What the Heck are the "Roaring Twenties"?

If you're reading this--you are probably one of my students! If so, congratulations! This post deals directly with our Blended Unit surrounding the Great Gatsby. If you are here for that reason, you are appreciated for your hard work and dedication to completing all homework assignments. If you are clueless as to what I'm talking about: never fear! There may just be some interesting general knowledge about the Roaring Twenties in this article to suit anyone's fancy. So, let's get started.

Often times, historians like to rely on War timelines to reflect on other aspects of history. If we were to do the same, we must fore-mostly mention that the Roaring Twenties came about at the close of the first World War--then referred to as "The Great War," and "The War to End all Wars". At a time where Europe was crippled by the fallout of the trench warfare, with Germany being the economically desperate anchor weighing the continent down, America was thriving. No really, THRIVING. This seems counterintuitive, as the Roaring Twenties coincided with the Prohibition Era, but much of the society that relied on drinking to have a grand 'ole time, didn't let a couple of measly laws stop them. There were doctor's giving out prescriptions for liquor to people claiming anxiety and shell-shock related disorders, priests spiking the wine with a bit of extra fermentation, and bootleggers making second wine, moonshine, and malt liquor in their cellars and backyards. Don't even get me started on speakeasies!

Well, now that you got me started--speakeasies were the 1920s versions of our "bars" and "nightclubs" today. The significant difference, was that speakeasies flew completely under the radar and operated completely illegally. Still, many affluent individuals frequented these establishments, doing business, killing time, and making foggy memories. Most of the speakeasy customer-base was affluent men in and around big cities such as New York, Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, and Atlanta, but wives would accompany their husbands every now-and-again... and then there are the flapper girls.

Flapper girls, or more commonly referred to today as "flappers" were notorious for being full of life and energy. They took inspiration from their recently having gained the right to vote in all government elections, and their increased role in the most recent war and decided to pave a new path for young, single women in America. So named after the style of dress worn by these women, flappers were known for being flirtatious, coy, promiscuous, and curious about the outside world. Because they began what many refer to today as the first sexual revolution in America, it is difficult for people to consider the Roaring Twenties without immediately connecting Flappers to the equation.

Setting aside the night-life aspect of the 1920s, in many parts of the country, the 1920s were characterized by staunch religious values, agricultural woes, and the increasing reliance on occupational technology. Many midwestern family farms owned tractors and plows a decade before owning their first vehicle, and the stark comparison between the glitz and glam of the city, and the lack of electricity and indoor plumbing in the country created opposing worlds within the same country. In a way we have yet to replicate, life in the 1920s was completely different for a person living in one part of the country compared to another.

Many times, the Roaring Twenties are only referred to as a lead-in for the infamous Great Depression--the worst economic downturn in American history to date brought on by a crippled stock market built entirely on consumer credit--but they truly were so much more than that. It was a time in which women began to come in to their own, and divide amongst themselves as many preferred liberalities while others preferred the domestic side of life in caring for children and a husband. It was a time in which people expressed their love for their country, by touting the success of America in the post-war days. But more than any other characteristic of the Roaring Twenties--it was a time to spend money on THINGS. Cars, clothes, jewelry, cosmetics, cologne, packaged snack foods newly available in supermarkets. The name of the game was spend, spend, spend--and make sure everyone sees you doing it.

It's no secret that this conspicuous consumption is nearly considered its own character in "The Great Gatsby," as it is at the very heart of the story, and is the very force preventing this narrative from being accurately considered a romance. It is likely that F. Scott Fitzgerald--writing in the later 1920s--acknowledged that what characterized the Roaring Twenties was anything but sustainable, and desired to point that out to people before it was too late. If this were his plan, it failed, and we learned all we could from such dreadful mistakes in an effort to not cripple our own economy once more. It can't be stated for sure if America is done exploiting our values for self-interests. All we can offer is a hopeful note of: we'll see.