Time Period
The Roaring Twenties
Prohibition
In 1919, a prohibition of the sale and manufacturing of alcohol was initiated with 18th amendment. This amendment placed a ban on all intoxicating beverages, which was any beverage with an alcohol content of 0.5% or greater. The US government had hopes that this prohibition would place control over the influx of immigrants to northern cities, and that it would bring society’s morals and behaviors back to a more controlled and comfortable state. Alcohol and the rowdy behavior that accompanies it was seen as a threat to the government's control over the people, and it represented this “modern era” of rebellion. This ban on alcohol, however, only drove alcohol sales and manufacturing underground and out of the public eye. Speakeasies, or secret nightclubs and liquor stores, rose to popularity as bootleggers and gang figures took control over standard bars and liquor shops. Speakeasies were a place where the modern generation could escape to and thrive in their own rebellion, and thus came the rise of the jazz age as well.
The Jazz Age
In the post-WWI age, many people immigrated from the south up to the north, and brought with them the new roaring sensation of jazz music and swing dancing. Society was feeling adventurous and speakeasies were on the rise. It was the perfect environment for this iconic style of music and dance to swell. Jazz represented a wilder and more free-form form of expression and entertainment that emphasized the ideals that modern generations were chasing. This platform allowed for more women to take the spotlight in jazz, and some of the most famous jazz musicians that are still regarded today found their footing in speakeasies and bars during the Jazz Age of the 20’s, such as Jelly Roll Morton, Duke Ellington, Bessie Smith, and Louis Armstrong.
Flappers: The Redefined Woman
As music, dance, and social structures of drinking and smoking began to loosen up and take new shape, so did the image of the ideal woman. The Jazz Age encouraged women to break free from rigid social norms and embrace their bodies. Women were showing more skin than ever before and were sporting shorter haircuts than ever before. Bobbed styles, drop-waist dresses revealing ankles, calves, shoulders, and collarbones flourished, and speakeasies became filled with women dancing, drinking, and smoking right alongside the men. Sexuality was no longer taboo. Women used their sexuality to empower themselves rather than be ashamed or feel filthy. These rebellious women became known as flappers, and thus a clear divide between modern and outdated norms was born.
Consumerism
The Roaring Twenties were not only roaring underground, but above ground as well. People were more than comfortable with their money, and indulging in luxuries became a common lifestyle. Movie theaters sprung up as a place for people to treat themselves to an evening of entertainment, sales of radios and other appliances for entertainment and luxury skyrocketed, and automobiles started flooding the streets. The Model T automobile, debatably one of the most influential consumer products of the 20’s, was seen as the ultimate luxury and consumer good. No longer were people shamed or afraid to sport their wealth and lavish belongings. Consumerism had consumed culture everywhere, and it wouldn’t be until the 30’s that these luxuries would fall out of style. ​
The 1930s
The Great Depression
As the 20’s were coming to a close, little did America know that so was the bright roaring culture of the decade. In October of 1929, the stock market crashed and millions of investors were lost on Wall Street within mere hours. It was the greatest decline of the stock market in United States history. Once the stock market crashed, the economy saw a tremendous domino effect of failure. People began pulling savings out of banks leading to bank failure and closure, investors lost all they had as they were forced to withdraw from businesses and companies, consumer spending plummeted, and millions were laid off and unemployed. Major United States cities reached unemployment rates of up to 90%, and in 1933 the Great Depression was said to have reached rock bottom. Approximately 15 million were laid off and over half of all banks had failed. Long gone were the days of luxurious spending and nights at the speakeasy. The American people threw their blame to president Herbert Hoover and were in desperate need of redemption.
The New Deal
In 1933, while America had reached it lowest point, Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president, and brought with him to the White House a whole load of promises and hope to save the American people. FDR became famous for his “New Deal” and the efforts he made to fix the country. This New Deal was a plan of action for relief, and created programs to help pull the nation out of the Depression and provide jobs for the unemployed. The programs and efforts Roosevelt set forth began to restore Wall Street, create jobs, and encourage people to begin placing their savings in banks once again. Banks began opening again, and the gears of the United States started turning again. After a few years, Roosevelt set forth a “Second Deal” that worked to redistribute wealth among classes and use national resources to their full potential. He stood at the forefront to help everyone build the country from the ground back up again.
The Rise in Radio Culture
Prior to the stock market crash of 1929, the sale of radios in the United States was on the high end, as it was seen as a luxury. While the consumption of radios rose in the 20’s, they became a cultural unification tool in the 30’s. Roosevelt became famous for his “fireside chats”, where he would speak over the radio to millions of Americans, spreading hope and instilling determination throughout society. The radio represented not only entertainment now, but information and inspiration. It brought the people together inside and outside of the household, and truly spread the mindset that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself”.
End of the Depression
By the end of the 1930’s, Roosevelt had made great strides in restoring the country’s economy, employment, banks, etc. It was safe to say that the United States was on its way out of the Depression, however many argue that something else led to the end of the Great Depression: World War II. At the end of the 30’s when the Second World War began, thousands of war jobs were immediately open, and the unemployed, now filled with a strong new sense of hope and nationalism, took up the opportunity to go fight for their country. Accrediting both Roosevelt and World War II, the United States had made it out of one homeland tragedy and was on its way to another overseas.