The Roaring Twenties

Descriptive Essay # 115531

History > U.S. 1900-1930

An overview of the Roaring Twenties and the subsequent fall into depression.

783 words () | 6 sources | MLA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper describes the Roaring Twenties era, focusing on the Harlem Renaissance, the growth of the cinema, the evolution of fashion and the mass production that made products more readily available to the masses. The paper explains how money and the pursuit of wealth became an obsession in America that led to scandals such as the infamous "Teapot Dome Scandal". The paper also explains that the unbalanced production and consumption cycle during this period led to debt and rising unemployment rates, followed by bank failure. This, in turn, caused the stock market to crash in 1929, marking the beginning of the greatest economic depression the US had ever seen and will likely never forget.

From the Paper:

"The 1920s was the decade when women and men began wearing more comfortable and casual clothes. Men first began wearing sports clothes and women began wearing shorter skirts and pants. The fashion most famously associated with the "roaring twenties" began later in the decade, after 1925. Women cut their hair in a short "bob", a bold move at the time so that they could fit under the popular hats. Fashion modeled after the Greek and Roman tunics began to appear, being design for freedom of movement, and to draw more awareness to the body underneath the clothes. Flat chests for women were considered most attractive and the first breast reduction surgeries were performed at this time. ("1920s in fashion.")"

Sample of Sources Used:

"Urbanization of America." TheUSAOnline.com. 6 Apr 2008 <http://www.theusaonline.com/people/urbanization.htm>."Harlem Renaissance."
Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 6 Apr 2008, 23:16 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 7 Apr 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Harlem_Renaissance&oldid=203860946>.
"America in the 1920s." Eye Witness to History. 6 Apr 2008 <http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/snpmech.htm>.
"1920s in fashion." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 2 Apr 2008, 22:56 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 7 Apr 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1920s_in_fashion&oldid=202912821>.
"Teapot Dome Scandal." Spartucus Educational. 6 Apr 2008 <http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAteapot.htm>.