Title: The American Dream in the 1920s & 30s - Cultural History of the United States
Headings: Cultural History of the United States
The American Dream in the 1920s & 30s
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Content: Immigrants came to America to experience liberty, though liberty was little more than cramped quarters and penny wages. While this population of people had been previously overlooked, their struggles began to be exposed in the 1890s. Jacob Riis became a pioneer in this exposition, saying that “As we mold the children of the toiling masses in our cities, so we shape the destiny of the State which they will rule in their turn, taking the reins from our hands.” [ 3] His initiative in taking a stand for the urban poor inspired others to use their work to expose the condition of the urban poor. The Ashcan School centered itself on the harsh realities of urban living and depicted the dark struggle of daily life. [ 4] Artists like George Bellows painted scenes to move the American public to do something about the condition of the urban poor. [ 5] Bellows’ and Riis’ plight soon became the plight of the American public as well, fostering an environment for economic, political, and social reform. The goals of the Progressive Era were centered on taming the beast that created this urban mess: capitalism. People like Jane Addams believed that “The good we secure for ourselves is precarious and uncertain until it is secured for all of us and incorporated into our common life.” [