Culture of America During the 1920s free essay sample

This Great War destroyed the beliefs of Americans on reform and self righteousness. During the 1920’s the Americans began to grow out of the influence of Europe and create their own culture to become their own people. This newly developed culture expressed more freedom and changed the ways of life for many people. There was more time for leisure activities. They called themselves the â€Å"Americans. † Education, one part of this new change, improved greatly during this time period. Before the 1920’s, there were 1 million student enrolled in high school. High schools catered to college bound students and there was more focus on the lower levels such as the elementary grades. There was a limited variety of courses you can take in school. The number of immigrants increased to 1 million immigrants and school costs doubled. During the 1920’s, there was a significant increase in the students enrolled, from 1 million to 4 million. There was more of a broad range of courses developing, such as, vocational training for those interested in industrial jobs. Trades and industrial education was promoted in the city while agricultural education was promoted in rural areas. The number of immigrants increased significantly as more people arrived to America. There were a total of 2-4 million immigrants and the immigrant children filled the city classrooms. However, they did not have the capability to speak English which put teachers in a predicament. In 1926, the school costs doubled again to 2. 7 billion a year. Education became a more important part of a person’s life. Popular culture in the 1920’s was developing as more people had higher wages ($5 a day) and therefore more leisure time. Radios and magazines became increasingly popular. Radios became the most powerful communications medium. Before, radios were only used for important messages and speeches about World War I, but during the 1920’s, radios increasingly became more commonly used for news, entertainment, and even advertisements. By 1930, 40% of the U. S. owned a radio. As for magazines, mass circulations magazines flourished. Magazines would summarize the week’s news, both foreign and domestic. By the end of the 1920’s, there were 10 magazine companies which sold 2 million copies each, including the â€Å"Reader’s Digest,† and the â€Å"Time. Sports stars gained widely fame and were glorified as â€Å"superheroes of the media. † Athletes, such as, Gertrude Ederle, the first woman to swim on the English Channel, Andrew â€Å"Rube† Foster, the â€Å"Father of Black Baseball,† who founded the first Negro National League, and Babe Ruth, a legendary hitter for the â€Å"New York Yankees,† gained massive popularity. Movies were the most popular leisure activity during this period. Students would go enjoy a movie after school and watch productions like â€Å"The Jazz Singer,† and â€Å"Steamboat Willie,† which was the first animated film with sound. As for music, black people expressed their culture through jazz, thus, creating the Jazz Age. Jazz flourished and gained widespread appeal with its improvisational and spontaneous characteristics. Among the famous jazz musicians were Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, a self taught jazz composer, and Bessie Smith, a female blues singer. As popular culture became increasingly popular, so was the sense of rebellion of the youth. The people became more â€Å"loose† and lost sight of self-righteousness and morality of things. During this time period, there was a certain restlessness of the people and a lack of respect for the moral restrictions and laws. The youth, especially the college students, challenged the traditional beliefs of proper behavior by rebelling against their restrictions. They would throw wild parties, drink illegally, and commonly had premarital sex. Sex became less of a taboo than before, thus, became more openly spoken in public. Males wore less stuffy clothing and tried to look younger. Soon, the older generations adopted the youth’s social changes. As Prohibition was enforced in 1920, the lack of respect for the law increased. This Eighteenth Amendment prohibited the manufacturing, selling, and transporting of alcoholic beverages. This amendment, however, faced great opposition by cities all over America and caused the formation of bootleggers, who would smuggle in liquor illegally, and speakeasies, an illegal drinking joint. However, 81% of Americans believed that prohibition caused worse damages than the initial problem. Gangs arose, such as, Al Capone. The women went through a big change in terms of their social and political life. Women changed their fashions drastically more than men. They wore shorter skirts and had shorter hair. The flapper, a symbol of a fashionable, pleasure seeking woman of the decade, represented the rebelliousness of this period. A flapper had a tomboyish look with short bobbed hair, knee-length skirts, and rolled stockings. More women enjoyed the freedom to smoke and drink in public and the freedom to get jobs. Women wanted jobs as nurses, teachers, or librarians. More women went to college and got their education. Back at home, the wife had more power in the household than before and there was more equality between the husband and wife. The wife would not be as dependant on their husbands anymore. As America tried to get away from European influence and â€Å"drama,† they created a new culture for themselves which represented a period of more freedom and also rebellion. This newly found culture produced a significant change in the people’s social and political lives. As people had more leisure time, popular culture developed, where the people were able to enjoy and spend their time with sports, music, literature, and movies. This popular culture became widely influenced. Although there was a positive change in culture, there was also this tension as a new part became added to it. A sense of rebellion among the youth was established, which was later adopted by older generations also. As Prohibition was enforced, more people developed this lack of respect for morals and the law. Also, women went through drastic changes as they created an outrageous fashion and as they developed a desire for more freedom. They were able to do things, such as, get jobs, openly talk about sex, smoke, and drink. America’s own sense of pride was established as a result of trying to become their â€Å"own people. †