The Rise of Women's Rights and Freedom in the Roaring Twenties

The First World War had left behind a trail of destruction and heart ache in its wake throughout the world, however not long after, the age of prosperity began to rise and rebuild. The 1920’s also known as the Roaring Twenties is known as the decade with thrilling changes, new found freedom, dancing, increase of wealth and of course more dancing. This extravagant decade wasn’t only known to be in the United States, it was also in some parts of Western Europe such as London, Berlin and Paris. The Roaring 20’s had so many momentous events that changed the world forever. The economy surged and fell and surged again, job opportunities had risen, and automobiles were in high demand. Another huge accomplishment was that women were given the right to vote, prohibition was also a big part of the decade and let’s not forget about The Great Depression that occurred just as the Roaring Twenties was ending. Those are just a few examples to show how accurate the label ‘Roaring Twenties’ was a turbulent decade in the United States of America.

The booming economy at the beginning of the decade is an accurate example of exactly how roaring the Roaring Twenties were. The United States’ victory in the First World War gave the country its first glimpse at being a global powerhouse, America’s economy grew at an amazing space. Mass production expanded new consumer goods into every household. The ice box was replaced by the refrigerator, the good old brooms were replaced by vacuum cleaners, toasters and washing machines also became everyday household items. Radios were also brought into the mix, radio stations broadcasted everything from weather to news to music to sports events. The airplane and auto industry also greatly expanded, due to World War 1 the development of the airplane had sped up, the returning pilots were eager to show off their flying skills. Productivity rose in the automobile industry due to Henry Ford’s assembly line. “In 1920 barely one household in three possessed a car, though this represented a dramatic increase from one in thirteen at the outset of World War 1.”. By the end of the decade a impressive number of over twenty-five million cars were on the road and a great deal of that is owed to families being able buy on credit. Economic benefits were created for all because of the expansion of the auto industry. Workers were needed in all types of industries, as a result of new roads, bridges and traffic lights being built, gas stations, restaurants and hotels grew in service as a result of the drivers who now drove longer distances. Of course, insurance companies added expansive coverage to protect the drivers and their vehicles. “By the mid-1920s one of eight U.S workers was somehow involved in the production, sales, service and fueling of automobiles.”. Henry Ford’s vision was to speed up and shorten the production to reduce prices and make his Model T affordable to more customers, and that’s what led to his innovation of the assembly line instead of individual construction crews. The production of automobiles changed the way people worked, shopped and spent their free time. The economy, however, took a big hit on January 16, 1920, that “...was the last day that Americans could legally buy a drink before the Eighteenth Amendment and the Volstead Act went into effect.”. The act prohibited the sale, manufacture and or transport of any alcoholic beverages. This is when the nation saw the rise of the mobsters/ gangsters and it led to the underground economy as people defied the law. With the ban of the alcohol came along the ripple effect of the unexpected and unintended consequences of that action. There was a decline in the amusement and entertainment industries, restaurants failed because they could no longer make a profit without legal alcohol sales, there was also a loss of revenue in the theaters. Thousands of jobs were lost due to the closing of breweries, distillers and other related jobs, truckers and waiters are just two examples of the different types of people that lost their jobs. As the jobs plummeted, the crime however skyrocketed, “[t]he 1920s saw a rapid increase in the American crime rate, mainly because of the illegal liquor trade that mob bosses created...”. “Prohibition creates new profit opportunities for both criminals and noncriminals.” The prohibition failed to enforce sobriety and cost the nation billions of dollars and it lost its popular support, so finally in 1933 the Eighteenth Amendment was repealed, therefore ending the Prohibition.

The increase in financial prosperity amongst the American people gave them more disposable income to spend amongst themselves on entertainment. During this period, movies and sports became increasingly popular in the American society. Radios became a common household item in American homes, the radio stations broadcasted play-by-play descriptions of sporting events bringing the sports entertainment right into the homes of millions. The radio helped showcase the sports and their athletes. Babe Ruth, who played for the New York Yankees was the most famous athlete during the Roaring Twenties. At the time baseball was the national pastime during the Twenties, more people went to baseball games, followed the game and more people played the game in their free time for than any other sport. While baseball was one of the more recognized sports, it didn’t mean other sports weren’t making their debut in America. During the Roaring Twenties college football was becoming more and more popular, as was boxing, and at that time professional football and basketball were still minor sports. The American Film Industry had moved to Hollywood before World War 1 because land was cheap and plentiful, they could shoot all year round and it was very diverse, it had the beach, desert, ocean, and mountains all in one place. However, during the Roaring Twenties is when the film industry greatly benefited, by 1925 the American Film Industry had beat all its competitors and became the greatest in the world. Movies became a daily part of the American society and one of its biggest forms of entertainment during the Roaring Twenties. During this decade, the early films were still silent, however near the end of the decade sound in movies was created, a famous movie star known for these types of films was Charlie Chaplin. Most Americans attended a movie theater weekly, “[w]ith 95 million movie tickets being sold each week by the end of the decade...”. In “October 1927 they brought out the first feature length “talking picture”, the Jazz Singer...”, that was another historically big moment for the film industry.

The Roaring Twenties was the decade for women, this was when women discovered their new found freedom. One of the biggest moments in American History during the Roaring Twenties happened right at the beginning of the decade, women were given the right to vote, and on August 18, 1920, a tumultuous special session of the Tennessee legislature completed ratification of an amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote. The right to vote gave the women an entirely new attitude and way of life, they felt more relevant within society. Before World War 1, the ideal average woman, known as the Gibson Girl was described to be tall and thin, have curves in all the right places, she was expected to have full, long hair, she was not to wear excessive makeup, wearing little to none so that it gave off a natural look. However, after the war in came in the independent “rebellious” to society’s norms, the Flapper Girl. Whereas the Gibson Girl followed the man’s idea of how she should act and dress, the Flapper was the complete opposite. She cut her hair, wore makeup how she wanted and dressed differently, Flapper girls were independent, opinionated and opposed to the Gibson Girl image presented to them.

The Roaring Twenties truly showcased the historical events that took part during the golden decade. From the roaring economy, to the prohibition, to the entertainment industry, all the way to the vote that gave women their rights, this decade really highlighted the American Dream. This decade was the age of social and political change for many people in the United States.