Speech on CH 24

            As all of you know, the 1920s in the US was a period of constant change. I find that the 1920s was the turning point, which separated the ways of old American tradition from the modernized lifestyle we live today.

I like to view history as a story of how collective groups of people have progressed. In American history, we can view the 1920s as the climax that answers the questions of the past, and point us towards the future. 

Poorer and less urban Americans stuck to the traditions of old, where as the younger, richer and more urban people were open to change and willing to be a part of the change that was being brought about during the decade.

Before the 20s, the average family didn’t have the electrical appliances that we think of today as essentials, things like washing machines, vacuums and refrigerators. For the first time, families could afford to buy both need and luxury based items, and thanks to that affordability of cars allowed people to escape their daily lives and take vacations. Life for the most of the youth in the 20s could not have been any better.

But the 20s weren’t all about buying products and making life easier, for a large part of the country it was about art of many varieties; paintings, drawings, poetry and novels. Some of the best artistic work in history was crafted in this decade.  

However for some, the 1920s in America didn’t seem so glamorous. There were many people who took dissatisfaction with the time. They were known as the “disenchanted”. They were repulsed with the idea of consumerism and the country’s obsession with material wealth.

When the National Origins Act was passed, America took a step backwards in its progress. Congress limited the immigration from most of the world and completely eliminated immigration from East Asia.

The lives that each of us lead today would be drastically different if people who lived in the 20s weren’t open to progress. If they hadn’t adopted the new ideas, embraced the art, and immersed themselves in the ever-changing culture of America, our lives wouldn’t be as simple as they are today.