1920s—age of progress and liberation

楊明睿

【Abstract】1920s America embraced an age of prosperity and liberation. Economy soared that raised peoples living standard. People learn progressive ideas， and society become more democratic.

【Key words】Socioeconomic； 1920s； progressivism； America liberation

On balance， the 1920s can best be understood as a decade of progress and liberation. First， the economy grew rapidly， raising the living standard of American citizen. Second， people in the 1920s embraced progressive ideas and celebrated urban， modern cultures. Third， American citizens experienced more social equality and freedom in the 1920s.

America in the 1920s experienced an economic great leap forward that made peoples life better. After WWI， the American became the largest creditor of Europe instead of debtor. American GDP started from 36.4 billion in the 1921 to 93 billion in 1924（Zeitz）. Both upper class and lower class benefited from economic progress in the 1920s. The industrial production index rose 70 percent from 1922 to 1928， making industry related companies to gain more profit， and in the same time workers wage rose 22 percent （Library of Congress）. More college students majored in economy than before because teenage were ambitious to become rich in this booming economy. Nick， the protagonist in Great Gatsby came from mid-west of America to Yale to study bonds. In Gatsbys party， Nick was sure that there were plenty of people who were not invited were selling bonds and insurances and automobiles（Fitzgerald 42）. Various factors helped the booming economy at that time to make Gatsbys savage parties possible. Republican president Hardings pro-business policies contributed to the rapid economic growth. He commissioned the Commerce Department to establish two thousands trade associations to give helpful statistical research and industry-wide standard to big companies， in the same time promoting stable prices and wages（Henretta 646）. World War I also spurred the economic growth of America in the 1920s. Americans gained huge profits by selling natural resources such as oils and food to Allies. Military competitions between allies and central power forced Americans to make military technological advancement that later applied to peoples daily life（Transition in American Cultural Life）. The invention of electricity led to the second industrial revolution， and electricity was largely applied in the 1920s. In 1912， only 16 percent American family had electricity. However， in 1920s， two-thirds American household were electrified. Most families used electric refrigerator and freezer， electric vacuum cleaner， and the automatic washing machine， which reduced much manual labor（Zeitz）. Another technological advancement that made the economy stronger and world smaller was the automobile. By 1929， Americans produced 80 percent of the world automobile， which stimulated the production of steel， petroleum， chemical， rubber， and glass， creating 3.7 million jobs（Henretta 659）.The rise of the automobile helped America to build a stronger economy by improving the transportation system. Cars were able to go to remote and crowded places where trains and planes could not go. The booming economy in the 1920s led to a culture of consumerism. The mass production lowered the price of goods and services， making people to purchase as much as possible. People formed a habit of wasting by consumerism. Gatsby often bought 5 crates of oranges and lemons for savage parties on weekends. Gatsby owned a machine that could turn two hundred oranges to orange juice in half an hour（Fitzgerald 41）. Gatsby ignored farmers hard work. He was proud of wasting oranges away because it was a proof of his wealth. Gatsby believed in consumerism that as long as he purchased those oranges legally， no moral issues should be concerned. In a consumerism world， money could buy pleasure and happiness， and that was all what the rapid economic growth of roaring twenties about. Advertisement emerged as a byproduct of consumerism. It existed mostly in the form of posters and radios in 1920s. McClure's Magazine was especially popular in the 1920s and contained different advertisements. In one picture of the McClures Magazine， a woman kissed the air with her beautiful lip， and aside the poster wrote “New！ Different！ Exquisitely modern！ Daintily thin！”（McClure's）. The lipstick advertisement informed women that lipstick would enhance their beauty. Women with lipsticks with would be more attractive than women without lipsticks.

Advertisement ultimately contributed to the wide use of lipstick in the 1920s.

