The "Roaring Twenties"
The “Roaring Twenties” was a very upbeat period in North America following the end of World War I. Before World War I the country was rooted in the nineteenth century, but in the 1920s America seemed to break from the past and enter into a more modern era. New inventions came about that influenced the culture of America and the people themselves. The Roaring Twenties is a phrase which emphasizes the period's social, artistic, and cultural dynamism.
The 1920s was a decade of increased consumer spending and economic growth fed by
supply side economic policy. Brand new products were being introduced to America, such as the automobile. The first automobile was developed with a combustion engine created in 1896 by inventor Henry Ford. The cars created more jobs, more revenues, and improved the American economy in virtually every way. Workers no longer needed to live close to their workplace; instead they could live farther away and still arrive at their jobs with ease. The overall increase in productivity and efficiency left the American people with more time for entertainment and recreation. The stock market was beginning to rise and ordinary Americans invested and stock prices skyrocketed.
Workers had more money to spend, and they spent it on home appliances, radios, phonographs, and popular entertainment, especially movies. The first film featuring spoken words was The Jazz Singer. It was called a“talkie” and was produced by the Warner Brothers in 1927. Movies weren’t the only entertainment; the 20’s were also the “Jazz Age”. Throughout the 1920's many people took an interest in music and many African Americans started the Harlem Renaissance which influenced the music of the decade from Bessie Smith to Duke Ellington. Literature was also becoming big, in 1925 The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was published and Robert Frost with his multiple poems.
There were no signs of economic depression; wages were high, the Dow Jones Industrial Stock Index did not stop increasing, everyone indulged in luxuries and entertainment, and there was always of hope and promise for a positive future. Life was easy and convenient thanks to the many technological advances that took place during the 1920s. Who would have thought that it would all come to an end on October 24, 1929 and that a decade of despair and depression would follow such an age of happiness and prosperity?
The 1920s was a decade of increased consumer spending and economic growth fed by
supply side economic policy. Brand new products were being introduced to America, such as the automobile. The first automobile was developed with a combustion engine created in 1896 by inventor Henry Ford. The cars created more jobs, more revenues, and improved the American economy in virtually every way. Workers no longer needed to live close to their workplace; instead they could live farther away and still arrive at their jobs with ease. The overall increase in productivity and efficiency left the American people with more time for entertainment and recreation. The stock market was beginning to rise and ordinary Americans invested and stock prices skyrocketed.
Workers had more money to spend, and they spent it on home appliances, radios, phonographs, and popular entertainment, especially movies. The first film featuring spoken words was The Jazz Singer. It was called a“talkie” and was produced by the Warner Brothers in 1927. Movies weren’t the only entertainment; the 20’s were also the “Jazz Age”. Throughout the 1920's many people took an interest in music and many African Americans started the Harlem Renaissance which influenced the music of the decade from Bessie Smith to Duke Ellington. Literature was also becoming big, in 1925 The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was published and Robert Frost with his multiple poems.
There were no signs of economic depression; wages were high, the Dow Jones Industrial Stock Index did not stop increasing, everyone indulged in luxuries and entertainment, and there was always of hope and promise for a positive future. Life was easy and convenient thanks to the many technological advances that took place during the 1920s. Who would have thought that it would all come to an end on October 24, 1929 and that a decade of despair and depression would follow such an age of happiness and prosperity?