1920's vs. 1930's Boom to bust
Home Life Narrative: In the different aspects of society, like home life, economy, and entertainment, there were many differences and things that stayed the same from the 1920’s-1930’s. For home life, the 1920’s was a happy time and people enjoyed their lives. Unemployment decreased a little and most people lived in urban areas and people in rural areas thrived in farming, mostly. The 1920’s did not have have much poverty and most people lived in nice homes with food, clothing, etc. Everyone, especially mothers, enjoyed cleaning and doing things around the house. During the 1920’s the economy increased and people were very wealthy. On the other hand, in the 1930’s, it was a time of depression and getting over problems. Unemployment increased more, there was lots of poverty, and people had to sell their houses, cars, and belongings to get money. For food, they had to go to soup kitchens to get free meals. A lot of people lived in Hoovervilles, including African Americans. The “houses” were made from cardboard, scrap wood, metal, and were dirty. Everyone was not as happy as they used to be in the 20’s and were very poor. The middle and working class had to “make do” with everything that happened during the 30’s and had to adjust to their new living standard. Families did not live in nice houses anymore, kids suffered from health issues, there were divorces, people called off weddings, etc. During the 1920’s and 1930’s nothing really changed for African Americans because they were always unemployed, didn’t have money, and weren’t treated equally. Women were always trying to work hard for their families at home even in the worst situations.
Leisure Time Narrative: Mostly everything stayed the same in terms of entertainment in the 20’s and 30’s. Since the 1920’s was full of energy, there were all sorts of entertainment including, flappers, jazz, the radio, beaches, sports, dancing, speakeasies, art, trends, and movies. For women, a big thing was being a flapper, it was something to help express themselves by dancing a lot. Additionally, African Americans were able to face their problems while “living” during the Harlem Renaissance because they were able to show a cultural side and listen/play jazz. The music and world of jazz changed their lives entirely. Also, sports and dancing helped get their minds off everything. Further, in the 1930’s people mostly spent their time listening to the fire chats on the radio. These chats helped them forgot about all their problems and escape from despair because of the depression. People also enjoyed the same things as they did in the 1920’s, like dancing, clubs, movies, sports, etc. They experienced many new trends. Except, when the stock market crashed, people weren’t able to do as many things as they could before because they were now poor. Women and African Americans tried to fight back to get jobs. Jazz still changed African Americans lives in the 30’s too and alcohol/Prohibition helped everyone overcome some problems.
Economy Narrative: The 1920’s was mostly known as the “Roaring Twenties” and this was when the economy boomed dramatically. People had lots of money and were very contented. They always wore nice clothing, had houses, and food. However, women could not work as much and make a lot of money because their wages and hours were cut; it was the father’s job to do the work outside of home. African Americans experienced the same thing. The huge thing that happened in the 1930’s was when the stock market crashed. Since everyone had money in the 20’s, they invested in the stock market and lost all of it (bought on the margin). Since that happened, people did not have enough money for food, clothing, extra things, and to keep paying for their houses. Lots of businesses went bankrupt, closed, and farms went into foreclosure. Agriculture suffered and there were dust storms which caused unemployment and was negative for the rural economy. All of these things affected African Americans and women because although they both gained more equality for working, especially, they were all still poor.