Unit 5.1 Classwork & Reading: The Roaring 20s

For many middle-class Americans, the Roaring 1920s was a decade of unprecedented , which led to new patterns of , or purchasing consumer goods like radios, cars, vacuums, beauty products or clothing.

The expansion of in the 1920s allowed for the sale of more consumer goods and put within reach of average Americans. Now individuals who could not afford to purchase a car at full price could pay for that car over time -- with interest, of course!

With so many new products and so many Americans eager to purchase them, became a central institution in this new consumer economy.

By the 1920s, a of the US population lived in cities rather than in rural areas. Cities, like , offered economic opportunities to women, migrants, and immigrants, as well as the passage of new immigration restrictions. For Example, Jane Addams sought to improve the lives of women, children, and immigrants. At the House, Addams taught immigrants English and how to adjust to city life.