Student Essay on Freedom after World War 1

Freedom after World War 1

Summary:   From the 1920's to early 1950's, the meaning of freedom changed frequently. After World War I, before American entered World War II, the boundaries of freedom for different people expanded. Especially for women and blacks, the definition of freedom allowed them to experience life in different ways than they had before World War I.

The years following World War I were very different than the ones leading up to it. Between the years of 1920 and 1953, America was undergoing many different changes in its society. Beginning with the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression, moving into the New Deal Era, and finally the wartimes, the meaning of freedom changed frequently for the people living on the American land. The boundaries of peoples' freedoms changed as well. For the better or for the worse, due to changes in the American society and ways of life, people living in America during these 33 years experienced living differently than they had lived years prior to these.

Before the 1920's, life for women was very different. Women were unable to enjoy the privileges that men had and they were looked down upon and known merely as domestic workers. Now, during the 20's, life for women changed drastically. With new technology and appliances being created, women were left with a lot of free time to spare. They began seeking personal pleasure and expressing their individual and sexual freedom. Many took on the title as a "flapper;" dressing provocatively, smoking and drinking in public, and practicing birth control methods. Even better, on August 26th, 1920, Amendment 19 was passed giving women the right to vote. The 1920's truly allowed women to be looked at like human beings, rather than slaves to men like they had been in the past.

For blacks living in America during the 1920's, life was surprisingly getting better as well. Many of them migrated north seeking ways to prove their usefulness to society. Blacks united in ghettos, cities, and many ended up in Harlem which caused the sprouting of the Harlem Renaissance. Like the editor of The New Negro Alain Locke says, "in Harlem, Negro life is seizing upon its first chances for group expression and self-determination (131). This period in history was a time when Blacks showed their capabilities to the world. Black poets and novelists began revealing their talents, many ending up being published by white presses. White producers opened up opportunities to the Blacks in the theatre industry as well. Blacks also were beginning to be looked at like human begins, rather than salves to whites like they had been in the past.

Then, the Great Depression hit America and it hit it hard. It has been said that it was the greatest economic disaster known in history. About 40% of the American population lived in poverty. Businesses were unable to offer industrial freedom to their workers. The term social equality was destroyed because money was no longer being equally distributed. It was hard for Americans to express their individual freedom and enjoy their lives because there was no economic opportunity to do so. At this time, Hoover was the president and people didn't believe he was doing his job to help the American people. The idea of "Liberty of Contract" or Lassiez Faire came back into play. Hoover did not fully believe that the responsibility of the government was to support the people and offer federal aid to all those in need of it. Workers' wages were decreasing tremendously and rapidly. Hoover pushed for a tax increase but this only made things worse. American's were finding it hard to purchase things and the amount of international trading going on was decreasing as well. The Great Depression really effected the American people and made them loose faith in their American Democracy. It wasn't until the election of 1932 and the creation of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal when the American Society started to change again.

When Roosevelt took office, he wanted to make it a goal to help the American people get back on their feet. With the horrible huge impact the Great Depression had on the American society, Roosevelt knew it was his job to make things better again. The creation of his New Deal, he believed, would help deal with the effects of the Depression. With this new program, FDR rejected the idea of Lassiez Faire. Unlike president Hoover, FDR believed it was the government's responsibility to guarantee economic stability and freedom for the citizens. The most important thing to do was rebuild the people's faith and regain their trust in their democratic government. In a speech by FDR he said, "the New Deal forgets it is solely by production of more goods and more varieties of goods and services that we advance the living and security of men...That great structure of human progress can be built only by free men and women...The gravest task which confronts the party is to regenerate these freedoms" (151-152). To ensure industrial freedom and economic equality, FDR created the National Industrial Recovery Act. This act set standards for industrial prices and working conditions. FDR set up many programs that opened up jobs to millions of people. FDR worked on improving the nations infrastructure and public buildings which gave many people the chance to help out and get paid. By 1934, more than 4 million people had jobs helping construct different public projects. The New Deal also allowed a high percentage of immigrant workers to own homes. Thousands of homes were being built and this allowed low-income families to gain some sort of individual freedom by being able to call themselves a homeowner. Yes, all this seems great, but, the New Deal really didn't solve all the problems. The New Deal concentrated more on quick economic recovery rather than on lasting economic stability and security.

