Daily Life in the United States 1920-1940 was written by David E. Kyvig in 2002 and revised again in 2004. This historical novel documents the transformation America went through during the 1920’s – 40’s. Kyvig addresses numerous events that contributed to the rise and fall of America. The book was written to inform citizens and non-citizens of the industrial, economic, and cultural changes that took place in America. Kyvig establishes stepping stones to America and pieced the book together with contents that range from “Life’s Basics” to “Conflict, Crime, to Catastrophe” in the states.
Kyvig supports his topics with specific events such as the birth of the automobile, the welcoming of women into the political world, and the mass numbers of immigration that flourished the country. He goes in depth on how automobiles changed Americas take on life inside and out of factories and states that, “In 1920 barely one household in three possessed a car, though this represented a dramatic increase from one in thirteen at the outset of World War I. Automobile ownership tripled during the 1920s, and by decade’s end four families in five owned one” (Kyvig p.27). He recognizes and promotes the welcoming of women into the political world to surge democracy and better the economy as stated in the text, “The establishment of national prohibition and woman suffrage at the very outset of the 1920s created a strong sense that the new decade marked a fresh beginning for American society” (Kyvig p.6). He also speaks of the multitudes of immigrants that flourished the country and characterized the states to be a “Melting Pot” of cultures. All of these components helped to create the American Dream that each and every citizen strives to attain. Kyvig does a spectacular job in educating his audience in events like these and many more throughout the book.
In the first chapter of the book, titled “The Circumstances of Life in 1920”, Kyvig writes about the
Cited: "Henry Ford Changes the World, 1908," EyeWitness to History www.eyewitnesstohistory.com (2005). Kyvig, David E. Daily Life in the United States, 1920-1940: How Americans Lived through the "Roaring Twenties" and the Great Depression. Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 2004. Print.