Date of week: March 1-6
The time after The Great War was marked with anti-radical and anti-immigrant atmosphere. The question of Civil Rights is very prominent in the 1920's. Who gets rights and how much they get are the main questions. Who gets to be American? Immigration during this time is a highly debated topic; for cultural and economic reasons. People are again taking the attitude of "Americanization" towards the immigrants and in racial minorities in general. There is a large anti- German vibe throughout the nation in rue of WWI which also drove prohibition because beer drinking was down. Another significant element is the prosperity in the country with most of Europe recovering from the war. For Americans this time was a time of business. This aspect is reflected in the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Morality is down and cold hard business is up. The U.S. has a period of prosperity and people are still in love with the so called "American Dream" consisting of materialization and self gain, however on October 29, 1929 The Great Depression hits America hard and the nation plunges into an economic crisis. The stock market crashed and people lost jobs, life savings, and opportunities. Negative effects were numerous as suffering spread like a wild fire throughout the nation but there was at least hope lifting from the ashes; with so much loss people began looking toward freedom. A definition of a new concept of freedom arose centered around respect for civil liberty and cultural tolerance.
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