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 * Urban vs. Rural Conflict in the 1920s **

The 1920s were the most prosperous years ever experienced in America, as the stock market boomed, technology advanced significantly and Americans reached an all-time high in standard of living. Prosperity and several other factors like Freudian psychology, a greater acceptance of Darwin’s theory of natural selection and the Harlem Renaissance spurred a massive change in traditional social norms, laying the foundation for the more modern values we hold today. However, accompanied by these extensive urban cultural changes was a growing desire for conservatism in rural and small town areas, where many of the cultural changes seemed to represent a declining morality. This concern with declining morality was typically held towards the youth and women, who were the most infamous for the new sexual promiscuity and disregard for law that defined the decade. Similar to previous generations concerned about the future of the youth, many rural Americans tried to hold onto traditional values, which can be seen in things like the Scopes Trial. Although there was a backlash among rural areas in the form of conservatism and even some radical conservative groups like the Ku Klux Klan, it is untrue that urban America was assaulted by rural America to the same extent as an increasingly liberal urban population dragged an unwilling rural population into the future. Therefore, the generalization that urban America witnessed an assault by rural and small town America is valid, but the opposite is actually a more accurate statement.

Origins of Cultural Changes
The distinct characteristics of the 1920s can be mostly traced back to the unparalleled prosperity experienced, as it was use d as a tool to advance America’s culture further and further into modernity. Following World War I, America’s manufacturing was strong due to the recent success it had in supplying the Allies. Strong manufacturing, taxes favoring rapid expansion of capital investment, technological advancements, increased labor productivity and a population capable of buying the products these industries produced all had an integral part in creating the prosperous mass-consumption economy America sustained during the 1920s ([|United States history]).
 * Prosperity **

Along with a more consumption based economy, American lifestyle and values paralleled the dramatic upsurge of the economy. For the first time, most Americans lived in urban areas, rather than the countryside. Also, women became increasingly independent as they found more and more opportunities to work for a salary, as well as becoming more accepting of the use of contraceptives. In addition, literature began to consist of young, ambitious modernists, who as the title suggests, embraced a modern understanding of the world around them and often assailed rural values, such as H.L. Mencken in //American Mercury //. Lastly, aspects of science and philosophy, notably Dr. Sigmund Freud's belief in subconscious sexual desire and Darwin's theory of evolution, influenced the American public in abandoning their traditional beliefs ( [|Introduction to Sigmund Freud, Module on Psychosexual Development]). .
 * Influences **

The "Roaring Twenties"
The “Roaring Twenties” was a time like no other in America. Never before had so many Americans embraced such non-traditional lifestyles as they had during the 1920s. However, it should be noted that these ideas were embraced far more easily in urban areas than rural and small town areas (Skulnick).

Prohibition was an experiment officially authorized by the Constitution as the Eighteenth Amendment in 1919. The push for prohibition of alcohol was an effort supported by the progressive reform movement, and was especially popular in the South and West. Supporters of prohibition hoped that banning alcohol would cleanse an “immoral” American public and protect families from declining due to the excessive drunkenness of fathers. The belief that prohibition would succeed was disillusioned, as enforcement was difficult and many were simply unwilling to follow a law that stripped the m of their much desired alcohol. In response, illegal bars called “speakeasies” and bootleggers, transporters of alcohol, began to appear. As a whole, the prohibition experiment displayed the public’s unwillingness to abide by laws that they did not support.
 * Prohibition **

** Religion **
Strongly influenced by Darwin’s theory of natural selection, which blatantly contradicted Christianity’s idea of creationism, Christians often came to adapt their religion to be more accepting of modern science. It also became a stronger force in schools, as the progressive movement provided for more science based education. This change in thought and policy caused great unrest in Fundamentalists, who remained dedicated to a literal reading of the Bible. The conflict between science and religion came to a peak in the Scopes Trial ( [|History Topic: The Antievolution Crusade of the 1920s]). .

** Mass-Consumption **
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Mass-consumption became a way of life in America during the 1920s. Booming industry and wealthy Americans allowed for the production and consumption of massive amounts of goods during this time period, and marked the beginning of the still mass-consuming public we have today. Due to the increase in purchases, a system of credit was established, causing many people to spend more than they could afford, leaving a cloud of doubt to be dealt with in the next decade. Along with the system of credit, advertising became a massive industry as companies fought to seduce potential buyers with flashy, often sexually driven, advertisements. This sudden increase in consumption certainly did not match the frugality of tradition.

** Technology **
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;">A vehicle for much of the change that occurred, literally and figuratively, was the automobile. The automobile made transportation far more easy than it had previously been, causing a changing in urban infrastructure, teenage independence and other significant factors of life. However, the automobile was not the only technological advancement during the time period. The further advancement of the airplane during the 1920s significantly changed America, especially our tactics in war, as aircraft became superior during World War II. Other inventions that impacted society included: the radio, the movie industry and the phonograph. All of these were to feared to have changed the youth, but the movie industry’s use of nudity was especially shocking to older generations, eventually leading to censorship.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;">Lifestyle of urban people changed dramatically, especially regarding that of the youth and woman. Women accepted the use of contraceptives more than they ever had before, people were far more sexually honest, especially the “flappers,” many taboos were disregarded and racial pride became increasingly present. Flappers were the most infamous figures of the age, as they represented the new independence woman yearned for. These changes came to define the age. The changes may or may not be seen as positive for the American people then and now, but it is undoubtable that they culturally revolutionized urban America to arguably the greatest extent America has ever seen.
 * Lifestyle **

** Entertainment **
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Aside from the new technology, several other forms of entertainment gained popularity during the time period. Jazz was the music of the decade, as it was the favorite of the rebellious youth of the day. In conjunction with jazz music, new forms of dances like the Charleston began to appear. These dances were spontaneous and fun, exactly the kind of lifestyle that flourished in the 1920s. However, these forms of entertainment were seen as unwholesome by rural Americans, therefore receiving criticism.

