Individualism And Individuality In The 1920s

Improved Essays
The 1920’s were a time when American culture exploded and ultimately transformed America from a young country to a world power. The American values of individualism and democracy were neither completely enhanced or diminished by modernity because while many strides were made to improve these qualities, the pre-World War I sentiment of reform was destroyed. All of the destruction caused by World War I scared the American people enough to halt the era of reformation and actually did diminish democracy and individuality from a standpoint of who and what was heard and supported. Despite this, the emergence of consumer culture definitely enhanced individuality by catering to the individual’s needs and wants. Finally, democracy was improved, but …show more content…
For example, progress was certainly made for women in America. Women won the vote in 1920, but the struggle to even get this basic necessity ratified is appalling. Interestingly, the biggest opposition to women’s suffrage came from other American women. “...suffrage must disrupt the family because of its emphasis upon women’s individuality,” (Degler, 53) was such a common and drilled in belief that women let it restrict their freedom for far too long. Furthermore, even after women gained the vote, they were still viewed as subordinate to men. In the 1920’s novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald writes, “She’s a nice girl...They oughtn’t to let her run around the country this way,” (Fitzgerald, 18) about Jordan, a female character who supports herself by professionally golfing. This evinces an obvious negative attitude towards independent women. Another blatant disregard of equality was the treatment of African Americans and other immigrants in the 1920’s. Racism towards African Americans was common throughout the United States in the twenties. In 1920 on the side of Interstate 35 in Duluth, Minnesota, three black men were lynched for a crime they did not commit. This is significant not only because it illustrates the hate that was still sustained by the African American population over fifty years after the Civil War, but also because it shows the geographical range at which this hate was rampant. While racism is most commonly attributed to the Southern United States, it reached as far North as Minnesota which obviously hinders democracy throughout the country. Another example of diminished democracy in the form of intense discrimination is the resurgence of the KKK in Georgia. The second KKK, notorious for their violent anti black, catholic, and immigrant actions, spread as far West as California and as

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Women’s Representation In The Great Gatsby “You educate a man; you educate a man, You educate a woman; you educate a generation”(Brigham Young). Throughout the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, women are oppressed and portrayed as weak fragile figures in life. He uses colors that are often associated with weak and fragile connotations to describe women. It is obvious that Fitzgerald feels that women and men are not equal in society. Suggesting that women can not handle the cruel realities of the world leaves the reader to believe that women need men to protect them from the world and that it is okay for them to be disrespected.…

    • 1062 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    1920s Film Analysis

    • 1927 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The 1920s was a time of political, social and economic change. It was an era of prosperity, however not long lasting as the Great Depression of 1929 loomed. Frivolity, fun and the flapper emerged as people discovered new ways to spend their newly found leisure time. The United States entered a time of good feeling and even the introduction of prohibition did not inhibit people from having a good time. America had become a consumer society due to newly found affluence and with this came mass culture.…

    • 1927 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Changes In The 1920s

    • 982 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Change in the 1920s Gava The 1920s was one of Canada’s most developmental periods, with changes that still impact everyday lives throughout the country. There was mass production of automobiles, which revolutionized transportation and shaped current civilization. Women began to break the gender barrier as the got the right to vote and joined the workplace, leading to early feminism and the way to gender equality.…

    • 982 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    1920s Consumerism Essay

    • 1088 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The 1920’s can be described as the old way of life clashing with the new way of life. This time period was a reaction to what happened in the war. World War I and consumerism affected the United States in the 1920s because the economy fluctuated with good and bad change, professional and college athletics and the arts thrived socially, and culturally there was continued segregation for immigrants and blacks, women’s rights improved, and argumentative views proved hard times in America. Economically, the United States flourished at first after the war, but gradually fell into a depression.…

    • 1088 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Coming out of WWI, America was beginning the transition into a period of modernization and isolationism. The aftermath of WW1 led to many advancements throughout American society, many of which were controversial across generations. These controversial advancements in society ranged from economical and political, to social. Following the Red Scare, nativism began to resurface in America and would eventually lead to the establishment of the nativist establishments and legislation. FDR also led America into a new age of welfare in order to enact his three R’s, “relief, recovery, and reform.”…

    • 729 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Modernism In The 1920s

    • 1037 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The 1920s could arguably be the era that brought America into the modern world since it was responsible for establishing the beginning of women’s rights, African American rights, mass production through assembly lines, and challenging the orthodox ways of living. However, not every citizen in America embraced the new modern way of living, especially in the south. The 1920s was a historical time period in which the orthodox south and the modern north in America clashed as they confronted the new issues of modernism. One major issue that came into light during the 1920s was the predicament of religion V.S. science in American classrooms.…

