The Great Gatsby and the American Dream: 1920s/2020s Research Prediction Project
For centuries, people have come to American dreaming of a better life. This is the dream that The
Great Gatsby explores in the 1920s in the New York area. Especially in the 1920s, following “the Great War”
that almost ripped the world apart, America seemed like a land of opportunity: the stock market was booming,
new technologies were becoming available, and exciting things were happening in the realms of sports, music,
and entertainment to name just a few. People often pinned their hopes and dreams to one or more of these
things, looking toward the future with high hopes for what would come next.
This project is designed not only to help you understand what one of these “realms” was like during
the 1920s, but also to apply what you know about life today to predict how it will be viewed in the not-todistant future.
 First, look at what was happening in that subject at the time and explain:
o What was representative of the issue/topic (i.e. models of inventions, styles of building, etc.)
o Who were the big names? What did they do?
o Attitudes toward the subject? (How did the average American feel about it?)
o How did they/it add to the “American Dream”?
 Then, think about how the attitudes about that topic have changed over time and predict if and how
this will be part of the future “American Dream.”
o How will the field progress?
o How will it be viewed in the future?
o Will it still be a big part of American culture?
Here are some of the topics:
 Baseball/Sports
 Automobiles
 Religion
 Immigration Laws
 Prohibition
 Organized Crime
 Fashion
 Music (Jazz)
 Flying (Planes)
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Theatre/movies
Radio/communication
Women’s rights
Consumerism:
Marketing/Advertising/Retail
Architecture
Harlem Renaissance (art/writing)
Science (evolution)
Fads
Your write up will bullet and explain the important facts about the 1920s and your predictions about the future
(2020s) like so:
Automobiles
Facts: 1920s
-What …etc.
- Blah..
-Who…etc.
-Attidues…etc.
-This was part of the American dream that…
Predictions: 2020s
-What will happen…
-This will play a role in America by…
You should also create an MLA works cited page. (I recommend using Easybib and CHECKING that the
information input is correct. Remember that reliable sources have an author or credible organization that puts
its name to it.)