American Dream in the 1920's

The American dream in the 1920’s.

The 1920’s are an era full of contradictions, as almost every era in the history of human kind. There are the ideas of success and progress while there are also ideas that promote violence and injustices. All of these ideas are present in the concepts of:

• Mass production, which was executed by Henry Ford. This person is a very important character during this period for he represents what the 1920’s were “supposed” to be. And he once said, “I am looking for a lot of men who have an infinite capacity to not know what can't be done.” The quote represents the general belief (during the time) that everything can be done and mass production its  a proof of that ideology.

• Freedom, during this time there was also the big event of women having the right to vote.  This right made women felt that they were free and that they didn’t belong to men anymore. This feeling of freedom allowed women to dress and live as they pleased (have fun). Louise Brooks is the stereotype of this kind of women that were called flappers.
  
  

“When I went to Hollywood in 1927, the girls were wearing lumpy sweaters and skirts . . . I was wearing sleek suits and half naked beaded gowns and piles and piles of furs.”

- Louise Brooks

• Hollywood was also a highlight point in the 1920’s for it was during this time that Hollywood started to gain its reputation with movies and television. In 1927 the first movie with sound was released and it was called The jazz singer. 
  
  

• Jazz culture was also an important part of the time. The 1920’s gave allowed jazz to move from its birthplace in New Orleans to big cities such as Chicago and New York. The decade, also, gave raise to artist such as King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Kid Ory and Duke Ellington.
  
  

“If you have to ask what jazz is, you'll never know.”

- Louis Armstrong

•          Prohibition is probably one of the most important occurrences of the 1920’s. Prohibition was a law passed from the progress that prohibited people from consuming and vending of any kind of alcohol in the United States of America. This reform brought with it many bad consequences that included: Mafia (Bootlegging: traffic of alcohol that was brought from Canada or Mexico), Speakeasy clubs (places where alcohol was sold illegally) and moonshining (people making their own alcohol). 

Al Capone was an American granter, during the prohibition, who led a crime syndicate called The Chicago Outfit. This group was dedicated to smuggling, bootlegging liquor, prostitution and other illegal activities. Al Capone once said “When I sell liquor, it's called bootlegging; when my patrons serve it on Lake Shore Drive, it's called hospitality.”

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•       Racism was quite common during the time. It became quite violence and it was taken to its worse by the KKK. The Ku Klux Klan was a group of white people who implemented extreme methods of aggression against black people.

Taking into account all of what took place during the 1920’s it can be seen clearly that this was a time of contrast for both good things and bad things were happening. 1920’s society was progressing but at the same time it was going backwards. And so what about the American dream during this period: was it there or was it none existing. One point of view about the American dream during the 1920’s is that it was a contrast between being there and not being at all. This contradiction is due to different contrast that characterized the 1920’s. It is true that America was becoming a better place, that there were opportunities for everyone and that there was progress. But at the same time there was violence, discrimination and illegal activities that brought negative consequences to America. And so both things were happening at the same time: the American dream was a truth and the American dream was a lie.