Madison Roland

Dr. Wilcox
2:00 MW
2 November 2016
The Roaring Twenties: A Time for Change
Imagine the beads of a flappers dress rattling to the noise of a jazz band; a speakeasy
flooded with a sea of illegally drunken people. The decade of the nineteen twenties was filled
with nights like this, but it also contained numerous milestones. Americans grew culturally,
economically, and politically throughout the decade.
The new decade started off with innovative artists making a contribution to the evolution
of culture in America. Genres of music were introduced to citizens. During the time period, Jazz
music and the Blues were born. Musicians like Louis Armstrong, a famous Jazz artist, and TBone Walker, a Blues singer, filled clubs with their talent. Novels also began to make a greater
appearance on the market. F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby and Virginia Woolfs To the
Lighthouse are examples of stories that were written in the twenties; they are still popular to this
day. In addition to entertainment on the market, the first movie with sound was made in 1927,
The Jazz Singer. The introduction of new forms of entertainment, in the twenties, helped shape
the culture of Americans.
The economic status of our country grew over these years. Inventions that facilitated
living for the upper class were created in the twenties. Americans were introduced to the
refrigerator. The invention of the fridge helped store cold food, and reduce the risk of food borne

illness by keeping food at a safe temperature. Washing machines and vacuum cleaners were also
brought into the homes of Americans. These inventions helped families do household chores in a
timely manner. Henry Ford made the biggest invention of this time period; he created machines
to mass produce cars in a factory. In this decade, automobiles were only available to wealthy
citizens, but with Fords help cars were available to the middle class as well. On my forty minute
drive to school yesterday morning, I thanked Henry Ford that I had a car to drive instead of a
horse and carriage.
The nineteen-twenties was also a time for women to receive more equal roles as men. For
decades, men were allowed to vote, but women did not have this luxury. In 1920, congress
passed the nineteenth amendment, allowing women the right to vote. The amendment was a step
in the right direction for females. Some women had the new mind-set that they were equal to
men. While the majority of females were still housewives, the area of work increased for women
by twenty- five percent! +Several women got careers as a seamstress in this era.
While the nineteen- twenties may have been known for a time of partying for most
people, I believe it was a time for change. Americans were given new forms of entertainment,
inventions, and women equality.