    • 1037 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    America as a country faced a great period of transition in the 1920’s. After decades of staying away from foreign entanglements, World War I brought the United States back into the affairs of the rest of the World, and brought all of the people involved into unfamiliar surroundings. During the war, most of the young men were sent into Europe to fight for their country, while the women were sent into the workforce in order to replace all of the absent men. After the war, both the young men who had fought in the war, and the young women who were thrust into the workforce, returned to their original lives, having been exposed to new ideas on how to live life, and new morals. This led to the next generation living a lifestyle with widely contrasting…

    • 1134 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Myth of Individualism draws readers in with a captivating introduction through a controversial story about an individualist who kills to prove a point. This became a constant throughout the book, having examples used from topics that related to pop culture, politics and historical events to say the American values of individualism, mediocrity and self-sufficiency is overall fabricated. Therefore, American values are effected by the social structures on our lives which prove to be the thesis for Callero’s book. The book offers a weak first chapter with a strong fourth chapter that all fits into the message of Callero’s bestselling book. Callero’s book offered a first chapter that was the weakest out of the 214 paged body of work.…

    • 889 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    America in the 1920s -- a period characterized by rapid modernization, economic prosperity, and abundant wealth. It is truly one of the most iconic periods in America’s brief history, from the barrage of new products hitting the market to the dramatic changes in lifestyle American people underwent. With this era of economic growth came the rise of consumerism and, as a direct result, a change in advertising techniques. Americans were being exposed to the fruits of capitalism, and they were embracing it. In addition, the 1920s saw a plethora of progressive social changes.…

    • 1336 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Over the course of American history, specifically the era known as the Roaring Twenties, there have been both cultural advancements and moral setbacks. The 1920s brought Americans jazz music and technological advancements, but it also was tinged with the stain of organized crime, bootlegging, and, sadly, racism. Perhaps the most prominent aspect of the Roaring Twenties was the fight for women’s suffrage as women had to gain their right to vote. Not only did women have to fight to vote, they also had to go to bat for their political, economic, and human rights (“Women’s Suffrage Movement” 1). The disparities between men and women during this time period were egregious.…

    • 1355 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    From consumer protection to voting rights, the first two decades of the twentieth century were focused on advancing us as a nation. Even during the few years leading up to that era, America was changing. In a sense, the people were becoming less blinded by what they had always known to be “true” and were beginning to open their eyes to things they had never truly seen. People were recognized as individuals, not as potential marks for a backyard elixir salesman. The government had gained the power to regulate business for the protection of Americans.…

    • 1336 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The book begins with an introduction, introducing us to many of the key players in the book followed by an explanation of how the book is written and why. (Few key characters in a short period of history). The book is then followed by seven chapters and a conclusion. Each chapter begins a new era in the struggle for both suffrage movements beginning in the 1850 's and ending in 1869. The first chapter, The age is ripe for the women question, begins the quest of defining what role women reformers wanted to play, and what their goals should be focused on.…

    • 1150 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Roaring 20's Essay

    • 1066 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Roaring 20’s The 1920’s in the United States were a decade of prosperity. Known as the Roaring 20’s or the Jazz Age, the U.S. was booming economically and evolving socially. The economy became the strongest in the world and social and cultural dynamism was on the rise. With the beginnings of mass culture, celebrities, songs, dances, and clothing turned the 20 's into a decade of fads.…

    • 1066 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Religion teaches people how to use their freedom for the good of themselves and others. It is practically the sole means of counteracting the materialistic aspects of life by taking people’s minds beyond the physical, material aspects of life. Religion teaches men that being good is in their self interest because they will be rewarded in the afterlife. By working towards the common good rather than personal gain, people are forced to work together. Through these features of American democracy which de Tocqueville noted, Americans are able to balance individualism with the good of the community.…

    • 1364 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the beginning of the 1920s, or the “roaring twenties”, there were many dramatic and political changes. Rather than living on farms, more Americans lived in cities. Between 1920 and 1929, the nation witnessed an economical growth that pushed Americans into an affluent society. Nationwide, everyone bought the same things. On the other hand, while many people sang the same tunes, danced the same dances, and used the same slang, many other people did not like this new “mass culture” and were very uncomfortable.…

    • 1216 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays