American Modernism 1.

The Roaring Twenties,

Prohibition, and The Harlem Renaissance
Historical Context
● The US enters the 20th century as a wealthy and strong world power
● Prosperous beginning → two world wars + economic depression
● = American Modernism
American Modernism
● Bold and fast-paced era, meant to capture the essence of modern life
● Flourishing art, extravagant living
● A prequel to the Great Depression
● Ditched traditional styles of writing → experiments with different styles
The Roaring Twenties
= The Jazz Age
● A decade of prosperity, decadence and economic
growth
● The younger generation rebelled against traditional
taboos
● Bootleggers, jazz, raccoon coats, flappers,
technological innovations
● Rise of consumerism
● Negatives: cultural conflicts, whites x immigrants,
religious liberals x fundamentalists
Prohibition
● 1920 - 1933
● Legal ban on manufacturing, selling and transporting alcoholic beverages
● Under the terms of the Eighteenth Amendment
● Temperance Movement: a movement which sought to ban alcoholic beverages in
the US → intensive religious revivalism
● Millions willed to drink distilled spirits → bootlegging and speakeasies
● Period of gangsterism
● End: 18th Amendment revoked in 1933
The Harlem Renaissance
● Harlem = a neighbourhood located in Upper Manhattan of New York City
● connected with a great migration of African Americans
● the period is considered a golden age in African American culture, manifesting
in literature, music, stage performance and art
● the development of the Harlem neighbourhood in New York City as a Black
cultural mecca in the early 20th Century
● William Edward Burghardt Du Bois
Sources
● Mueller, Jennifer. “Characteristics of the Roaring Twenties.” The Classroom | Empowering Students in
Their College Journey, November 5, 2021. https://www.theclassroom.com/characteristics-roaring-
twenties-22461.html.
● “Overview of the 1920s.” Digital history. Accessed October 24, 2022.
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/era.cfm?eraid=13&smtid=1.
● Sylar, Jordan. “The Modernist Period.” American Literature - Home. Accessed October 24, 2022.
http://jordansylaramericanliterature.weebly.com/the-modernist-period.html.
● The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Prohibition.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica,
inc., October 22, 2022. https://www.britannica.com/event/Prohibition-United-States-history-1920-1933.
● ‘Harlem Renaissance’. n.d. HISTORY. Accessed 25 October 2022.
https://www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/harlem-renaissance.
Thank you for your attention!