The American Dream In The 1920's

The Jazz Age was an innovative period lasting from the end of World War I to the 1929 Stock Market crash. It was a time filled with music, celebration, and free will. The attitude of this time was sensual and the intimacy between couples began to increase. Dancing was done chest to chest, and couples were very close to each other during this time. Since this was a post-war period, the young people of the twenties had a reason to be happy. After the war, America became infatuated with money and business. For this reason, the Jazz Age gave a taste of the American Dream to the people who lived in this time period (Hamilton 4-7). The American Dream is a dream in which an individual has the ability to start from nothing, work hard, and have success.
The music and dance moves that were practiced in the 20’s were almost fit for a celebration. The fast paced beat and quick movements gave people the sense that there was joy in the room. This fast paced dance style was called Ragtime. Older dances such as the Foxtrot and Waltz were still popular, but Ragtime was the more popular dance style for the younger dancers. Many young Americans saw these moves in television and film and wanted to emulate them on the dance floor at the various nightclubs that the 1920’s offered. In the early 1900’s the Waltz and Foxtrot were considered inappropriate because of the physical contact involved. However this was nothing compared to the physical contact in Ragtime dancing (“1920’s Dances”
The Ratification to the 18th Amendment of the Constitution made it illegal to manufacture, sell, or distribute alcoholic beverages. Prohibitionists who believed that alcohol was causing a higher crime rate and was America’s “curse” put this Amendment into effect. Once prohibited, the economy began to drop. Jobs in breweries and bars were lost and many restaurants had to close down due to a loss of income. The Government was losing money fast. It spent more than $300,000,000 to enforce the prohibition. With the situation getting worse, there was no way that the government could make that money back. Alcohol was a major part of American’s lives, and to take that away was like giving them a new purpose. Crime actually started to go up because of the amount of bootleg alcohol being sold and stolen. Gangsters such as Al Capone started to emerge and create crime over the lack of alcohol. This created National debt and stared a problem, which led to one of the Nation’s darkest hours (“Prohibition”