1920-1980: A Rush From the Past to the Future.
The 1920's, a period recovering from the first Great War, saw the adjustment of social, cultural and economic forces in the United States. It was these adjustments and tunings that would shape contemporary America today. The "New" woman secured her right to vote and forced congress to recognize her equality, all while breaking sexual tensions with contraception and leading The Women's Party to new heights. Tax cut legislation, revolutions among races, mass production of the automobile and the development of flight all changed American life forever. The 1980's, a period recovering from the Vietnam War, saw many changes as well with the fall of the Soviet Union, the rise of the Iran crisis and new developments in the fight again AIDS. More so within the political sphere, the 1920's and 1980's showed many fundamental similarities. In examining drastic tax cuts implemented in both the 20's and 80's it can be concluded that the distribution of wealth in the United States was parallel in both times, favoring the rich. Secondly, racial tensions plagued society, as the rise of the "New Negro" stirred violence in the 20's and the blatant neglect of the African American in the 80's bore controversy. Furthermore, American foreign policy in Latin America was questioned in the 20's and then again in the 80's with incidents in el Salvador and Guatemala. Therefore, with respects to domestic policy, racial tensions, and foreign policy in Latin America, the 20's and the 80's in the United States were analogous. .
Both the 1920's and 1980's underwent drastic tax cuts. Secretary of treasury Mellon introduced a philosophy of reducing the national debt by cutting expenses. This would be achieved by lowering the taxes of the rich, reversing the low tariff policies of Woodrow Wilson and working towards a laissez-faire government. Mellon followed the belief that reducing taxes on the extremely wealthy would encourage investment and create more jobs for the lower classes.
