The Industrial Revolution was large movement for America as it led to new progress and was highly influential to the country. The “Roaring Twenties” was the next great period of influence as it created new reaches for industry, changed America socially, and brought a new identity to America. Circumstances led to this period being so influential such as the success of women’s rights, the laissez faire policy the government used, and the American spirit of freedom. The 1920’s in America was extremely influential as it expanded past the toll of World War 1 and the traditionalists who wanted to continue life similar to pre World War 1.
Women had a huge impact on the 1920’s as they not only achieved the right to vote but also began to take a new identity. Before World War 1 women had little place outside of the home, they were not very useful to business during the industrial revolution as men had first choice in jobs. Women then began to work in factories as men began shipping overseas for World War 1 and by the end of the war, women had been given the 19th Amendment, the right to vote. Women’s groups such as the Women’s Christian Temperance Union also helped push for the 18th Amendment, Prohibition in America. This was a major issue of the 1920’s as it was highly broken law displayed by “Eventually some 32,000 speakeasies replaced the 15,000 legal saloons of pre-Prohibition New York.” The American spirit of freedom is shown here as the law was repealed by the 21st amendment. Women displayed the power to organize in times of need and for accomplishments they wanted showing how influential women are in the Roaring Twenties.
Government did not interfere in big business of the 1920’s in a policy known as laissez faire which led to the free enterprise of industry. This caused the American economy to soar and grow through the 20’s displayed by J.E. Beaudoin article, “On Wall Street, stock prices climbed again today in a wild ‘bull market.’” The prosperity of the country was shown in the stock market as new waves of stock speculators known as Bulls began investing into wall street. The Bulls conflicted with the experienced Bears of the stock market and began to realize the whole industry becoming “a house of cards. If one piece fails, the whole thing could collapse.” The 1920’s also displayed how the laws created during the Industrial Revolution could be overturned such as the Sherman Anti-Trust Act and the Clayton Act of 1914 just for the growth of big business. Therefore displaying how influential the Roaring Twenties were as they surpassed the economy and overturned the laws of the Industrial Revolution.
The American spirit of freedom can be displayed best by the introduction of the affordable automobile. By 1925 “one in five Americans owned a car, a ratio eight times higher than in any other country.” The car was incredibly influential to American society as it not only allowed the worker to live farther away from the factory by commuting, it allowed for families to travel. The American worker was then allowed to live away from the cities creating the suburbs which flourished with middle class families. Travel was open to any opportunity such as sunday drive or weekend drives, or teenagers taking their dates out of the home and also autocamping which was very popular of the 20’s. The automobile displayed the movement from tradition to new freedoms of the American people. “Cars had changed forever the way Americans saw their country” therefore displaying how much influence the automobile had in the Roaring Twenties.
The 1920’s in America was a highly influential period that brought a change and a new identity to America. The Industrial Revolution was previously the most influential period of America and set up for the Roaring Twenties to occur. Although the 20’s movement for women, the laissez faire of business and the automobile all display how this period is the next influential era of American history.
