Social And Cultural Changes In The 1920s Essay

Words: 650
Pages: 3

The 1920’s were an age of dramatic social and cultural changes. Many new trends and advancements arose in fashion, music, and dancing. While the flappers were dancing and young rebels were hitting jazz clubs, the United States was advancing and changing its ways. The “roaring twenties” are known for prohibition, immigration policies, and the changing role of women in America. These changes caused dramatic reactions and created clashes throughout the country. Many people not only struggled with these changes morally and socially, but they also struggled physically. Prohibition caused major changes to the average american lifestyle. The ratification of the 18th amendment banned the manufacturing, transportation, and sale of alcohol which sparked national outrage. Prohibition was instated in an effort to reduce the massive group of people who relied on alcohol and decrease alcoholism. This obviously resulted in a change in lifestyle for a huge amount of Americans and created clashes. Some argued in …show more content…
The “Red Scare” was in full swing by 1920, and caused suspicion towards almost everybody, especially immigrants and aliens. Thousands were deported in order to decrease radicalism, and a tough immigration policy was instituted. The Quota Act set a maximum for the number of immigrants allowed to enter the United States to 350,000 per year. This alone created struggle, and soon caused many issues when the quota was reduced to 165,000 in 1924 (Pew Research Center). This obviously created issues for those looking to immigrate to the US, and for those who were forced to leave. It also created tension between the US and Japan, since the restrictions violated the “Gentlemen's Agreement” (Office of the Historian), and offended many Japanese. This mostly caused moral conflicts amongst American citizens, and didn’t help reduce hysteria towards