1. Poverty in America
As many Americans prospered during the 1920s, some groups experienced great poverty. They did not see the opportunities of the masses.

5. American Poverty
While the 1920s appeared to be a decade of plenty, many in America suffered through extreme hardship and poverty. For minorities and rural farmers, the great roaring decade did not hold the same opportunities or promises. Instead they suffered through another decade of desperation, hoping times would bring a better life for their families and for themselves.

6. The Farmers’ Plight
Farming in America had long been a tough job. Farmers worked from daylight to dark, and struggled through violent weather patterns, hoping to produce enough crop to support their families through the coming year. In the 1920s, many farmers experienced extreme droughts, leaving them with limited and damaged crops, and hopeless for their family’s and farm’s future. Many suffered through, hoping for a better season, while others packed up and moved into the cities, looking for new opportunities and a second chance.

7. Minority Struggles
Discrimination and racism was evident all over the United States, despite some areas that experienced great development and cooperation among mixed groups. In the south, the KKK ran rampant, lynching African- Americans and others to make their point all across the countryside. In the north, minorities were often last picked for jobs, and the competition between new immigrants and minorities for those jobs often resulted in riots and other conflicts. As in times before, and times after, minorities had to find their own way, and they did not often experience the prosperity as whites did, even in the roaring 20s.

8. Escaping Poverty
The Great Migration was an attempt for many African-Americans to escape the extreme poverty as share-croppers and the extreme discrimination from the KKK in the south. They moved into the big cities, looking for jobs and new opportunities that were more available in the 1920s. While the discrimination often followed, there were more opportunities, even for minorities, in the north and elsewhere in the country.