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: 6] Americans were experiencing a need to ensure a good life not only for the individual, but for the entirety of the American population. Even in Washington the Progressive movement challenged political corruption and implored the government to take steps to regulate things like food and drugs, control corporate power, and create a strong system to manage the difficulties of this new urban environment. [ 7] However, all this reform and progress would come to an end with the onset of the First Great War. World War I, according to President Woodrow Wilson, was a selfless cause and would be “a war to end all wars” making the world “safe for democracy.” [ 8] The American public, after the U.S. entry into the war, got behind the cause in many ways. From victory gardens and the purchasing of bonds to songs for national spirit, Americans felt a sense of unity that bridged the gaps between classes. War music depicted a sense of cohesiveness. Songs like “Over There” and “How Ya Gonna Keep ‘Em Down on the Farm (After They’ve Seen Paree)” convey a message of Americans all being on the same team, no matter economic class or ethnicity. [ 9] The World War I era was a time of strict moral codes with serious objectives to be accomplished, and, as any largely supported war time, produced huge economic success and prosperity, giving birth to the infamous Roaring Twenties. The Roaring Twenties was the beginning of what is experienced today as the American Dream, and capitalism was back in full swing.