DBQ In the United States the 1920’s were defined as the Roaring 20s because of the changes in society and government that drastically affected American society in the times to come. After World War I, Americans reacted by changing their views of religion and social movements aided in the change of culture. Throughout the 1920s, tensions arose between the people who favored old traditions and the people who supported rapid change in places such as science, religion, women’s life style, nativism and racism. After World War I religion became a prominent force that reshaped American culture drastically and heightened tensions with people who favored the traditional religion views. The influx of immigrants with different religions such as Catholicism clashed with the Americans who were traditional Protestants.
One major cause of the growing strain between traditional and modern ideologies was the growing gap between socioeconomic classes. Many groups, like the farmers and urban workers, were left out of the middle-class prosperity of the decade. Other groups were culturally excluded. The 1920 census was the first in which more people lived in the cities than on farms. These people insisted on reforms that they felt would return them to “normalcy”, like immigration restrictions and prohibition.
However, the degree that industrialization affected people varied in rather contrasting ways, with the destitute becoming poorer and the wealthy becoming even more affected, creating two different spheres within society that were difficult to converge despite the various efforts attempted. While industrialization led to a growth in population of major cities, the social aspects of society resulted in degradation amongst the laborers, which constituted a majority of the population. Dramatic growth meant that living spaces were scarce, with several people living in one room of the various tenements. Those that could not afford to pay rent slept outside on the streets (Document F). The high population density created squalid living conditions that were ideal places for diseases that resulted in illnesses and death.
The world today is more interconnected than ever, this is known as globalisation. Religion may be related to its global context as when societies and religions come into closer contact with one another there is potential for religious conflict and for religious diversity and change. These points are argued by many. Nanda suggests that the process of globalisation is likely to cause a decline in religion and belief in the supernatural due to the western culture of other societies and other faiths and beliefs. She looked at globalisation in India, which had brought about a new middle class of scientists, I.T technicians and stock traders all beneficial to the global economy and found that there was actually an increased level of religiosity after the globalisation process.
How far did freedom and hatred both exist in American Society in the 1920s? The intense economic growth in America in the 1920s swept the population into an unfamiliar consumerist society. For the first time, more people were living in cities and so attitudes inevitably changed sometimes for the better but sometimes for the worst. America claimed to be ‘the land of the free’ but this was not always true for everyone. Although the 20s brought new ideas, these ideas might not always have been in the interest of providing a free nation for all and indeed may have caused increase hatred in society.
Soon after, the two religions fought for power and later on in the century, the Protestant religion became prominent and the rivalry with Spain (Catholic) intensified. 2. Explain how conditions in England in the 1600s made it “ripe” to colonize North America. Religious intolerance and social stratification in Europe made many people yearn for new opportunities to be found in America. Because of religious intolerance, people wanted to escape the persecution and go to the new world so they could live their lives freely.
Throughout the history of America, there have been periods in which our society has questioned its values. Often, this moral questioning has turned into mass hysteria. In 1692, Salem, Massachusetts, was rapidly changing; land ownership was in dispute, the role of religion was deteriorating, and individual freedom was gaining importance. The witchcraft trials can be seen as an attempt by Salem’s leaders to reaffirm the role of religion, and the fear of the Devil. Later, in the 1950s, during McCarthyism or the Red Scare, communist hunts occurred as a means to purify our society from the threat of Communism.
In the early 1800's many people came into America looking for new opportunities and played an important role in our countries history. In Germany there were many reasons why people wanted to migrate to America. Because of modernization many family businesses failed and the people hoped that they could bring their businesses to America. Population density was also a problem. There was also lots of political problems in Germany and random attacks from outside nations that scared many people into immigration.
A similar issue was bought about by the competition for housing. Many Americans were seen to be ‘pushed out’ of housing areas, to therefore accommodate for those willing to pay a higher rent fee. Such issues then led to mass sectarianism, in which rivalry between both the Americans and various different ethnic groups led to gang welfare – particularly in areas of the United States such as New York and Philadelphia - which caused an up-roar of religious tension. In Consequence of this rivalry, ethnic barriers were now developing, creating the likes of Little Italy, China Town, and the Jewish Ghetto in Lower East Side, where they all used their original language to communicate. Although provided with segregated areas for their own religious practice and cultural growth, areas such as the Jewish Ghetto would now thrive with disease due to the swamp of local population.
Immigration in the U.S. Immigration is a huge part of America and has affected all aspects of American culture for years. However, people have pointed out some negative aspects such as, immigrants stealing American jobs and threatening terrorists. In the end, the positive factors of immigration heavily outweigh the negative ones. Both economically and culturally immigrants have contributed greatly to the U.S. James Madison, a founding father, stated “America was indebted to immigration for her settlement and prosperity. That part of America which had encouraged them most had advanced most rapidly in population, agriculture and the arts.” The nineteenth century in the US had an unmistakable theme: immigration.