"Oh, Play It, Mr. Man!": Harlem Nightlife Is Hot
The 1920s were interesting and unusual years in America's history. World War I (1914–18) had ended and the economy was strong. A Republican government was in power, and mainstream society was dominated by conservatism (the tendency to oppose changes, especially those that lead to greater individual freedom). The majority of Americans wanted to be known as upright, clean-living citizens, and they strove to make as much money as they could. In 1918, what has since been called the "Prohibition Era" began when a widespread movement to curb people's use of alcohol—which was seen as a destructive force in society—resulted in the passage of the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. This amendment prohibited or banned the "manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors," and the Volstead Act, passed a year later, defined the prohibited liquors as those with more than a 0.5 percent alcohol content. Although most Americans initially supported it, Prohibition was eventually repealed due to the government's inability to enforce it (some claimed the amendment and act had actually caused more crime and corruption than they prevented) and to changing attitudes nationwide (see Chapter 7).
At the same time, however, there was a mood of rebellion in the air.
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