UNITED STATES HISTORY

1920 To 1930

A Time Of Prosperity

Warren G. Harding was elected as President in 1920. For Americans, he was a good choice. America had survived WW1 and they wanted a ordinary man who could return the country to prewar times. In the summer of 1923, Congress begun to examane some of the decisions that Harding and his cabinet had made. Harding was worried. Later that summer he became ill. He died on August 2nd, 1923. Vice President Calvin Coolidge became President.

When Coolidge became President, Americans wanted to build a new and rich country. Congress passed laws that helped bussiness grow larger. Henry For owned a large automobile company. It was Ford's idea to have workers in his factories build cars on a assembly line. It helped Ford to build cars faster and cheaply. During the 1920's, more and more products were built on assembly lines. Some products, like cars, cost too much than people could afford. People who could not afford certain products were able to buy them through installment plans. Duriong the 1920's, ads begin to appear in mass media. Mass Media refers to the communication to large numbers of people.

Jazz, movies, music, books and magizines were among the most popular forms entertainment

For women, the 1920's weer a time of great freedom. The Nineteenth Ammendment was passed which gave women the right to vote. Women could hold public office. Women worked outside the home. Household tools helped make women's life easier. However, women were still paid less than men.

There were many economic problems in the 1920s. People who had money were eager to spend it. Factories could not keep up. Prices begun to spike up sharply because there were fewer goods. Bad feelings between workers and owners grew.