1920s
During the 1920s (often referred to as the Roaring Twenties), a surging economy in the United States created an era of mass consumerism, as Jazz-Age flappers flouted Prohibition laws and the Harlem Renaissance redefined arts and culture.
Featured Overview
Featured Overview
As African Americans flocked to Northern cities in the 1920s, they created a new social and cultural landscape.
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Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Featured Overview
Featured Overview
As African Americans flocked to Northern cities in the 1920s, they created a new social and cultural landscape.
2:54m watch
Start Here
Start Here
After enduring dark times, Americans were eager for a comeback.
The Greenwood district of Tulsa, Oklahoma had flourished as a neighborhood built by Black people, for Black people. In 1921 it was destroyed by a white mob. Get the facts on the attack and subsequent coverup.
During Prohibition, gay nightlife and culture reached new heights—at least temporarily.
Young women with short hairstyles, cigarettes dangling from their painted lips, dancing to a live jazz band, explored new-found freedoms.
How Prohibition Created the Mafia
How Prohibition Created the Mafia
How Prohibition Created the Mafia
Starting in January 1920, the United States became a dry country. Prohibition banned the manufacture and sale of alcohol in an attempt to civilize unruly Americans (and some other reasons). The experiment had many unintended consequences, but most dangerously, it fostered the rise of organized crime and the American Mafia.
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3 Artistic Movements of the 1920s
3 Artistic Movements of the 1920s
Explore All Related Topics
Explore All Related Topics
The deadliest race massacre in American History started with two people. Find out the origins of this tragic event in this History special, "Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre."
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Located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, this residential neighborhood known as Greenwood provided an opportunity for Blacks to accumulate wealth and make advancements during a time of racial terror, in this History special, "Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre."
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Here are 10 things you didn't know about prohibition.
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Learn the history of Al Capone's secret city.
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When Prohibition began, two ordinary men thought it would be fun to enforce the new law. They were right.
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Starting in January 1920, the United States became a dry country. Prohibition banned the manufacture and sale of alcohol in an attempt to civilize unruly Americans (and some other reasons). The experiment had many unintended consequences, but most dangerously, it fostered the rise of organized crime and the American Mafia.
3:51m watch
The 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial was one of the most important legal battles of its time. Two of the greatest speakers of the era, Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan, faced off in a debate encompassing science, religion, and Constitutional rights.
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Police raid a garage in Chicago that contained five hundred and thirty-seven barrels of alcoholic beverage, $30,000 worth of illegal drink.
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As African Americans flocked to Northern cities in the 1920s, they created a new social and cultural landscape.
2:54m watch
