The Dark Side of the Roaring Twenties - 1310 Words

The Roaring Twenties, most of the things we hear about the twenties are of good, happy times and of advances in technology and medicine. When we picture the twenties, we picture people dancing, listening to jazz and driving Model Ts. Also, in the twenties, the pretty was quite prosperous. But, there was a dark side to the Roaring Twenties. Those years there were some troubling trends and events, which many forget when thinking of that decade; prohibition, organized crime, nativism and the return of the Ku Klux Klan. Ironically, the twenties are often thought of as a time with careless drinking, when actually, it was illegal in that decade to sell or consume alcohol. On January 16th, 1920, the Eighteenth Amendment went into effect. A ban†¦show more content†¦People then began to find the cost of prohibition too high and most did not see drinking, at least in moderation, as sinful. Prohibition finally ended in 1933 with the Twenty-first Amendment. Another issue that arose in t he twenties was nativism. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, immigrants were welcomed into the United States because the country was growing and industrializing. Due to this, laborers were needed. Also, the United States was always proud of being a refuge for people fleeing hardship or mistreatment in their own countries, or looking for new opportunities for themselves and their children. Before 1890, most of the immigrants had come from the same countries as those who first settled in America. So they typically shared the same values as the original settlers. In the beginning of the twentieth century, most of the immigrants came from southern and eastern European countries. Some also came from Puerto Rico, the West Indies and Mexico. In contrast to the Protestant majority, these newer immigrants tended to be Catholics or Jews, and had different morals and values. By World War I, immigrants were pouring into the United States, and the majority of those immigra nts were of this new variety. This alarmed the citizens on the United States. They felt their ways of life were threatened by the ways and beliefs of the newcomers. It was not just that the immigrants were economic competitors, or that theirShow MoreRelatedThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1356 Words   |  6 Pagestragic story of the roaring twenties, he demonstrates different aspects of the 20s metaphorically through his main characters including Nick Carraway, Tom and Daisy Buchanan, Jay Gatsby, George and Myrtle Wilson, and Jordan Baker. He relates each person to different aspects to further their personal characterization and give them motives to each of the choices they make, resulting in how the book ends. This furthers his development and shows the dark and brutal side of the twenties that is not normallyRead MoreCharacteristics Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby1615 Words   |  7 Pagessaid in his novel Haunted,Thats the American Dream: to make your life into something you can sell. In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the protagonist is a man named Gatsby who is accustomed to the party lifestyle of the Roaring Twenties. The novel follows a group of people living in a fictional town known as West Egg and East Egg.The two towns represent old money and new money. Jay Gatsby overcomes his poor upbringing and earns an enormous amount of money only to be rejectedRead MoreEssay on The Roaring Twenties1209 Words   |  5 PagesThe Roaring Twenties Do you ever find yourself wondering why the 1920s were called the Roaring Twenties? The Roaring Twenties was a celebration of youth and culture. During the 1920s, many different forms of art, music, and literature began. 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WetherRead MoreHow Is The Great Gatsby Film Analysis Of The Movie1055 Words   |  5 PagesThe Great Gatsby: Film Analysis The movie The Great Gatsby is set during the roaring twenties in Manhattan New York City. Where the young protagonist Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) is narrating his life story when he moved to New York. He introduces a young playboy millionaire by the name of Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his obsessive love for Daisy Buchanan (Carey Milligan). This movie is the most recent adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald classic American novel, directed by Baz Luhrmann who doesRead MoreThe Roaring Twenties : The Causes And Impacts Of The 1920s1363 Words   |  6 PagesThe Roaring Twenties The 1920s influenced the world as we know it today. Many important historical events that occurred during this decade, such as the stock market crash and prohibition, altered U.S history and world history intensely. 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Quite the opposite is true in The Grapes of WrathRead MoreThe Role of Women in The 1920s Essay1497 Words   |  6 Pagesstates still refused to give in, but this didn’t stop the National American Woman Suffrage Association. In 1916, Carrie Chapman Catt, president of the NAWSA, worked vigorously to get women’s organizations from all over the country together and fight side by side. â€Å"One group of activists, led by Alice Paul and her National Woman’s Party, lobbied for full quality for women under the law† (Divine). She used mass marches and hunger strikes as strategies, but she was eventually forced to resign because ofRead MoreThe Influence of the Jazz Age911 Words   |  4 Pageswhite upper class Americans loved it too. â€Å"At the end of the first World War 1 many more possibilities existed for women in the work force, in their social lives especially in the entertainment indus try. (boundless par.3) The average women/in the roaring twenties began to have many more possibilities than ever before with their career life. Especially black women who sang. But even though their talent was strong they weren’t recognized as they should have been until the 30’s and 40’s. The 1920’s was supposedlyRead MoreThe New Women Of The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1230 Words   |  5 Pageswere making breakthroughs in society that were unheard of. The 1920’s was a time for women reinvent themselves, and this was portrayed by the female characters in the novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. During the time of the â€Å"Roaring Twenties,† there were a lot of technological advances as well as more career opportunities for women. In her article, â€Å"A New Women,† Louise Benner explains about how vacuum cleaners, irons, and washing machines were the most popular devices, and how they