Middle Class Growth With the new jobs and other changes in the workplace, a growing middle class took over in America. New opportunities were there for all!

White Collar America America’s prosperity in the 1920s brought a surge of new jobs and new roles in the workplace. New “white collar” jobs brought more educated people off the factory floors and into management positions where they led or organized those below them. This middle-class role in the American workplace led to greater growth in American business and American opportunity.

Consumerism With a greater standard of living in the 1920s, and the growing middle class, American consumerism took off. As new products hit the stores, Americans bought things for their homes, for themselves, and for their leisure. Americans no longer bought what they needed, but they bought what they wanted. It was the new American way!

Cash or Credit With new products on the market that catered to American’s wants, like ready- made clothing, radios, and refrigerators, Americans needed and wanted more and more. The idea of “buying on time” started off in local stores, allowing customers to buy larger items and to pay on installment. While generations before had seen debt as shameful, it was now acceptable in society, and Americans started to live large.

American Youth The youth of America brought great change to the American landscape. They liked their new toys, like radios and automobiles, and they enjoyed playing during their free time in the speakeasies with the jazz music playing loud and the illegal alcohol being served freely. This youth movement created new forms of fashion, new fads for entertainment, and new ways of life for many. Along with new freedoms for many women and African-Americans, the 20s became a generation of new style.