The Roaring Twenties Dbq

Emma Lynch
Mr. Holland
APUSH
January 27, 2017
Roaring 20s DBQ The 1920s appeared to be a period of turning inward for Americans, as they had been disillusioned and damaged by World War I. President Warren G. Harding had coined the term ‘a return to normalcy’, which was a nostalgic vision of American society with traditional values and roles, and was widely accepted and eagerly embraced by the population. It was during this time that America experienced “The Roaring Twenties”, an outstanding period of prosperity. There was also a significant shift from an agrarian society to an industrial society, which as a result, caused tremendous tension between traditionalists and modernists. The 1920 census was a momentous one, as it distinguished a trend

A large number of Americans, particularly Southern citizens, adopted a fundamentalist, literalist approach to the Bible and to religion. These people wanted a return to the fundamentals of Christian faith, including, but not limited to, a literal interpretation of the Bible, and virgin birth. In other words, they wanted to return to the ‘old’ ways of teaching. It was only during the 1920s when Protestants started referring to themselves as ‘Fundamentalists’, which could have been influenced by the publication of The Fundamentals: A Testimony to the Truth over a span of 5 years between 1910 and 1915, which was a series of essays supporting orthodox Protestant beliefs. Fundamentalists rejected the teachings of modern science, particularly Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, as they believed it was inconsistent with the Word of God, rejected the Social Gospel, and was voicing a “slur at the Bible” (Document C). Modernists, however, were liberal Protestants who wanted to make Christianity more relevant to contemporary life and stay current with values. The Scopes trial of 1925 (also referred to as the Tennessee Evolution Case), while demonstrating the religious tension of the era, illustrated the conflict between Protestant fundamentalism and modern science (Document C). The trial involved the arrest of John

New technologies helped usher in a national, mass media oriented culture, which was highly favored by the Modernists, yet frowned upon by the Fundamentalists. New improvements included movies, the development of mass media, and the radio. The Harlem Renaissance, a literary, artistic, and intellectual movement centered in the African-American neighborhood of Harlem, led to the formation of poetry, jazz music, and paintings. One of the most well-known paintings of this movement was Joseph Stella’s ‘The Bridge’ (Document B). The picture presents a new image of America, as it is technologically and industrially advanced with the inclusion of bridges for transportation. This painting, created by a Modernist, depicts modern life in America as a ‘new civilization’. This painting contradicted Fundamentalist beliefs, as they wished to preserve traditional values and the modern depiction departed these old