Therefore, there needed to be a Second New Deal because FDR's First New Deal didn't quite fix all the problems in America. The Second New Deal came about in 1935 and was created to address the failures of the First New Deal, aimed to provide more relief and reform, rather than just recovery. One of the first major initiatives of the Second New Deal was the Wagner Act. This act brought democracy into the workplace, giving laborers more of a say. Workers were now able to vote for who they wanted to represent their unions. The Wagner Act also banished unfair labor practices. Another outcome of the Second New Deal was the Social Security Act of 1935. This act created a system of social insurance. It provided insurance for the unemployed, pensions for the elderly, and gave aid to the disabled, the poor, and families with dependant children. Unfortunately though, the Social Security Act excluded many Americans, especially women and Blacks. Because after the Depression many women went back to working in their homes, they weren't entitled to old age pensions or unemployment insurance. They were not even given the chance to get jobs, especially government jobs, because they were offered to men first. Blacks were also left uncovered by this act and were not given old age pensions, unemployment benefits, or the minimum wage. Outside of the Social Security Act, Blacks were also denied job positions. In fact, many New Deal projects that were created to give people jobs, would not hire Blacks. It is acceptable to say that most aspects of the Second New Deal did nothing to end racism, but made it worse. However, it did better the relationship between the government and the citizens, making the government very concerned with the peoples' welfare.

In the later years of the 1930's, America was preparing to go to war. With Hitler trying to take over the entire land of Germany, America was aware of hostile events that would eventually lead to World War II. FDR believed it was the Americans' duties to aid Europe in the war, calling it a "Fight for Freedom." In 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, American soil, and this led to America entering one of the biggest wars in history, World War II. Throughout the world, things were bad. Hitler was destroying peoples' lives in order to take control. In 1941, he acted upon his idea of exterminating "undesired" people and ordered Slavs, gypsies, homosexuals, and Jews to be killed. More than 6 million Jews were put in death camps and killed. At home in America, FDR tightened the relationship between the government and businesses. He set quotas and fixed wages. Wartime jobs led to a tremendous decrease in unemployment. Unions started to become recognized as a way to maintain industrial peace. Freedom was a big issue for FDR. He believed that all citizens should be guaranteed the Four Freedoms; freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. FDR also believed that "the world order which we seek is the cooperation of free countries, working together in a friendly, civilized way" (160). He was concerned with providing peace for Americans in a way that would not interfere with their freedoms. During the war woman played an important role. They took on many 'manly positions' in the fields of manufacturing and shipbuilding. They even confronted the equal pay issue and demanded men's wages if they were doing their jobs. The war created a melting pot in society too. Immigrants from Europe had no trouble assimilating with the American people. Blacks, though, still were being segregated from the Whites. They even served in segregated units in the armed forces. Blacks began confronting FDR's idea that the four freedoms were guaranteed to all citizens, because clearly they were not. The U.S also did not tolerate the 50,000 Japanese living on its land. Because the Japanese were the ones who bombed Pearl Harbor, all the Japanese living in American were relocated from their homes to interment camps. This showed the world how basic freedoms are denied during times of war.

With World War II ending and America becoming the leading world power in the western world, the Soviet Union, the leading power in the eastern world, was not too happy. America, being a capitalist country allowing the citizens to do what they please, wanted to stop the spread of communism, which happened to describe the basis of the Soviet Union's government. This obviously led to conflict which became known as the Cold War. During this time, President Truman came into office. His number one policy was one of containment. To stop the spread of communism, the idea of freedom was greatly recognized. Freedom of expression was encouraged, especially through artistry, because most pieces of works attacked communist governments. The concept of human rights also emerged. This was the idea that there were rights that should be guaranteed to all people and protected against violations. Civil Rights were also becoming a main focus for Truman. The percentage of blacks registered to vote increased dramatically since 1940. Lynching was finally considered a serious crime. Blacks began to take part in American entertainment. In 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first black baseball player on a major-league team. In October of 1947, a Commission on Civil Rights made it a point to recognize Civil Rights as forever guaranteed and protected. Unfortunately though, the war brought out the idea that there was disloyalty amongst the American people. Anyone thought to be communist or support communism was put on trial. People who were not even communist, if thought to be, were immediately arrested and could do nothing about it. Once again, this affirmed the fact that basic rights are denied in times of war.

From the 1920's to early 1950's, the meaning of freedom changed frequently. After World War I, before American entered World War II, the boundaries of freedom for different people expanded. Especially for women and blacks, the definition of freedom allowed them to experience life in different ways than they had before World War I. Once America entered World War II and the Cold War began, the boundaries of freedom again narrowed. During wartime, basic freedoms were denied. People literally got arrested and were put on trials during the Cold War if they expressed any signs of loyalty to communism. The meaning of freedom and boundaries of freedom will never stop changing. It is impossible to live in a society where every single person is treated equally. Until this does become possible, some groups of people will experience the freedom they've always dreamed of, while other groups of people will never have that chance.