Unit 9 DBQ The United States, for most of its history, was an egalitarian nation composed of mainly rural and mostly self-sufficient people. A place with limited views on roles of women and less-than-positive views on immigrants and minorities. This could be seen through the Chinese exclusion act, and a variety of set immigration quotas throughout the 19th century targeting immigrants, or through the strongly segregated and very racist south. However, both World War 1 and the 1920s brought about changes in both the American way of life, and American society as a whole. The 1920s were a time of change in the United States, change demarcated by the rise of consumerism and progressive feelings about minority groups; however, certain aspects …show more content…
during this time period, one that was both cultural and economic, was the rise of consumerism. With wages rising due to positive economic trends of the era, and the all-new availability to finance everyday items, the consumer goods markets exploded. The introduction of new innovations, and new forms of mass media to sell these innovations, created a world where everyone without the latest items were left by the wayside. As seen in document D, from 1921 - 1929 consumer spending for recreation almost tripled, from 1.1 billion dollars to 3.2 billion dollars. However, all this rampant spending came at a cost. During the same time period consumer debt increased from 3 billion dollars to almost 7 billion dollars, as going into debt became socially acceptable many people did to fund their new consumerist lifestyle. Sinclair Lewis remarked on their alarm clock in Babbit, “Babbitt was proud of being awakened by such a rich device. Socially it was almost as credible as buying expensive cord tires”. New and improved things defined the era, as even John Dewey said, “The movie, radio, cheap reading and motor car with all they stand for have come here to stay”. This rise of consumerism was a sharp change from what Americans had known previously, gone was the time where Americans created what they needed for themselves and bought little, and this new consumerism greatly affected American society as a …show more content…
Americans had been very against immigration for a while, as can be seen in the short reign of the know-nothing party, the variety of race riots against asian immigrants on the west coast, the rampant anti-semitism, and the smoldering of anti-immigration laws. And unfortunately, the 1920’s, and certainly World War One, made these feelings worse. The Bolshivik revolution abroad brought about the first red scare, and many eastern europeans were immediately feared of being communist. Additionally, fighting a war against the Germans brought about a very strong anti-German sentiment to the country (to add to all the other ethnicities the Americans didn’t like). As can be seen in the cartoon from the Chicago Tribune, many Americans wanted to kick out the “time bomb” undesirables and slam the door on them with immigration restrictions. This idea was especially prevalent after anarchist immigrants Sacco and Vanzetti were sentenced to death for their actions. And as Thorstein Veblen put it in the “Dementia Praecox”, The U.S. had “a system of passports, deportations, and restricted immigration”. And unfortunately, the very strong anti-immigration sentiment within the American public would not be weakened until half a century down the line. Showing that despite many changes that the country underwent in the 1920’s a change to its stance on
The 1920s' in America was a decade full of contradictions, characterized by both optimism, youth, and prosperity, and a growing conservative trend, isolation, and intolerance. I will examine two of these contradictions and explore how they contributed to the development of America during the 1920's and further on. Overlooking the era's overall sense of optimism, driven by economic growth and a youthful spirit, the presence of conservative values and beliefs shaped the nation's approach and had lasting effects on society. Also, this statement the contradictions of optimism and conservatism in the 1920's played a significant role in shaping America's development, leaving a lasting effect on its economic, social, and political landscape.
In document one, The author's purpose in writing was to show the decline of consumer prices, which is stuff people buy, and is shown by historical statistical graph of the United States index prices. During the 19 century standard of living for Americans improved during the time. . Also the general living stay the same. Overall industrialization, helped American society due to technological developments which lowered prices. In June 1889 there is a huge gap between the rich and poor.
The early 1900’s was the start of industrialization and urbanization in America and society changed into social Darwinism. During this time Americans hopes were to be able to live a stable life and become wealthy. Personal possessions meant a lot to americans which hasn't changed that much in over a century and Americans valuing products that will show off their wealth or make them look good. With the rise of urbanization and jobs coming in the city, more Americans started to become middle class hard workers. This later develop to a social class society trying to be the wealthy class in society.
Nativism, division, and racism negatively affect the current immigrants in America and the people who wanted to immigrate to America. In the 1920s, a red scare came, which caused Americans a big scare of communism and anarchism. They feared the new immigrant coming from western Europe attacking America. Due to all this fear, Americans started to take precautions such as the Emergency Quota Act in 1921. The Quota Act restricted the number of immigrants coming in from certain countries, restricting immigrants from coming in.
