faire approach to it. People during this time was tired of progressive reforms and their country trying to interfere in world affairs, so they adopt a policy of isolationism in world affairs and stop demanding for progressive change in their society from their

For America, the 1920s is known as a roaring era when economic prosperity and social dynamism splendidly blossomed; It is also an era in which people’s wealth and backgrounds are directly employed in defining their identities. By making subtle changes to the original plot, the movie The Great Gatsby puts a stronger emphasis on social stratification not only between the apparent rich and the poor, but also between the old money and new money. The movie depicts the uncrossible barriers among different classes in an explicit manner, illustrating each class’s struggle in the hierarchy and allowing the individuals’ characters develop to the fullest. The movie uses physical setting as a social barrier to distinguish people by their classes and to reveal people’s desperate desire of climbing up the social ladder. While the book describes the restaurant where Gatsby, Nick, and Wolfsheim luncheon as an ordinary

The mobsters way of profit was found through robbery, bootlegging racketeering and extortion. Through the 1920s, there was a constant grip on society from the mobster’s hand that created a tight hold on the city’s ergonomics. (Infamous) The drinking of alcohol was illegal in the 1920s, which caused many Americans to develop hidden bars or speakeasies to drink their alcoholic beverages. While the Eighteenth “Amendment officially” banned alcohol production, many states “already” had laws prohibiting alcohol. “During the 1920s Prohibition era, when the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution banned the sale, manufacture and transportation of alcoholic beverages, Italian-American gangs (along with other ethnic gangs) entered the booming bootleg liquor business” (Infamous).

Gangsters like Al Capone, Bonnie and Clyde and John Dillinger were taking over big cities. Prohibition was the main cause of organized crime in 1920. Many people were upset about the decision to ban alcohol. Unemployment was at its high and everyone was trying to make a quick buck. Americans turned to crime and the illegal merchandising of alcohol.

Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the U.S. continued to grow and remained neutral at the beginning of World War I in 1914. It later joined the Allies in 1917. The 1920s were a time of economic growth in the U.S. and the country began to grow into a world power. In 1929 however the Great Depression began and the economy suffered until World War II. The U.S. also remained neutral during this war until Japan attackedPearl Harbor in 1941, at which time the U.S. joined the Allies.

Supporters thought the poor were wasting their limited money at saloons, and industrial leaders believed a ban on alcohol would increase productivity of workers. Lastly, Protestants thought the culture of drinking conflicted their religious morals. The eighteenth Amendment, which prohibited alcohol, was ratified on January 16th, 1920. An illegal alcohol market rose as a result. “Bathtub gin” was made with stills people bought from hardware stores, and “rumrunners” illegally transported alcohol.

The historgraphy of 1920s’s many historians either to criticize or to praise the decade. The decade itself is change in American history but tracing the shifting of cultural, political and economic changes. many historians praise the Roaring twenties, because it pulled America out of postwar catastrophe with a new cultural change thus creating new civilization. The roaring twenties was built upon technology, efficient cause of high wages, private business, birth of new women as Thomas Nixon carver defend the decade by saying it is innovation that brought in cultural revolution “Roaring Twenties”, This decade of time has brought change in lifestyle, financial, technology and culture. Political changes helped roaring twenties , Preston w. Slosson observe for the History of American Life came to new conclusion on the decade by stating "Often in history the acid test of wealth has been applied to a

President Woodrow Wilson vetoed it on October 27, 1919. But it was then overridden by the House the same day and by the Senate the next day and became law on October 28, 1919. This beginning was unusual because of the veto from President Wilson. Even though it was vetoed by him, the House of Representatives and Senate passed it with no questions, (The Volstead Act, 2015). What this Act meant to the United State citizens was the making of intoxicating beverages was illegal.