Examples Of Prejudice In The 1920's

The second decade of the Twentieth Century was a time of deep divide within The United States. While the 1920’s were commonly called “the roaring twenties” with American wealth doubling during the decade, Babe Ruth and the golden age of Baseball taking the nation by storm, and various revolutions in the American social experience, with women and men now socializing together in illegal “speakeasys”. Around the world economies were booming after the First World War, and revolution in countries like Russia were on the near future horizon. For how robust both America and the world was feeling at the time, great divides held the nation back. The nations colored population was still not receiving the rights they deserved as Plessy v Ferguson and

“Separate but equal” was still the law of the land, Americans held great resentment towards the influx of new peoples due to the conflict, famine, and revolution they were fleeing in their homelands, as well as a generational divide and change of beliefs gripped the nation from coast to coast. This rewriting of the definition of “American” consumed the nation, and tore rips into families, communities, and beyond. American society in the 1920’s was deeply divided due to the generational and philosophical differences, as well as the deep prejudice held by much of the nation’s populace.
For nearly all American history, The United States had very much been a nation founded upon, and based upon religion. Religion and fundamentalism were the basis of the nation’s education, sense of morality, and dominated nearly every aspect of American life. But as the 20th century wore on, Religion began to lose its once strong foothold on the American psyche, as religious values began to give way. “The Descent of the Modernists”, a cartoon by E.J Pace shows the eroding of Christian belief in the country by displaying a staircase in which the top stair was full-fledged Christianity, and each stair down described another deviation from full Christianity, with the bottom of the stairs being “Atheist”. This cartoon is displaying that as time went on in the 20th century, people grew farther and farther away from the roots of Christianity and Fundamentalism, no longer believing in every aspect of the Bible. This was in stark contrast to the generations before that were strong un doubted believers in Christianity and all aspects of it. This difference in religious opinion contributed greatly to the divide in the US in the 1920’s. William Jennings Bryans closing statement in the scopes trial, which religion played a strong role in, had a powerful statement about the state of religion within the United States during the 1920’s. “Evolution is not truth; it is merely a hypothesis- it is millions of guesses strung together. It had not been proven in the days of Darwin.” Jennings Bryan’s closing statement shows that in the 1920’s, it was becoming common place for even politicians and public figures to say that non-religion based ideas such as Evolution could potentially be true, even without directly showing support for a side in the argument. For much of American history, even questioning the ideas of the Bible, and offering a possibility for another explanation of life on Earth would have led to public shunning, ridicule, and hatred from others. But, by this time, the once rock solid belief in fundamentalism and Christianity had faded. People were beginning to look for other answers. As this new generation of Americans clutched to new, modern beliefs, the generations of old firmly held their ground. Older generations did not appreciate this change, and resented the countries changing belief from fundamentalist, to modernist. This evolution of philosophy contributed greatly to the deep divide within America during the 1920’s.
Besides a strong change in philosophy within America, a strong Generational divide was forming between old and young. Scott Fitzgerald wrote this in This Side of Paradise about the differences between specifically, old and new generations. “Here was a new generation, shouting the old cries, learning the old creeds, through a revery of long days and nights; destined finally to go out into that dirty gray turmoil to follow love and pride; a new generation dedicated more than the last to the fear of poverty and the worship of success; grown up to find all Gods dead, all wars fought, all faiths in man shaken...” Fitzgerald describes the old generation as people who were not prideful, nor dedicated to success, while describing the new generation as more eager and ready to earn success and work harder than the last generation was. The difference in work ethic and dedication between the old and new generations was just one aspect of the strong generational divide within the US during this time. Also during this time, the new generations were communicating and living their daily lives in a way, that, to many from the older generation was unfathomable. President Warren G. Harding, part of the older generation, said this about the differences between his and the newer generation in America. “…I know somewhere there is a book that will give me the truth, but hell, I couldn’t read the book.” Warren G. Harding expresses that there may be smart writings and people produced by this new generation, but he couldn’t understand the way in which they speak because it is so vastly different from the norms of Harding’s generation. Harding shows the great rift in ideas, methods, and thinking between the older and newer Americans. There were many other differences between the new generations and old that had to do with nearly every aspect of social life. Women were wearing dresses cut at the knee rather than the traditional ankle cut. Women were smoking, driving, and for the very first time, socializing with men in bars and taverns. The more buttoned up older generation was combated by a rebellious new generation that illegally drank night after night in illegal bars across the country all throughout prohibition. Forms of entertainments such as literature and classical genres of music were quickly thrown out for more upbeat Jazz music as well as radio shows and movies. The new generation changed nearly every aspect of the America that was handed to them by their parents, this rapid change was a huge part of the great divide in America in the 1920’s
Another aspect of American society that led to the deep division in the country in the 1920’s was a dark cloud that has hung over America throughout her history, that dark cloud is prejudice.

Prejudice has been a part of America since the declaration of independence. Americans judged not only colored peoples within their own country, but immigrants trying to enter the United States for a better life. One of the many prejudices during this time was the prejudice against the nations colored population. This prejudice is shown well in Fred B. Watsons cartoon, “The Creeping Shadow” which depicts a man in the customary Ku Klux Klan uniform standing tall over the southern United States, while also casting a shadow over the rest of the nation. With all the progress made towards racial equality, such as the passing of the 13th and 15th amendments, still, the great divide of racism and racial prejudice continued to cast its evil shadow over the constitution and its values. Prejudice during this time also existed towards foreign immigrants. With international issues like the red scare, the rapid spread of communism, and chaos within some countries in Europe, a feeling grew among many Americans that the nation may not survive if these people are allowed in to the United States. This feeling is depicted very accurately in Billy Irelands cartoon, “We can’t digest the scum”. A man in this cartoon is seen stirring a melting pot that represents America, while doing so, things within the pot such as “Bolshevism”, “Red Flag”, and “Mad notions of Europe” can be seen. This is a good representation of the fear many felt that if foreigners were allowed into America, the problem they were fleeing from would be brought with them. The title “We can’t digest the scum” is accurate of the fear that many felt America couldn’t survive bringing these people in. Prejudice towards colored people had always existed in America, including the 1920’s, and prejudice towards foreigners seems to never

quite go away, reviving itself once every couple generations. As very little meaningful progress would be made towards these faults in America until the 1960’s, prejudice continued to be a stark point of divide in the United States through the 1920’s.
America has enjoyed times of unity, such as during World War II, or during the later parts of the Space Race. America has, however, also endured times of great division. The 1920’s were a time of deep divisions within America. Divisions between philosophies as younger people began to question the religious readings and morals that older generations of the fundamentalist era always accepted without doubt to be true. Division between old and new generations, as the new reformed American culture, morality, and identity right before the eyes of the old, and divisions between races within the country, and prejudice towards those entering the United States, as a generation resisted both the advancement of colored Americans, as well as those who were seeking to be Americans. The 1920’s were a time of great economic success, evolving culture, and advancing of sciences and thinking, but the decade also held within it some of the deepest divides in American history.