The early 20th Century in USA 

In a nutshell

During the 20th century in USA many social and political events occurred such as the Jazz Age, the Red Scare, progressivism, Muckraking, and the Wall Street Crash.

20th Century in USA

The 20th century started with a good output since it had become the richest country in the world with great economic and agricultural prosperity. However, despite the wealth and progress in America, there were still other issues to deal with, for example, corruption, pollution and overcrowding in the industrial areas of the North, and extremely low wages. In fact, the term 'muckrakers' appeared as a reference to all journalists and reporters who brought to light all of these problems.

THE ROARING TWENTIES

The 'Jazz Age' or the 'Roaring Twenties' were the names given to America's period of euphoria and experimentation with new styles of music, fashion, and dance as a consequence of the quickly economic growth. 

Another feature of the Twenties was the 'Red Scare', which referred to the fear of socialism, this occasioned the persecution and arrest of many political activists, for instance, the Italian anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti. On the other hand, 'Prohibition' was the term linked to the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, which prohibited the import, consumption, and manufacture of alcohol; this only led to the emergence of smuggling and gangsterism. 

THE WALL STREET CRASH

1929 is known as the year when the American market crashed, this event marked the end of the rich Twenties to the beginning of the Great Depression. The consequences of the collapse of Wall Street were catastrophic, approximately 8 million Americans lost their jobs, people who had invested in shared funds were facing debt, factories shut down, and goods were produced but no longer sold. 

RELIEF, RECOVERY, REFORM

The ecological disaster called the 'Dust Bowl' (a period full of dust storms) was followed by a decade of agricultural devastation that affected every American household and contributed to lengthening the Depression. 

Later in 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt assumed the presidency and promised a 'New Deal' of reforms of which the three aims were 'relief, recovery, reform'. The federal government spent a lot of money on relief for people out of work, the conservation of natural resources, and public works.

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The Twenties Literature

The 'Jazz Age' gave rise to a disconnection of Puritanism to introduce new and fresh elements such as Jazz, the Charleston, fashion, parties, and cocktails; so, novelists like F. Scott Fitzgerald based their novels on these characteristics. Though, novelists like S. Anderson and S. Lewis attacked the rich businessmen and the superficial hedonism of the period.

THE LOST GENERATION

The 'Lost Generation' was the name given to writers and artists that emigrated to Europe for its stimulating environment for art and the loss of hope that WWI had caused them. Some of the writers of the Lost Generation were Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and E.E. Cummings.

THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE

The Harlem Renaissance was the bloom of Afro-American literature, music, theater, and arts. Especially Jazz, which represented a rebellion against the conventions of the past and a source of expression of the Afro-American culture. Some icons of the Harlem Renaissance were Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, and Aaron Douglas.

LITERATURE AFTER THE TWENTIES

As a result of the Great Depression literature in the next decades was full of pessimism and resentfulness. Social awareness, political responsibility, and interest in psychology pervaded the works of the period, so writers of the 1940s concentrated more on their writing techniques. John Dos Passos, William Faulkner, and John Steinbeck were some of the writers that represented the decade.