American in the 1920s embraced modern ideas and urban culture. People called the teenagers in the roaring twenties “the Lost Generation.” After participating in WWI， they were largely disillusioned by the darkness of humanity. They no longer trusted the order and peace created by the past generation， and they doubted if traditional values and thoughts would suit the modern world. A huge generation gap was created and parents often found the behavior of their sons or daughters bewildering（Carter）. Women were dressing less to attract male， but the old generation considered it as disgusting. Flappers， a stereotype of young women who dressed in knee-length skirts， baring their shoulders， wearing makeups and smoking， became a fashion trend in the 1920s. In the meantime， swing dance， an exhausting sports dance between men and women， became a popular form of dancing（Henretta 660）. The flappers and swing dancing characterized the roaring twenties as an age of sexual and social emancipation of women. Premarriage sex increased in the 1920s by the emergence of big cities and the wide use of automobiles. With automobiles， boys and girls dated each other to go to movies and dance halls. Automobile also provided a secret place to have sexual relationship， marking an age of freedom of sex（Ling）. Different forms of entertainment enriched peoples lives in the 1920s. Public amusements such as movie palaces， amusement parks， inner-city baseball stadiums， dance halls became popular with the aid of public transportations（Zeitz）. Celebrities in movies and sports dominated more public attention than business and political figures. Boxer Jack Dempsey and baseball team White Sock became popular topics（Donald L.Miller）. Hollywood became the worlds movie capital. Hollywood films were popular worldwide because they were absolutely uncomplicated to understand， and the story lines were always appealing（Erich Pommer）. 95 percent of the movies screened in Britain， 80 percent in Latin America， and 70 percent in France were made in America. Those movies exercised American cultural influence overseas（Henretta 660）. America not only transitioned to a modern culture， but also embraced progressive thoughts. More people began to challenge the teaching of Bible， and John Scopes trial marked the victory of modernist over fundamentalist. John Scope was a high school teacher who taught Darwins evolution theory instead of theological creationism. Even though he was judged as guilty， the publicity emphasized fundamentalists ignorant and prejudice nature， and the trial was overturned thirty years later by public pressure （religious fundamentalism）. Technology， especially the wide usage of cellphones， drawed people closer and made society productive. Gatsby did most of his bootlegging business on cell phone， and Tom Buchanans mistress often called him from New York whenever she felt lonely（Fitzgerald 15）. Metropolitian such as New York grew rapidly in the 1920s， creating distinct urban cultures featured with skyscrapers， crowds of automobiles， and varieties of immigrants from different parts of the world （Miller Donald）.

American citizens gained more equality， and American society became more democratic in the 1920s. Some people might argue that Ku Klux Klan and immigration restriction act were a proof of violence and less democracy in the 1920s， but in fact they helped American to be a better place. A lot of immigrants smuggled in America illegally， and they were not count as a citizen but as criminals. Immigrants competed jobs with American citizens and tended to commit crime in a higher rate. Moreover， they created potential political instability that might overthrew a democratic government（Conflict of Cultures）. People were scared by the spread of communism in America in the 1920s marked Red Scare. Palmer raided families that were suspected as communists in a January night in 1920s， arresting six thousands citizens. After 1920 fewer strikes and bombings happened， and the Red Scare started to abate（Henretta 643）. Middle class rose with the boom of economic， and they gained increasing convenience. A large number of lower class people still existed， but their wages increased as well. Most people could buy mass-produced glassware， durable goods， clothing， and jewelries， resulting in a less severe class division in American society（Zeitz）. In Great Gatsby， Tom Buchanan， representing the Old Money， was very interested in a book named “the Rise of Colored Empires.”（Fitzgerald 12） He believed in pseudoscience and eugenics， and viewed his Nordic race as supreme. On the other hand， “the Rise of Colored Empires” clearly suggested that immigrants and colored people were starting to dominate American society in the 1920s. They gained more equality and power to challenge the authority of Old Money. Alcohol was everywhere in Gatsbys parties even though alcohol was prohibited in 1919 following the Eighteenth Amendment. Government tried to ban alcohol and constrained the freedom of American citizens but failed. Speakeasies and gin joints became more glamorous. People smoke and drank and danced with jazz. Prisons got crowded than ever before， and too much trials crippled American justice system. Thanks to people protesting in the 1920s， following the Twenty-First Amendment， alcohol was legal again. The legacy of drinking freedom passed on until today（Andersen）. In Great Gatsby， Gatsby became wealthy through bootlegging（Fitzgerald 107）. He was a great model of a self-made man. Gatsbys success marked great social mobility and celebrated American democracy in the 1920s. Not only white people and immigrants achieved more equality in the 1920s， but black people as well. A great number of Black people migrated from rural South to pursue higher standard of living and less discrimination. They created commercial networks and business organizations such as the National Negro Business League， National Urban League， National Association of Wage Earners and the Universal Negro Improvement Association to increase their sphere of influence（The Library of Congress）. African American also gained greater cultural influence by Harlem Renaissance. A lot of writers and painters used novels and paintings to champion their race pride， as poet Langston Hughes asserted in his poem， “I am a Negro—and beautiful.” African American musicians created jazz during the Harlem renaissance， which was an innovative music form based on ragtime beat with improvised melodic line（Henretta 664）. Jazz became so popular in the roaring twenties that more people started to pay more attention to African American culture. Fitzgerald marked the 1920s as the “Jazz Age” to emphasize the important role jazz played （Henretta 664）. Women also gained greater equality and freedom in the 1920s. They won the suffrage in 1920， which confirmed women were equal as man in any aspect. Politics had to favor women more because they represented half of the vote（Frederick）.endprint

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