The only constant in New York City is – and always has been – change. From its beginnings as a breadbasket to the technologically advanced “Roaring Twenties,” each decade has given the city a unique identity.
This is especially true of New York in the “Roaring 20s,” a name that refers to the newfound economic prosperity and vibrant art scene of the 1920s. During this era, New York was the cultural capital, setting new records and rapidly urbanizing. From the East River to the Hudson, new architectural projects and artistic endeavors covered the city.
Uptown, in Harlem, jazz rhythms became the music of the city. For some residents, lavish soirées with elaborate entertainment, such as those described in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, symbolized much of the era.
But if you take off the Gatsby glasses, it becomes clear that this was not just a time of wild parties. It was a time of civil unrest, starting with the introduction of the 18th Amendment, which banned the manufacture and sale of “intoxicating alcoholic liquors.” There was also widespread immigration hysteria, strikes and racism.
Jonathan Goldman, author of “Modernism Is the Literature of Celebrity,” told Business Insider that there are some striking similarities between 1920 and today: Just as we grapple with women’s rights and a widening economic divide today, so did people and politicians in the 1920s.
He cited immigration as another example, saying: “The uproar and fears over the impact of immigration today are reminiscent of the politics of the 1920s.”
As an election season begins that focuses on issues of immigration, women’s rights and democratic freedoms, photographs show how New Yorkers in the 1920s lived through these experiences in their own ways.
