Jazz Fantasia

Prohibition defined much of the 1920s in America. Prohibition banned alcohol sales in the United States, and many issues evolved because of that ban. Bootlegging—the illegal manufacturing and distribution of alcohol—became a common way around the ban and helped fuel the sport of racing in America. Prohibition also helped the rise of organized mafia, as mobsters took to bootlegging to make money. Additionally, underground clubs, speakeasies, and honky-tonks became popular for young people looking to drink, dance, and have a good time.

There were other factors that led to the concept of the “Roaring ‘20s,” including the end of World War I, rapid industrialization, the move to cities that had been increasing for decades, and a booming economy. Culturally, the influence of African American art, literature, and music also began taking hold and jazz was a major part of this.

Finally, progressive political and social values began to spread and stick across America and Europe. The women’s suffrage movement led to the passage of the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote in 1920, and a new culture of progressive young women called “flappers” led to changes in the way women dressed and expressed themselves.

The massive change of the late teens and the first half of the 1920s represented a crucial time in the history of the United States, though it was to be short-lived as the party ended when the stock market crashed in 1929, leading to the Great Depression and the rise of fascism in the 30s.