Question

How did culture change in the 1920’s? Include examples from the Harlem Renaissance, effects of Prohibition, and 1920’s pop culture.

Answer 1

The consumption of alcohol was a traditional part of many cultures; the govt failed to provide sufficient staff and resources to enforce the law

Answer 2

The culture in the 1920s became extremely individualistic, and they valued escapism. Right before the 1920s, the nineteenth amendment was passed, so a lot of women were trying to find how they fit into society with their newfound freedom, and this played greatly into pop culture because now companies had an entirely new demographic to market to, so consumerism was an extremely big thing then. Also because women felt more liberated, this contributed to the flapper movement, which was defined by them defying traditional societal standards and having short hair, short dresses, smoking, and dancing (which were seen as unladylike and improper before). However, escapism also played an extremely big role. The economy was in a way worse state than most people thought, and a large portion of people were struggling to make a decent living, even before the Great Depression. The Harlem Renaissance that sprang up after the great depression was a movement of young people of color finding their voices, and people's interests in listening to jazz grew as a way to escape the realities of their day-to-day lives. Another way they tried to forget about their problems was through drinking, which was illegal under Prohibition. (This actually impacted immigrants hard, as many pubs/inns that closed down use to house them, be a place where they hung out, and was also where they got paid + immigrants often didn't have issues handling alcohol like other Americans, so they thought prohibition was a bit unfair.) This gave rise to many people making their own home breweries or getting priest licenses to great wine distilleries (the wine you have at church communions) because those were considered legal. Speakeasies opened to illegally serve people alcoholic drinks (they were hidden in alleyways, kitchens, etc). However, organized crime also rose as mafias found it an easy way to make money off of alcohol-dependent people. This led to the rise of the notorious gangster Al Capone, and many mob bosses getting extremely rich, and crime rate soared as they all tried to murder their competitors (the St Valentine's Day massacre is a good example of this). Eventually, the government made an amendment writing over Prohibiton, as it only increased all of America's problems, as everyone still drank, but drinking just became more dangerous (also even the president had someone illegally supplying him with alcohol).
TL;DR Flappers came around, Mobs rose because of Prohibition, and African Americans found their voices in the Harlem Renaissance.