The 1920s was an era in the history of America in which economic, social, and political change coursed through our country. A dramatic population shift occurred during this decade in which, for the first time, more people lived in cities than in rural areas. This shift contributed to a large increase in ethnic and religious diversity in America’s cities. During this time, the economic engine of America brought consumer culture and advancement in technology, resulting in our economy becoming the envy of the world. However, the American people and the government were extremely fearful during this period and strived to find a way to ensure the safety of themselves and our nation.
The United States has been known from many generations that it is somewhere for new beginnings and hope. Along the way, American citizens rejected the basis of the country and started to incorporate immigration laws. Specifically, the one that set the standard for these types of laws was the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. This law alone influenced every single law regarding immigration after it was passed.
Lastly, unlike the period of 1840s-50s in the period of 1910s-20s Americans were afraid immigrants were bringing ideas of communism into the country and threatening the safety of democracy. The red scare in 1919-20 resulted in a nationwide crusade against left-wingers whose Americanism was suspicious. Numerous states joined in the outcry against radicals. The case of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, the court may have discriminated against them because they were
The most crucial change that occurred in the 1920s was the passing of the 19th Amendment. The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote. Continuing the chain reaction, women found more opportunities for employment. For example, advertisers exploited sexual allure to sell everything, which many “old-timers” regarded as a veritable errotic eruption. Although a women’s lifestyle took a giant leap forward, African Americans were still in the same spot.
The 1920’s was an interesting time in American history. This era was also known as the roaring twenties. Although it is remembered as a fond time before the Great Depression there was also a lot of conflicts arising, Cultural conflicts in particular were at the center. Prohibition and Immigration were two of the main cultural conflicts during this time period.
America experienced a sudden disregard of Victorian values following World War I, causing the generation of the 1920s to dramatically contrast the previous. This severe degree of change produced three major manifestations of the contradictions in the twenties. There were massive conflicts to the Jazz Age, technological advancements, and Black Migration. The contradictions of the 1920s reflect America’s conflicted state between advancement and convention, as the cultural and technological developments of the era coincide with the inability of individuals to stray from traditional norms and racist attitudes.
The 1920s carried much change in society. Some of these changes were more rights for women, jazz music, and prohibition. The people of the 1920s were disillusioned by society lacking in idealism and vision, sense of personal alienation, and Americans were obsessed with materialism and outmoded moral values (The Roaring Twenties).Cultural changes were strongly influenced by the destruction of World War I ending 1918. America needed to recover and with it youth rebelled against the norms of the older generations.
The 1920s were the first years of the new, modern America, with a growing consumer society and new ideas and rules. America saw many changes throughout this decade, including but not limited to social, economic and political changes. Throughout this time, new values were made with the growth of new forms of entertainment and education. After the Progressive Era, the ideas of political figures changed with a new focus on conservative politics and less labor issues. With the new ability for people to buy other products than basic needs, their money went to new inventions, causing new industries to grow.
98 years ago, in June 17, 1917, “The Immigrant” is a silent romantic comedy short film, which was written, directed by Charlie Chaplin, was released in America. It is a story of an immigrants encounter on the journey to America and his love story with a young woman he met on the boat. Charlie Chaplin’s the immigrant tended to show the society the view of life from an immigrant who has experienced many adversity and scenarios in order to look for understanding and sympathy from people to the immigrants as himself. Immigration is a very social issue in America at the time of 1917.
The First World War (WWI) was fought from 1914 to 1918 and the Second World War (or WWII) was fought from 1939 to 1945. They were the largest military confrontations in human history. Both wars involved military alliances between different groups of countries. While the WWI involved the alliance system, the WWII involved the Axis Powers and the Central Powers. Periods and duration
The end of World War I marked the beginning of the interwar period. This war left Europeans completely traumatized, leading to the Age of Anxiety, a duration of time when Europeans were unsure of their potential future as weak governments failed to assure the citizens. The four years of fighting, struggle, and brutality, ensued in the “defeat” of Germany and Russia. Both countries experienced heavy losses and collapsing governments as the war ended. Germany was excluded from the League of Nations and suffered tremendously from the Treaty of Versailles that was not negotiated with them.