The roaring twenties were a very prosperous time for the United States, the economy was flourishing, and normal consumers started to be able to buy things that they wanted and not only what they needed. Women excelled in the twenties, creating a new idea of what women were capable of and finally living for themselves. African Americans also made large steps towards creating their own community. But the twenties were not “roaring” for everyone, farmers lost acres of land and went hundreds of dollars into debt.
Roaring describes a time which is optimistic or exciting which the twenties were for the most part, except for farmers. Farmers started to experience the great depression before it even began. After WWI farmers were left with a surplus of goods, dropping the cost on their products. Wages for farm workers were very low causing a lot of them to leave for higher paying factory jobs. In the south, cotton was the main export of farms and as similar, and cheaper, man-made products were produced less and less cotton was sold. “... The unemployment rate hit 20 percent, the highest ever up to that point. The bankruptcy rate of farmers increased tenfold.” (The American Promise, 667) Farmers were falling more into debt and many were forced to sell their land and move into the cities.
While the twenties were certainly a large period of growth for the U.S I do not believe that they should be called the “roaring twenties” because the negatives outweigh the positives. Ultimately the twenties were a time of extreme debt for farmers and false hope for the rest of the population. Everyone, but farmers, believed they were benefiting from the booming economy, but they were really just hurting themselves. I know the “roaring twenties” does not include the period of the great depression, but I am also not sure if you can consider a period of time as “optimistic or exciting” when it led to the biggest economic crash in United States history.
Roaring describes a time which is optimistic or exciting which the twenties were for the most part, except for farmers. Farmers started to experience the great depression before it even began. After WWI farmers were left with a surplus of goods, dropping the cost on their products. Wages for farm workers were very low causing a lot of them to leave for higher paying factory jobs. In the south, cotton was the main export of farms and as similar, and cheaper, man-made products were produced less and less cotton was sold. “... The unemployment rate hit 20 percent, the highest ever up to that point. The bankruptcy rate of farmers increased tenfold.” (The American Promise, 667) Farmers were falling more into debt and many were forced to sell their land and move into the cities.
While the twenties were certainly a large period of growth for the U.S I do not believe that they should be called the “roaring twenties” because the negatives outweigh the positives. Ultimately the twenties were a time of extreme debt for farmers and false hope for the rest of the population. Everyone, but farmers, believed they were benefiting from the booming economy, but they were really just hurting themselves. I know the “roaring twenties” does not include the period of the great depression, but I am also not sure if you can consider a period of time as “optimistic or exciting” when it led to the biggest economic crash in United States history.
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