The 1920's were a time of change. Many old ideas were being questioned as well as challenged by the Lost Generation. Americans were reaching new heights and discovering innovative hobbies. With these new discoveries came criticism. The Scopes Trial, change in woman's status and the arrival of jazz, among others, led to the tension between the old and the new, which were manifested by the Ku Klux Klan, Tennessee Evolution Case and the Women's Christian Temperance Union.
What led to the trepidation between the former and the new? The Scopes Trial was one event that contributed to the tension. The Scopes Trial also known as the Tennessee Evolution case questioned the evolution of mankind. The belief that "everything in the Bible should be accepted as it is given" was contradicted when Darwin concluded that humans came from an animal. This made many turn towards science for answers, leaving Christianity irrelevant to the Lost Generation. Females of the Lost Generation were also involved in another change.
Change in women's status was another idea that led to the tension. Women before the 1920's were formal, conservative and bland. The new women were aggressive, confident, and opinionated. They began to search for their position in society and to level their shoulders with men in equality. They cut their hair, smoked, danced, wore short dresses, and called themselves 'flappers.' According to the Marriage and Divorce graph, the ratio of divorces to marriages of 1-17 in 1890 went to 1-7 in 1920. If they did not feel a marriage was candid, they got divorced. Women became more independent and recognized for themselves what was right and what was not. Women were not the only ones making the headlines; jazz was also one of the hot topics of the 1920's.
Jazz comes from African-American musical traditions. It differs from the older formal music. Jazz was widely accepted a
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