When thinking about the 1920s for a couple of minutes two major things popped into my head right away which were the women having the right to vote and the banks crashing in 1929 in other words, the beginning of the great depression. The people that come to mind when talking about this decade are people like Herbert Hoover, Warren G., Harris, and Calvin Coolidge. This was also the decade that started the monthly loan payback system, where citizens could buy an expensive fridge and pay it off over time instead of all at once.
Something that I learned from a previous class about the 1920s is that it was the start of prohibition. Which media is illegal to sell or provide alcohol in the United States? Which created many problems, like gangs selling it, illegal bars, and complaints/riots from citizens. I don’t exactly remember any books or movies that came out in this decade but I do remember we saw the first glimpse of the first ever television, which did not become popular until the 1940s. In terms of music, I do know that jazz became a very popular genre during this decade due to a lack of financial struggle and a booming economy.
The thoughts that come into my head when studying this photo are the popularity that cars started having during this decade. Where a decade ago, there was only horse and buggy, and now those roads that were used for horse and buggy were turned into regular roads, highways, and traffic stops. This photo also shows me a new way of transportation for the public in terms of buses and taxis. This photo also shows me that there was not a huge variety of different styles of cars or motor vehicles during this time. That tells me of how new the car industry was during the 20s.
The Decade of Cars and the New Way of Transportation. (https://americainclass.org/sources/becomingmodern/prosperity/text1/text1.htm)
The 1920s was the year that women finally got the right to vote and this photo shows me that their bravery and struggles paid off at the end when women were finally given that right. The man in the middle of this photo is President Warren G Harding, and his election was the first election in which women were allowed to vote for the first time for their president. This photo also shows me the support that the newly elected president has for women and their rights to vote for their nation’s leaders.
Marie Curie with President Warren Harding (https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/america-1921-roaring-20s-100-years-ago/31/)
Many people tend to glance over or completely forget what the 20s brought to the world and the United States. When looking past the money, legislation, and rights people were fighting for in the 20s the 20s also brought the greatest change in fashion and music. When I saw this photo, it completely defined another side of what this decade brought to America. It brought a new wave of fashion and style for women in terms of hats, hairstyles, and short dresses. While also popularizing a new music genre, known as jazz. This photo shows a different side of the 20s that should have defined this musical/fashionable decade.
Homecoming theme invites a look back to the Jazz Age (https://sc.edu/uofsc/posts/2020/10/roaring_twenties.php)
Biography
- “Age of Prosperity, America in the 1920s, Primary Sources for Teachers, America in Class, National Humanities Center.” n.d. Americainclass.org. Accessed January 28, 2024. https://americainclass.org/sources/becomingmodern/prosperity/text1/text1.htm.
- Horn, Chris. n.d. “The Roaring ’20s — America and UofSC a Century Ago.” University of South Carolina. Accessed January 28, 2024. https://sc.edu/uofsc/posts/2020/10/roaring_twenties.php.
- Learish, Jessica. 2021. “What America Looked Like 100 Years Ago.” CBS News. April 26, 2021. https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/america-1921-roaring-20s-100-years-ago/.
