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Daily Life in the U.S (1920-1940)
The 1920s was a revolutionary period for Americans as it was characterized by technological changes, which improved people’s lives and made the country’s economy better. Some of the earlier inventions became more commonly used during that time. The number of Americans who owned cars increased dramatically in the 1920s. The automobile industry changed people’s lives, as it was the biggest industry in the country. Many people were employed in the automobile industry. The industry changed people’s working lives as they could afford to live far from work. Previously, many people preferred to live close to their places of employment, as there were few available means to get to work, most of which were expensive. This changed with the development of the automobile and it decongested the urban areas (35). Technology made an impact in the rural areas as well. People were able to buy trucks and some farmers were able to buy farm tractors. This made their work easier in the farms and it enhanced their economic status.
The idea of advertising electricity would seem impractical and absurd today yet that was what happened when it was it was first developed in the country. Electricity was one of the major innovations and it led to the development of other inventions. It enabled people to schedule their lives and innovations made people’s lives easier. Women who stayed at home found it easier to perform household chores because of inventions such as the vacuum cleaners. Electricity made living standards cheaper in the sense that it reduced the cost of production for most goods. Previously, families found it necessary to hire servants to assist in the daily management of the home. This changed however as the amount of housework reduced significantly. More people, especially women who were left at home, realized that they could do more tasks by themselves without straining. The inventions saved on time. Previously, women were fully preoccupied with work from the time they woke up to when they went to bed. This is because there was so much work to be done. The inventions enabled them to work for lesser hours. This ensured that they had more time devoted to other things. More women began taking up different kinds of hobbies and they found more time for social events.
Entertainment changed the American social life during that period. Many people received their entertainment by listening to the radio or going to the movies. Radio was the most popular form of entertainment in the country because it was used by both the rural and urban population. Radios enabled people to know what was going on around the country. Initially, radios played classical music but other forms of music were introduced later (73). The radio enabled both the urban and rural people to be connected. The development of the film industry was revolutionary to the country. The cinemas were frequented mostly by the young people and people with high income (94). People increasingly went to the movies as a way of spending their time. The movies acted as avenues of socialization as young people socialized in the theaters.
The widespread popularity of movies created the movie fans that were instrumental in ensuring that the industry continued to grow. Most of these fans were female and they ensured the growth of the industry by following the movies stars through reading magazines (100). These trend was however more prevalent in the urban areas. In the rural areas, especially in the south, there were fewer theaters than in any other area of the country. Racial segregation largely determined who frequented the movies, as minorities could not sit in the same areas as the whites. Although there were other minorities such as the Hispanics and the Asians, the black community was mostly sidelined and they faced a lot of discrimination. The racial segregation led to the development of other theaters that were meant for the minority communities.
The 1920s were characterized by economic prosperity. People had more money to spend and they spent more money on leisure activities. The great depression changed people’s lives in a major way. Jobs were scarce and people did not find opportunities anywhere. Many small farm owners moved to the urban areas in search of opportunities, as they found it hard to make a living. People did not have enough food to eat and life was hard for the people. The stock Market crash in 1929 was the biggest indicator that the country’s economy was suffering and going downhill. Many people had accumulated a substantial amount of money during the decade but they had done so using credit. People had invested in the stock exchange and they suffered when the market crashed. People who had lived comfortable lives became poor overnight. Poor people lined up to receive free food that was offered by different charities. Many of these people had lost their homes and businesses.
Families changed as the rates of marriages decreased. Those who were already married refused to have children that they could not afford to keep and have. Some of the families broke up as the parents, usually the father, left his home to look for employment. The content of the films changed as some directors chose to create movies that were largely based on the suffering that the people were experiencing. Although the depression hit people in a big way, people found solace in watching films and listening to the radio. The entertainment industry was not therefore affected as badly as other industries. They continued to thrive as people chose to watch films that would make them forget the misery they were facing. Despite the problems facing the people during this period, some of the people continued to focus on inventions. The radio telescope was developed during this time and the airplanes continued to be modeled and increasingly used for traveling. The radio continued to be used more frequently and in the 1930s, FM radio stations were introduced, thus, ensuring that the consumers had more content and entertainment. Other discoveries and inventions that were developed during this time include the photocopier, sticky tape, Polaroid and magnetic recording
Works Cited
Kyvig, David. Daily life in the United States, 1920-1940: How Americans lived through the “Roaring Twenties” and the Great Depression. Lanham, MD: Ivan R. Dee, 2004. Print.
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