Spanish Case

Jazz Age: The 1920's were characterized as the Jazz Age, or the Roaring Twenties. It marked a new era after the Great War, but prior to the Great Depression, and was known for its flamboyant and "anything goes" mood. During this period, the economy was thriving, allowing for new innovations in entertainment to thrive, as well as a breakdown of prior social customs. For example, the new , independent women were called "Flappers", due to their bob haircuts, revealing dresses, and financial independence. The Jazz Age was also characterized by the introduction of new styles of music as well as fast tempo dancing. For example dances such as The Charleston, One Step and Black Bottom were extremely popular, as were the famous jazzmen like Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller and Benny Goodman. It began in New Orleans, in 1895, as a mixture of blues and marching band music, played prevalently by African Americans and Creoles, but soon became popular nationally due to the radio. The Jazz age was significant due to its experimentation and originality, and was often criticized by older generations, who connected Jazz with intimate dancing, alcohol, and questionable morals.

American Dream:

In general, the American Dream is the belief that people are given freedom and the opportunity to succeed and prosper with the right amount of hard work. In contrast to European mentality, people are not stuck or defined to a class or occupation, but rather can pursue their dream, and those who succeed are only those who work. The American Dream was first defined by James Truslow Adams, with its basis in the Declaration of Independence. However, later on in the 20th century, many argued that this belief had become a pursuit of material wealth, or justification for capitalism.