The 1920's were a time of great economic prosperity, or so it seemed.  The stock market was booming, more people than ever were investing and buying things on credit.   Finally, people felt like they could get their taste of the American dream.  They could buy things that they never could have bought before: from refrigerators to cars to houses.  It was a time of fun, fulfillment, and promise.
      It was a time of industrial change as well.  Henry Ford developed the assembly line and many technological developments subverted the need for human labor.  Many farmers lost their shirts after the war because of a surplus of crops that were no longer demanded by people overseas.  During the war, the farming industry had thrived because of a high demand for grains at the front.  Farmers took profits and bought more land, speculating that they would increase profits by producing more crops.    After the war, grain demands went down, and the land was worthless.  Many small farms went under, causing a migration to cities where factory jobs were becoming more readily available.
       During the twenties, people began to abandon fundamental, conventional thinking.  Women dressed less conservatively and young people shocked their parents with their radical ideas. Women won the vote in 1920, and much emphasis was placed upon assuring women's rights and encouraging further growth and prosperity in the women's rights movement.    Darwin's philosophies were taking form, and people began to question the values that they had been taught to embrace in earlier decades.  Prohibition took effect in 1918,  and for the first time, many people questioned the government's authority.  Speakeasies popped up and bootleggers made a fortune.  And then came October 24, 1929-- Black
Suddenly, the instabilities of the 1920's economy came to light.  The gap between the rich and the poor widened.  People had paid for many luxury items such as refridgerators using an installment plan, and when they couldn't pay for it, the marketers had no way of getting their money.  Businesses went bankrupt, and items were repossessed....the Great Depression had begun.