ESSAY 1920s
Introduce DBQ
Directions: The following question requires you to
construct a coherent essay that integrates your
interpretation the era and your knowledge of the
period elements of economics, immigration,
commercialism, women’s rights, black migration, and
urbanization of the 1920s. High scores will be earned
only by essays that use multiple examples of relevant
information, provide clear and specific evidence;
while at the same time explain HOW and WHY such
evidence proves the thesis you have proposed in you
intro paragraph. You may argue that the statement is
valid, invalid, or a little of both! Just be “theme
specific” (look at past essay comments for proper
thesis format).
“The economic prosperity of the 1920s failed to
prevent the social, cultural, and political divisions of
the United States.” Assess the validity of this
statement using the documents and your
knowledge of the period of the 1920s.
In order to address this questions properly you
must describe:
(a) economic prosperity
(b) Social/cultural/political divisions – what are they
and whether or not the period was a coming
together or a divisive era…or a little of both.
Economic Prosperity (you can use some of these ideas
but always be as specific as possible!)
• Job Availability : decrease in immigration, increased production
• Assembly line: increase in jobs, production  cheaper products =
increased consumerism
• Decreased work hours; increased wages; disposable income 
increased consumerism
• National Creditors; collecting foreign debts
• Credit purchases
• Government lifting control on businesses
• Technology – radio/ads = increased purchasing
• Unfair business dealings…greed…oil…
• Focus on big business again; Calvin Coolidge – decreased taxes,
decreased welfare spending (reduction in money to veterans).
• Welfare Capitalism anti- union.  Division b/t workers and
businesses.
Sample Start of a body paragraph:
Economics of 1920s…
Labor advances being taken back by having the
government first control the industry (for war
purposes) and then allowing private business to take
control again. Harding gets rid of War Industries Board.
Therefore, the post war prosperity was a temporary
gain b/c private business was looking out for its own
interest and not those of the people…(proof?) because
business owners were once again going against laborer
interests…(specfically?) which left us divided as in the
Progressive era…
Social and Cultural
Social – relationships between people
Cultural – relating to life; music, religion,
clothes, dance, language.
This is an example of an outline for what you might include in a social/cultural
body paragraph discussing possible unity examples and possible division examples.
Economic Prosperity - unified
Economic prosperity did not do
enough, divisive
Social/Cultural Unity
Social/Cultural division
(1) Mass culture/consumption
a) Everyone had radios – listened to same
music, interested in baseball, all go
news.
b) Ads & physical focus.
c) Less work hours leisure time
d) Jazz – unified races/bought records
(2) People were able to become who they
wanted to be
a) Women – rt. To vote
b) Harlem Renaissance  music/dance
(1)
Fundamentalism vs. Modernism
a) Prohibition – KKK supports
prohibition…Wets vs. Drys
b) Evolution
c) Women roles - Nat. Womens’ Party, Alice
Paul militant radical, total equality (Equal
rights amendment)
d) Scopes “Monkey” Trial
Jennings Bryan= Fundamentalist.
e) youth culture
(2) Racism Nativism
a) Red scare- anti-communism
sentiment./immigration ( Sacco &
Vanzetti.)
b) quota acts…
Good luck my lovelies!
Good luck my lovelies! Miss you!
• Think about isolationism, anti-immigration,
conservatism, big business, etc…
• Think about social/cultural AND political!
• Don’t forget to address the economic
conditions, it is necessary in order to write an
essay that fully answers the task!