The 'Roaring Twenties'

The 1920s was a time of change. This evolution was known as the “Roaring Twenties” and took place during 1920-1929. It typically took place in American cities. However, it began in metropolitan cities such as Chicago, New Orleans, New York City and Philadelphia. This evolution began spreading right after World War 1. The Twenties’ was a time of social, artistic, and cultural dynamism. This was basically a time where a big change occurred and was likely to change American society as well.  Many people at that time broke tradition and did things on their own freely. New music, technologies, and inventions blossomed during this period. Jazz was a very popular form of music. It was ‘new’ and ‘different’ and enjoyed by young people. The 18th amendment was ratified by congress, which prohibited the selling of alcoholic beverages. Many Americans rebelled against society’s law by going to speakeasies and drank there. Congress passed the 19th amendment which allowed women the right to vote for the very first time. The role of the woman also changed dramatically. The term ‘flapper’ emphasized the change of womanhood. This allowed women to cut their hair short, wore skirts above the knee, wore make-up, went out to night clubs where they drank, smoked, and danced. Most people in the society despised this kind of behavior from women. But, eventually, they later on accepted that women can also be independent and make their own choices. The growth of new technologies also became popular in this era. Radio stations developed, increasing the number of radios in every household. Television and moving pictures also developed drastically. Prior to radio and television, many people gained their knowledge through printed materials and books that defined the period. Some examples include, “The Great Gatsby” written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. This novel defined the American dream that any person can achieve anything. Another example is another novel written by T.S. Eliot called “The Wasteland”, which explains the reflection of the modern world’s loss of values. The 1920’s was one of the most important events of history because it was the time when it changed American society.

The 'New' Woman

During the 1920's, the 'new' woman emerged. The passing of the 19th amendment allowed women to vote for the very first time. This also gave women the opportunity to also begin looking for careers and working outside their homes. Women's fashion also changed as well. They broke away from the Victorian era and began dressing what they thought was more modern. Young women started rebelling against the old ways of the older generation. They wanted to have fun and to experiment with life. That's when the 'flapper' came to be. The term 'flapper' referred to a changed woman during the 1920's. The term "flapper" first appeared in Great Britain after World War I. It was there to use to describe those young girls, still somewhat in there awkward stage when they had not yet entered their womanhood. The 'flapper' usually styled their hair in a short bob, wore short skirts, wore excessive make up, which at the time was seen as inappropriate for a woman and they did and said things that often others thought was not lady like for a woman to say or do. The ‘Flapper' image was convinced as drastic - to some, shocking - changes in women's clothing and hair. Almost every article of their clothing was trimmed down and lightened in order to make their movement easier. The images of flappers were young women who went by night to jazz clubs where they danced, smoked cigarettes, and went out and dated freely.  The Flappers' behaviors were considered strange at the time and redefined women's roles. In America, a flapper has always been described as a giddy, attractive and slightly unusual young woman who was supposedly and somewhat a foolish girl, but full of wild surmises and tending to rebel against the rules and ideas of her elders. Flappers had both an image and an attitude. Flappers seemed to grip to youth as if it were to leave them at any moment. So, they took risks and were very reckless. They wanted to be different, to declare their departure from the Gibson Girl's morals. The ‘flapper’ created what many people would consider the "new" woman. However, this movement ended and the 'flapper' trend eventually faded away right in the time of the Stock Market Crash of 1929. Though, much of the 'flapper’ changes remained.

