The Twenties: A New Historiographical Frontier (1966) by Burl Noggle and Rethinking the 1920s: Historians and Changing Perspectives (2007) by David J. Goldberg complement each other by writing about the general history of the 1920s in two different decades. Noggle’s article discusses the state of historiography up until the 1960s, while Goldberg’s article discusses those decades and extends it into the early 2000s. However, Noggle and Goldberg’s historiographical approaches differ in a significant way. Noggle focuses more on the general evolution of interests leading into the 1960s. This evolution did not just focus on scholarly work but of the general historical interest of each time period. In contrast, Goldberg discusses specific scholarly books that he views as important contributions to a particular topic of the 1920s. Some of these topics were newly introduced after Noggle’s’ time of writing.
Both Noggle and Goldberg begin by discussing Only Yesterday by Frederick Lewis Allen. They both identify it as the first significant contribution to the history of the 1920s. This book was published after the 1920s. This makes it important because it is a direct reaction to the decade. During this time, most interpretations portrayed the 1920s as a distinct period of isolationism in response to World War I. The weariness of reforms was seen as a result of exhaustion from WWI.1 This early view of the 1920s seems similar to how the average person today might view the decade. Many view the 1920s as a time that celebrated the end of the war. This is why it has gained the reputation of being a time when people were concerned with fun and becoming prosperous.
Noggle states that historians did not challenge Allen’s interpretation much. He argues that this is largely because no historian believed him to be wrong. Noggle and Goldberg both agree that Allen’s interpretation survived without much revisionism. Instead of challenging Allen’s interpretation, historians chose to explore new questions and topics regarding the decade. Noggle proceeds to discuss the popularity of analyzing the economics of the 1920s. This makes sense to me considering the Great Depression of the 1930s. Studying the economic history of the 1920s could be seen as a way to find answers to what led to the Great Depression. Beginning in the late 1940s, Noggle notes a new focus in international politics, biographies of politicians, and presidential elections. Historians’ interest in international politics peaked during the 1950s.2 This also makes sense to me considering it is after World War II. During World War II, the United States was even more involved in the war compared to its late entry into World War I. I believe that this would have ignited an interest in the international politics of the 1920s. This is different from the isolationist perspective of the decade.
Writing in the 1960s, Noggle discusses the new topics being discussed during his time. Historians were becoming interested in the Ku Klux Klan and how it correlated with issues like prohibition, rural life, and fundamentalism. Goldberg builds on this by examining books written from the 1970s through the early 2000s. He mentions Women of the Klan: Racism and Gender in the 1920s (1991), which is a more gender-focused approach by analyzing women’s involvement.3 This shift reflects an interest in women’s history. In addition, Goldberg mentions books that discuss racial issues. This includes the whiteness of European immigrants and the lives of African Americans. This shift makes sense considering the growing interest in diverse or underrepresented groups that one would assume emerged after the 1960s.
Reading Noggle and Goldberg’s historiographies, it is clear that historians introduced new historical topics and revisions during Noggle’s time. A debate that Noggle states intrigued him was the debate regarding reforms of the 1920s. This included studies regarding the progressivism and social welfare movements of the decade. With my knowledge of the ’60s, I know that social reform movements, like Women’s Liberation and Civil Rights, were gaining traction. This influenced historians and their choice of focus within the history of many historical subjects. The Women’s Liberation Movement influenced a new interest in studying women’s history. During the 1920s, many social welfare movements were led by women. This explains why it may have begun to gain attention during Noggle’s time of writing his historiography. This example demonstrates why studying the way history is written throughout periods of times is important. The history of history can reveal why certain perspectives, interpretations, and subjects are introduced. It gives meaningful context and reveals society’s thought processes during different decades.
Bibliography
Noggle, Burl. “The Twenties: A New Historiographical Frontier.” The Journal of American History 53, no. 2 (1966): 299–314. https://doi.org/10.2307/1894201.
Goldberg, David J. “Rethinking the 1920S: Historians and Changing Perspectives.” OAH Magazine of History 21, no. 3 (2007): 7–10. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25162122.
“Cover of Discontented America: The United States in the 1920s by David J. Goldberg.” Photograph. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999. https://www.amazon.com/Discontented-America-United-States-American/dp/0801860059.
Noggle, Burl. Teapot Dome: Oil and Politics in the 1920s. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1965. Book cover. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FTeapot-Dome-Oil-Politics-1920s%2Fdp%2F0393002977&psig=AOvVaw0qiN8rKYTryGnC8MwH4-B0&ust=1746075231044000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBcQjhxqFwoTCKjojaH7_owDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE
Allender, Nina E. Political cartoon on the cover of the July 28, 1923, issue of Equal Rights. July 28, 1923. National Woman’s Party Records, Box OV:41. Manuscript Division, Library of Congress.
“Washington State Senate Roll Call Sheet for the Equal Rights Amendment, March 22, 1973.” Photograph. Courtesy of Washington State Archives. https://www.historylink.org/file/22674.
Citations
- Burl Noggle, “The Twenties: A New Historiographical Frontier,” The Journal of American History 53, no. 2 (1966): 299, https://doi.org/10.2307/1894201. ↩︎
- Noggle, “The Twenties,” 302. ↩︎
- David J. Goldberg, “Rethinking the 1920s: Historians and Changing Perspectives,” OAH Magazine of History 21, no. 3 (2007): 9, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25162122. ↩︎
Grlynn is a Ramapo College senior majoring in history
