The American economy was the strongest in the world by during the 1920s. Mass production introduced by Henry Ford, brought prices down and created a huge number of new jobs. By 1929 Americans owned over 23million cars and road construction, petrol stations and electric power stations created even more well paid jobs. Another factor contributing to the prosperity of American businesses is the introduction of tariffs. This consisted of putting taxes on foreign imports to raise their prices so people were less likely to buy them. This helped American companies sell their items within America easily. Buying on the margin was encouraged by the American government in the 1920s. It was seen as a quick and risk free way of making money, “Get Rich Quick”. The gross national product (GNP) of the US increased from $74 billion in 1921 to $104.4 billion in 1929.
However, the prosperity was not equally divided. 6million families, 42% of the total had an income of under $100 a year and certainly couldn’t afford the new inventions. Source D is a cartoon commenting on the situation faced by farmers, who were among the least well off. It shows the factories pumping out huge amounts of money whereas the farmer is having to sell his farm due to the intense amount of competition from other countries. Due to the policy of “rugged individualism” advocated by Presidents Coolidge and Hoover, the poor people were unable to receive any support from the government.
Black Americans were also among the people who didn’t benefit from the boom. Racial conflict created a rift between black and white Americans, specialty in the southern states. Many factories also operated an all-white policy which meant it was hard for black people to jobs. Source B shows two young black men being lynched by a white mob. Just by looking at the expressions on the faces of some of the “spectators” it is clear that the above statement is somewhat simplistic in describing the lives of all Americans. The Ku Klux Klan (KKK), an extremely racist organization was behind most of the lynching and protests. Communists, Asians and Africans were also among those persecuted because of racial discrimination during the 1920s.
The 1920s witnessed a new age in the social activities of young Americans and a decline in tradition. The mass consumption in the economy produced new types of music, the most famous of which was jazz. Source A shows a group of young men and women dancing the Charleston, a jazz dance with black African-American roots. New inventions also led to new types of entertainment such as the cinema, radio, and records as shown in source C. In 1920 40million cinema seats were sold per week, and in 1929 the figure increased to 100million. Source E shows crowds lining up for cinema tickets in Chicago.
I conclusion, to say that everybody was having a good time in the 1920s is far too simplistic. The prosperity of the American economy was not divided among everybody. Farmers and Black Americans clearly suffered from the economic boom and racial discrimination created a rift predominantly between black and white Americans. Source B is an example of the sick sense of humour and activities engaged by the KKK. However saying that the 1920s was not a good time for everybody is also a mistake, because a large majority of the population did benefit. The statement must be balanced out considering all points of views, rather than a one-sided opinion in order to be true.