The Rise of Radical C onservatism, Fundamentalism and Nativism
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;">In response to the assault on rural culture by urban culture, rural areas saw a shift towards radical conservatism. The targets of this backlash included minorities, immigrants, liberals, women, evolutionists, among others.

** The Ku Klux Klan **
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">In the 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) grew at an alarming rate. This growth seemed to spawn from a postwar distrust of anything “un-American.” Therefore, rather than mostly focusing on anti-black campaigns like in the 1850s, the KKK focused on being anti-immigration, anti-Catholic, anti-evolutionist, anti-Jewish, anti-Communist, among others, as well as maintaining their position as anti-black. Essentially, members of the KKK were so fearful of the diversity and modernity that was changing America, that they came to distrust anyone that wasn't one of them. This unfortunate moral downturn was a result of the KKK members’ unwillingness to accept change, but that change was one placed upon rural culture by urban culture, so it could be said that urban culture assaulted rural and small town values.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;">Fundamentalism took to rise as a result of people’s growing skepticism of creationism, a skepticism that was influenced by Darwin’s theory of evolution, modernist thinking and the teachings of progressive education. Fundamentalists were dedicated to a strict interpretation of the Bible, therefore they did everything they could to hold on to their traditional ideologies ([|Fundamentalism]). In discussing the origin of Fundamentalism, Edward Davis, describes Fundamentalism as “the militant rejection of modernity ([|Davis]).” This absolute rejection of modernity and struggle to remain in prominence can be seen most clearly in the Scopes Trail, where the rural areas that typically held onto Fundamentalism, battled against the more urban idea of evolution.
 * Fundamentalism **

** The Scopes Trial **
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;">The Scopes Trial was a culmination of all the religious tension that had been built up between urban and rural America. In fact, the conflict that this trial came to symbolize was quite impressive. It represented the struggle between religion vs. science, old vs. new, “good” vs. “bad” and rural America vs. urban America. The trial arose when a high school biology teacher, John Scopes, was placed on trial for teaching evolution. At the time, teaching “…any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible” was illegal in Tennessee, according to the Butler Law. Represented by the famous lawyer Clarence Darrow, Scopes went against the Fundamentalist view of religion. Scopes was found guilty and fined $100, giving the Fundamentalists a narrow victory (Margulies & Rosaler 67-104). More importantly, the trial caused people to take sides in the conflict, deepening a divide between rural America and urban America.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;">Postwar America desired to be firmly isolationist, which contributed to the quotas that were put in place during the 1920s. However, the nativist feelings that had become rooted in rural America also contributed to the quotas. Many rural Americans feared that Europe was dumping their trash onto United States. This fear was mostly aimed at the "New Immigrants" from southern and eastern Europe (Bailey, Kennedy & Cohen 720-745). In urban areas, the large amount of immigrants and a seemingly more accepting population contrasted with this rural point of view.
 * Immigration Laws **

** Conclusion **
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,Times,serif;">The 1920s was a decade that witnessed monumental change in urban culture, as can be seen in the "flappers," automobiles, evolutionists, the mass consumption economy and many more. However, much of this culture leaked onto a rural America that did not want to accept these new ideas. In response, many rural Americans clutched tightly onto their traditional ideas by shifting further into conservatism. The conservative Americans even lashed out against the changes with radical conservative groups like the Ku Klux Klan and the Fundamentalists in the Scopes Trial. Although, backlash did occur, it remains true that the greatest assault on culture during the 1920s was in fact by urban America on rural America.

**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Works Cited **
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Bailey, Thomas Andrew, David M. Kennedy, and Lizabeth Cohen. "American Life in the "Roaring Twenties"" The American Pageant. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998. 720-45. Print.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Davis, Edward B. "Science and religious fundamentalism in the 1920s: religious pamphlets by leading scientists of the Scopes era provide insight into public debates about science and religion." American Scientist 93.3 (2005): 253+.Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;"><[]>.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">"Fundamentalism." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, Web. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fundamentalism>.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">"History Topic: The Antievolution Crusade of the 1920s." Counterbalance.org. Counterbalance Web. <http://www.counterbalance.org/history/creat1920-frame.html>.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">"Introduction to Sigmund Freud, Module on Psychosexual Development."Cla.purdue.edu. Web. <http://www.cla.purdue.edu/english/theory/psychoanalysis/freud.html>. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Margulies, Phillip, and Maxine Rosaler. "The Scopes "Monkey" Trial." //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">The Devil on Trial: Witches, Anarchists, Atheists, Communists, and Terrorists in America's Courtrooms //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2008. 67-104. Print.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Rhoads, Harry M. //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Prohibition "bust" //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;"> Digital image. //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Denver Public Library //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">. 1920s./. Web.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">"Teaching The 1920s." //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Shmoop //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">. Web. <http://www.shmoop.com/1920s/teaching.html>.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;">Skulnick, Marc. "The Roaring Twenties." History Magazine Vol. 7, No. 1. Oct./Nov. 2005. Web.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">"United States history." Compton's by Britannica. Britannica Online for Kids. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;">Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2013. Web <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;"><[]>.

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