1920's Free Essay Sample

A new era of isolationism began after World War I, which brought economic growth, a radical shift in American culture, and a gradual departure from traditionalistic values in the United States. The 1920’s were in fact a turning point for the United States presenting a political and social change in the lives of American women, and also the awakening of the Jazz Age in the African American community would leave a legacy in modern American Culture.

The passage of the 19th amendment, which "granted American women the right to vote" at the start of the 1920s, came after years of pressure from the Women's Suffrage Movement, in which women would join forces and speak up for equal rights and freedom to be more active in politics and to live in an equitable and fair society. While men were away fighting in Europe during World War I, women began to be hired in war resource industries to cover their positions, in which they had to wear their husbands' clothes for convenience. This drastic transition from housewives to warfare workers allowed women to have a wider vision of a new way of life, leading to the uprising of the "Flappers," or young women who "cut their hair short, smoked cigarettes, drank alcohol, danced jazz, and wore short and flowy dresses which would give a glimpse to their shoulders and knees”, this became quite scandalous and outraged traditionalistic Americans at the time since these behaviors were not seen ladylike but more of a rebellious and sexual manner.

This marked a defining moment in the lives of American women since they were granted the right to vote for the first time in history, gaining more political power for future elections, and began to make their own decisions about their ideal appearance and lifestyles without feeling subjugated by a moralistic society, resulting in a new sense of freedom and independence in which they would defy the Victorian status quo where women could only succeed in life by marrying and having children.