How did American Culture change during the Roaring 20s?
During the Roaring 20s there were several changes in American Culture. American culture in the United States changed dramatically because modernist and protestants clashed thoughts on defining an American. Immigration had a big impact on individual freedom because there was a lot of new religions. Some events such as the rise of the Ku Klux Klan demonstrates the aggression for enforcing the traditional culture. Scopes trial, in the other hand, encouraged more Americans to question individual freedom and began to follow the modernist culture. Consumerism also impacted the American culture and changed how people spent their free time. Many modernists chose to challenge the fundamentalists and began to create their own enclaves where they had schools that taught their own redefined culture.
Protestants during the 1920s had an interesting debate on what was an American. There was a lot of confusion because the nation was becoming more diverse due to immigrants coming to work in the factories. During the 1920s, some Americans challenged the idea that southern and eastern Europeans were unfit to become citizens, or could only do so by abandoning their traditions in favor of Anglo-Saxon ways [1]. Many immigrant radicals challenged this idea and formed their own ethic enclaves within their own civic institutions, theaters, churches, and forego-language newspapers. Fundamentalist view these enclaves as un-American. Purist believed that americans are people who literally interpret the christian bible. The Roaring 20s was the beginning of modernist commencing to adapt to the “new culture”. Some americans began to modify the bible into what they believed was still following the same morals but being more acceptable to what other religions believed in. Fundamentalist were absurd because modernist were integrating science and religion together in order to adapt to the new modernist culture. In 1925, John Scopes, a teacher in a Tennessee public school was arrested for modern teaching the Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. The Scopes trial reflected the enduring tension between two American definitions of freedom. Fundamentalist Christian, strongest in rural areas of South and West, clung to the traditional idea of “moral” liberty-voluntary adherence to time-honored religious beliefs [1]. John Scopes challenged William Jennings Bryan, an expert witness of the Bible, to a debate of Christianity vs. science. Scopes definitely backed up all his beliefs with facts while Bryan showed ignorance to science. After Bryan’s death, the laws on anti-evolution slowly disintegrated. People who defended Scopes during the trial were considered modernists for accepting the study of evolution in public schools. The overpowering amount of modernist slowly but surely began to take over american culture. There was no doubt that fundamentalist would not give up that easily.
The rise of the Ku Klux Klan had an impact on laws banning private schools in Oregon. The Klan had been reborn in Atlanta in 1915 after the lynching of Leo Frank, a Jewish factory manager accused of killing a teenage girl [1]. The KKK became the largest private organization in Indiana, and for that time controlled the state Republican Party. Dedicated protestants and anti-modernist joined the KKK to come up with strategies against modernist. It was not too long before the KKK had fallen in 1925, because a leader in Indiana was convicted of assaulting a young woman. Even though the Klan’s influences were fallen, many Americans were now questioning “Who is an American?” Many immigrants who came to the United States with the intention to find freedom and a job had rebelled against American’s perspective on individual freedom. Because of such rebellion coming from mostly European immigrants, in 1924, Congress permanently limited European immigration to 150,000 per year [1]. Although many former Europeans swore to their deaths to maintain their old ways of life, their children did not agree. Most enjoyed a higher standard of living than their parents, learned English easily, and sought American lifestyles [2]. Many modernist began to adapt the European lifestyle.
Protestants during the 1920s had an interesting debate on what was an American. There was a lot of confusion because the nation was becoming more diverse due to immigrants coming to work in the factories. During the 1920s, some Americans challenged the idea that southern and eastern Europeans were unfit to become citizens, or could only do so by abandoning their traditions in favor of Anglo-Saxon ways [1]. Many immigrant radicals challenged this idea and formed their own ethic enclaves within their own civic institutions, theaters, churches, and forego-language newspapers. Fundamentalist view these enclaves as un-American. Purist believed that americans are people who literally interpret the christian bible. The Roaring 20s was the beginning of modernist commencing to adapt to the “new culture”. Some americans began to modify the bible into what they believed was still following the same morals but being more acceptable to what other religions believed in. Fundamentalist were absurd because modernist were integrating science and religion together in order to adapt to the new modernist culture. In 1925, John Scopes, a teacher in a Tennessee public school was arrested for modern teaching the Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. The Scopes trial reflected the enduring tension between two American definitions of freedom. Fundamentalist Christian, strongest in rural areas of South and West, clung to the traditional idea of “moral” liberty-voluntary adherence to time-honored religious beliefs [1]. John Scopes challenged William Jennings Bryan, an expert witness of the Bible, to a debate of Christianity vs. science. Scopes definitely backed up all his beliefs with facts while Bryan showed ignorance to science. After Bryan’s death, the laws on anti-evolution slowly disintegrated. People who defended Scopes during the trial were considered modernists for accepting the study of evolution in public schools. The overpowering amount of modernist slowly but surely began to take over american culture. There was no doubt that fundamentalist would not give up that easily.
