The Great Gatsby
Chapters 3-4
Researcher

1. Mood of the United States of America during the 1920s
The so-called Roaring Twenties, which was after Great War and the stock market crash of 1929, was a time where America changed in its beliefs, traditional customs, and attitudes towards modern society. This time period was filled with consumerism, which was a drastic change from buying only necessary items to luxury items as well. Many historians regard these years as a culmination of a long process of social change, which Fredrick Lewis Allen described as a "Revolution in manners and morals." An example would be the Flapper, in which many women cut their hair and wore short dresses and skirts to show their sense of freedom.

2. Hierarchy of the 1920s
The Roaring Twenties was an economically prosperous time period in American history. This time period accumulated an abundance of wealth because of the Great War , which revived industries and decreased unemployment, even for minority groups. This allowed a large group of industrialists, speculators, with brand new fortunes, to join old, aristocratic families at the top the the ladder. At the bottom the that later during the 1920s, were laborers who did not receive any of the wealth the other group acquired.

3. Racial/Social tensions of the 1920s
Although, overall, the 1920s was a prosperous time, there was much controversy that led to discrimination and violence. An example is the Scopes Monkey Trial, which there was a debate over fundamentalism and the teachings of evolution. There was also a resurgence of the Klu Klux Klan, who not only discriminated African American but other immigrants as well. This group claimed that immigrants were taking away traditional American ideals. Restrictions on immigration and ongoing rural poverty, were also a drastic source of tension.