Mass Production

The 1920s was full of new technologies, especially automobiles; moving pictures and radio were a large part of the population. Mass production made technology more affordable to the middle class Americans.  The automobile, movie, radio, and chemical industries exploded during the 1920s. The most important product was the automobile industry. Before the war started, cars were a luxurious invention. Mass-produced vehicles became common throughout the U.S. and Canada. Henry Ford was an American industrialist. The automobile industry was led by him. He increased wages and lowered the cost of vehicles through out mass production making them affordable. In 1927, Henry Ford discontinued his Model T after selling 15 million of that model. Only about 300,000 vehicles was registered in 1918 in all of Canada, but by 1929, there were 1.9 million, and automobile parts were being made in parts of different states all over America. The automobile industry's effects were widespread, contributing to such industries as highway building, motels, service stations, used car dealerships and new housing outside the range of mass transit.  The automobile industry's effects were widespread, contributing to such industries as the making of highway buildings, motels, service stations, and making transportation easier for people. Aside the automobile industry, the radio was another popular invention. Radio became the first mass broadcasting medium. Radios were expensive, but their mode of entertainment proved innovative. Radio advertising became the attraction for mass marketing. Its economic importance led to the mass culture that has dominated society since. During the "golden age of radio", radio programming was as varied as TV programming today. The 1927 establishment of the Federal Radio Commission introduced a new era of regulation.  Before, radios couldn’t produce sound signals. Later on, once radio signals could be transmitted and received with improved clarity around the 1920s, the idea of public radio began to take hold in America. The first public radio broadcasting station opened in Pittsburgh, 1922. It was an instant success; listeners would sit around the radio listening to everything that was broadcasted. As a result many more radio stations popped up during the 20s, some even over night. The radio was one of the most important inventions of the 1920s, because it was a whole new way for people to communicate and interact .

The 'Charleston' Dance

The 1920’s were a time when dance clubs became extremely popular. Its popularity pointed in the late 1920s reaching up to the early 1930s. Different forms of music, such as classical pieces, operettas, folk music, etc. were all transformed into these popular dance melodies in order to satisfy the public craze for dancing. Dance clubs across the United States sponsored dance contests, where dancers were invented, tried, and competed with new moves. Professionals began to perfect their skills in tap dance and other dances of the era throughout the stage circuit across the United States. The most popular dances throughout this decade were the foxtrot, waltz and the American tango. However, a variety of unconventional uniqueness of dances was later on developed. The ‘Charleston’ is a dance named from the harbor city of Charleston, South Carolina. This rhythm was popularized in mainstream dance music in the United States by a 1923 tune called "The Charleston" by a composer and a pianist James P. Johnson which originated in the Broadway show Runnin' Wild. Although the origins of the dance are not clear, the dance has been traced back to African-Americans who lived on an island off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina (which is why the dance is called "Charleston"). The Charleston dance had been performed in African-American communities since 1903, but did not become internationally popular until the musical debuted in 1923. The ‘Charleston's popularity exploded after its feature in two 1922 popular Broadway shows. The year that hit the highest point for the Charleston as a dance by the public was between 1926 through 1927.  The music for the Charleston is ragtime jazz, in quick movements in the rhythm. This dance uses both swaying arms and the fast movement of the feet. The Charleston can be danced in a solo, or with a partner. Whichever style of Charleston a person chooses, whether dancing alone, or with a partner, or in groups, the basic steps resemble the natural movement of walking, which is usually performed in place. The Charleston dance became extremely popular during the 1920s especially with the Flappers.

The Jazz Age

Jazz music was extremely popular in the 1920's. It began in African-American communities in the Southern United States. The birth of jazz music was often attributed to African American but later on, it expanded and modified to become socially acceptable to middle-class white Americans. This movement was also known as the “Jazz Age.” The Jazz Age was a movement that took place during the 1920s, or the Roaring Twenties, where which jazz music and dance emerged with the introduction of typical radio and the end of the war. Jazz was being played everywhere, including dance halls and speakeasies. This type of music was 'new' and loved by many young generations. It was a way for young people to express their emotions from the strict law of the society. However, older generations saw Jazz as being immoral and threatening to old values in culture. Jazz music was the most influential aspect in American history. The phonograph record became the primary instrument of playing jazz music. Some famous jazz musicians include Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong. Louis Armstrong was the most influential jazz musician in history. He provided his music with his “Hot Five” and “Hot Seven” group recordings. He performed in front of white and black audiences. He was also the first Jazz soloist that gained influence as a trumpeter.

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