Roaring 20\'s

3 Pages 801 Words

Americans, in the years following the end of World War I found themselves in an era called “The Roaring Twenties.” Americans in “The Roaring Twenties” found themselves in an era, where the people simply wished to detach themselves from the troubles of Europeans and the rest of the world. During the 1020’s the economy proved prosperous for the middle and upper class, crime lords and businesses; however, it was not a prosperous period for minorities and farmers.

The Eighteenth Amendment (1919), which banned the manufacturing, sale of or transportation of liquor, caused breweries and saloons a great demise; however, it reaped profit for bootleggers. This also meant a rise in organized crime. Events such as the “Saint Valentines Massacre” took place. Callous criminals such as Capone, was worth an estimated 60 million dollars. Although Capone was indeed a criminal, he shared his wealth with charities, and provided the public with goods and services that they wanted. . (Tindall, et al., 434)

Middle- Class Americans were moving into a period of economic prosperity. Even industrial workers whose strikes for higher pay had availed them little in the previous decades benefited. When the American people saw that the economy was flourishing, they felt that they were on a pedestal, protected from the river of uncertainty, economic depression and the failure of the “American Dream.” Many Americans found a way to improve their lifestyle. Whether it had been through hard work, or luck in the stock market. Since the economy was in such good shape, many Americans could afford to purchase items they could not have purchased in the past. Items such as camera’s, appliances, and radios were now affordable not only to the rich, but to the middle-class as well. (Tindall, et al., 446) Low-income families could afford to buy an inexpensive Model T, which Henry Ford developed in 1908. The number of passenger cars in the...