The rise of the Ku Klux Klan had an impact on laws banning private schools in Oregon. The Klan had been reborn in Atlanta in 1915 after the lynching of Leo Frank, a Jewish factory manager accused of killing a teenage girl [1]. The KKK became the largest private organization in Indiana, and for that time controlled the state Republican Party. Dedicated protestants and anti-modernist joined the KKK to come up with strategies against modernist. It was not too long before the KKK had fallen in 1925, because a leader in Indiana was convicted of assaulting a young woman. Even though the Klan’s influences were fallen, many Americans were now questioning “Who is an American?” Many immigrants who came to the United States with the intention to find freedom and a job had rebelled against American’s perspective on individual freedom. Because of such rebellion coming from mostly European immigrants, in 1924, Congress permanently limited European immigration to 150,000 per year [1]. Although many former Europeans swore to their deaths to maintain their old ways of life, their children did not agree. Most enjoyed a higher standard of living than their parents, learned English easily, and sought American lifestyles [2]. Many modernist began to adapt the European lifestyle.
The Roaring 20s did not only change American culture in the diversity of the nation. Many americans during the 20s were exposed to consumerism. Several americans began to change their values on what was it they spent earnings on. An exposure to new make-up products, credit lines, automobiles, affordable radios, changed the living styles of many american. Marketers labored to eliminate the negative stigma of make-up, which had once been a calling card of the streetwalker [3]. During the 20s, wearing makeup became a “necessity” to look beautiful according to what marketers advertised. By the late 1920s, Motion pictures had advanced from the novelty of Nickelodeon and scratchy silent pictures to feature films with synchronized sound [3]. Slowly the media had an influence on the american culture. New cinemas, shopping centers, and jazz clubs, gave americans more things to do aside from working in an office or farming. By 1919, new tastes emerged in the American consumer market. The Roaring 20s saw consumers in search of style and novelty [4]. This shows how companies were marketing unnecessary products and making Americans believe that they needed what was being advertised.
In conclusion, the American culture had a dramatic change during the Roaring 20s because of consumerism, immigrants, modernists, and diversity. There was less conservatism, and more consumers. Diversity generated enclaves where different diverse groups conducted their own private schooling. Protestants were no longer the image for American culture. With new religions and diversity groups, there is no longer a single cultural group.
Footnotes:
[1] Foner, Eric. "From Business Culture to Great Depression." In Give Me Liberty!: An American History, 788-798. Seagull 4th ed. Vol. 2. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2014.
[2]Foner, Eric. "From Business Culture to Great Depression." In Give Me Liberty!: An American History, 788-798. Seagull 4th ed. Vol. 2. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2014.
[3] "Chapter 6 Roaring Twenties to the Great Depression, 1920–1932." Roaring Twenties to the Great Depression, 1920–1932. Accessed April 14, 2015.
[4]Blaszczyk, Regina Lee. 2002. Innovation Needs Marketing. Chemical Engineering Progress. 98, no. 12: 96.
Bibliography:
Blaszczyk, Regina Lee. 2002. Innovation Needs Marketing. Chemical Engineering Progress. 98, no. 12: 96.
"Chapter 6 Roaring Twenties to the Great Depression, 1920–1932." Roaring Twenties to the Great Depression, 1920–1932. Accessed April 14, 2015.
Foner, Eric. "From Business Culture to Great Depression." In Give Me Liberty!: An American History, 788-798. Seagull 4th ed. Vol. 2. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2014.
"The Rush of Immigrants." Ushistory.org. Accessed April 14, 2015. http://www.ushistory.org/us/38c.asp.