American History
American History
Introduction
Roaring Twenties is the era of the 1920’s in North America, London, Berlin and Paris. The title describes cultural and social life of the period. It begins with the return to civilian life after the destructive war in Europe. The 1920’s have radically changed the fashion and dressing style. New styles, like jazz and art deco, were also invented in the 1920’s. Broadcasting became widespread, cinema and entertainment turned into a popular type of leisure and a separate art form.
Historically, the 1920’s were the era of the final victory of the values of the urban culture over the old rural living standards of the 19th century. Supporters of the status quo, hoping to prevent unwanted changes, organized a series of public awareness campaigns. In particular, they tried to enter the dry law, restrict immigration and suppress anti fundamental theology.
Agitation for prohibition of alcoholic beverages was carried out in the country for more than a decade, and by 1918, alcohol trade was banned in 28 states. The 18th Amendment to the Constitution prohibited the manufacture, sale and transportation of alcoholic beverages. It was ratified by the requisite majority in Congress and state legislatures. After overcoming a presidential veto, Congress adopted the Volstead Act, which established the mechanism of implementation of the amendment. This law existed for more than ten years and was canceled in 1933.
Before World War I the United States received an enormous amount of immigrants. Opposition towards the unrestricted immigration arisen because many immigrants came from Eastern and Southern Europe (Zinn, 2010). The National Origin law (1924) sharply reduced immigration with only permanent quota - 2% of the number of each national community in the United States in 1890. In fact, this law reinforced the discrimination of immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe.
During this period, a series of trials became a subject of national attention. One of them is a trial of John Scopes in Dayton, Tennessee. This biology teacher intentionally violated a state law that prohibited the teaching of any doctrine that denies the biblical creation of man by God, and was teaching the Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. Scopes was convicted at trial and blamed by religious fundamentalists.
The steady growth of the population and the rapid increase of national wealth increased national treasure from 187 billion dollars by the end of 1912, and by 1929, it had reached the point of 450 billion dollars. The emergence of new industries was probably the most important individual factor of this remarkable prosperity. In particular, the automotive industry was undergoing the phenomenal growth. It all started in 1895 with the release of four trucks and passenger cars, and continued with the release of 7565 thousand by the end of 1919 (Zinn, 2010).
Conclusion
Throughout the 1920’s, the United States tried not to be bound by international obligations. Most of the agreements signed at that time, had no binding force and provided moral sanctions solely. The spirit of the Roaring Twenties was perceived by contemporaries as a radical rejection the modernization and traditional values. Everything seemed easy to implement due to the new technologies life seemed like a frivolous dance. In this aspect, this period is also called the Age of Jazz. It is important to mention that according to Miller, the 1920’s in America will be remembered by such personalities as Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, and by such events as Prohibition, the Charleston, flappers, the Wall Street boom and the Great Crash (Miller, 2010).
References
Miller, N. (2010). New World Coming: The 1920s and the Making of Modern America. NY: Liveright Publishing Corporation.
Zinn, H. (n.d.). A People's History of the United States (3rd ed.). NY: Harper Collins Publishers.
