Hoover's claim that the Americans were a happy people was not entirely factual rather it was based on the great "American dream" that the acquisition of material things is responsible for happiness and fulfilment. "Wealth is the chief end of man" commented President Coolidge (a). The 1920's were a time of great political, economic and social change for the United States of America (USA). The decade saw a massive economic boom, widespread technological advance and increased personal freedom. As a result of the changes and developments that took place, it became characterised as a period of apparent prosperity and happiness. However, Hoover's claim that Americans at that time were a "happy people" was not an entirely accurate portrayal of reality, unless one equates happiness with mere statistics, because to a large extent the 1920's were an era of "mindless materialism and consumption and the pursuit of private wealth over public purpose"(b). Whilst for many the twenties really were a "roaring" time, it was a decade in which underneath the surface of a seemingly optimistic and flourishing country, lay rising intolerance, racism and economic suffering for minority groups. It was a period of great contradiction: of high hopes yet endless despair, of optimism yet cynicism, of social advances but moral decline and of happiness for some yet widespread sadness for others.
Political developments during the 1920's contributed to a large extent in creating the statistics President Hoover claimed were proof that Americans were a "happy people". Between 1920 and 1929 the American people elected three republican Presidents, each of whom promised to promote the politics of prosperity and thus create a flourishing economy and a happy people, "The Chief Business of the American people is business"(c) stated President Coolidge. The use of a republican policy known as laissez faire played a key role in bringing about the economic boom and consequent prosperity, which many Americans equated with happiness.
The Roaring Twenties The Roaring Twenties was a decade of fun and general good feeling in the United States. ... The Roaring Twenties was a decade for music in the U.S. ... The most popular writer of the Roaring Twenties, F. ... Poetry also bloomed during the Roaring Twenties. ... The greatest hero of the Roaring Twenties was Charles A. ...
In the early 20th century, otherwise known as the Roaring Twenties, the United States did not only dramatically change economically, but the sudden burst of popular entertainment, new intuitive inventions, and the initiation of mass productions, made America the wealthiest country in the world. ... However, the Roaring Twenties marked the end of economic and social improvement for a long time, since the Wall Street Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the Great Depression would hit in the next decade. ... Scott Fitzgerald, the phrase, "The Jazz Age," was also used to describe the Roaring T...
Inventions Of The Roaring Twenties The 1920s in America was a time like no other in American history. This decade referred to as the "Roaring Twenties" was a prosperous, carefree, and exciting time for most Americans. ... Another large scale invention of the Roaring Twenties was the liquid fuel rocket. ... Another practical invention to come out of the Roaring Twenties was the electric razor. ... Probably the most enjoyed social/leisure invention to come out of the Roaring Twenties was the television. ...
Scott Fitzgerald) The roaring twenties were a period of new discoveries and wealth. ... The advancement in technology contributes to the roaring 1920s. Secondly, the changing culture was also a big aspect in the twenties. ... Fashion also experienced changes into the roaring twenties. ... The economic boom affected many Canadians and contributed greatly to making the 1920s a truly roaring decade. ...
The Roaring Twenties was a truly exciting decade in American History. Today people might say that this decade "rocked back, then it roaring in all aspects of life;- in fashion, music, literature, sports, social reform, politics, economics and more. ...
The Twenties: Facade and Reality The twenties was a very unusual time period in American History. ... This is probably the reason it is called the Roaring Twenties. In the twenties, industry took a very big step. ... In the twenties, people had parties all of the time. ... This facade of the "roaring twenties" covered up some terrible things that were happening at the same time. ...
The young flappers of the twenties felt no need to conform to the rigid models of femininity that their mothers accepted. ... As an attempt to increase the population of the town, which had halved in the previous twenty years, the town officials agreed to a challenge by the ACLU hoping it would bring Dayton some publicity. ... The 1920s, was a prosperous time period known by a few names, such as the Roaring Twenties, the Jazz Age, the Age of Wonderful Nonsense, and the Age of Intolerance: Overall, the decade is often seen as a period of great contradiction. ...
The Roaring Twenties was a scandalous time that felt the energy of both a booming and crashing stock market. The twenties was a time which America was, supposedly, being destroyed by the rampant drinking that was corrupting the nation. ... This helped give this decade the name "The Roaring Twenties". ...
Hughes career began to flourish in the decade of the 1920s, widely known as "the Roaring Twenties." ... The rapid growth of the KKK was one of the effects of the "Roaring Twenties"(Pietrusza 43-44). ... Aspects of the "Roaring Twenties" is evident in Hughes" work. Growing from the "Roaring Twenties," the Harlem Renaissance became an event just as important as the twenties. ... The development of jazz came from the effects of the "Roaring Twenties" (Watson 107). ...
