The Roaring Twenties: The Massive Shift in American History

The 1920’s is still considered one of the dynamic periods in US history. From all the crazy money people like Rockefeller were making while others faced the great depression. To the temperance movement rocking society in both good and bad ways. To the explosion of culture that at the time had never been experienced before things like the Harlem Renaissance penetrated society and created actual pop culture. While it was a time of many great changes in the States like all good parties it left a mess in its wake.

Economically speaking the “roaring” twenties were just that explosive. At the time the US dominated in all major sectors. This amount of success gave the people at the time a sense of pride and accomplishment after WWI. People also began to take things on credit which finally allowed them to get things like cars, radios and clothes. At the time the grander things could be the bigger people would make them. This huge boom eventual lead the US to the Great Depression but the impact this time left on institutions like Wall-Street is still felt to this day.

While the economy spiked at the time so did social changes come into society as well. From the huge number of people that immigrated to the states after the war to ASL wanting to outlawing alcohol. Because of prohibition being established and enforced a black market was created and gave way to the speakeasy. These underground bars created an environment of freedom and gave women the ability to stand a little closer to men. They embraced the change so much that the women began calling themselves flappers to show how attitudes and morality was changing at the time. With all that great change for women because of the speakeasy people like Al Capone rose to power and so began organized crime in the US.

With all these rowdy changes to society firing on through society even art began to change. With all the great wealth being flaunted about people like Scotts F Fitzgerald created books like The Great Gatsby to show the ridiculousness of wealth at the time. While some focused on the rich others took the time to completely change culture through the Harlem Renaissance. From this singular period writers like Langton Hughes created change in the mentality of African Americans that would go on to shape into the civil rights movement later. Jazz was also created and that completely changed the way people interact and express themselves. Now everyone wanted to be involved and be in the know to understand what was going on around them.

The huge party that was this time is something that still is still engraved in American history. From watching, the rich get to ridiculous wealthy to a new club and night life being created to fund a massive criminal enterprise there is no short list of the transformations in culture that happened in the 20s. While many look back point to the negative aspects of the time most still talk about the massive shift in not just American industry but American morality and culture.