By the early 1920s, Chaplin was making his own films with actors Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks due to the establishment of Chaplin Studios and United Artists in 1919. Having control of his own films lead to classics such as 'The Kid', 'The Gold Rush', 'City Lights', 'Modern Times' and 'The Great Dictator'.
It brought waves of new people seeking work, who demanded housing and services.
He said that civil rights was a moral issue.