The 1920s were a decade of change. Technology was changing rapidly – automobiles became more common, buildings in city centers were taller, radio made faraway places seem closer. In the United States, the last of the American troops returned after serving during the First World War; for a short while, the production and sales of alcohol was prohibited; and women voted in a national election for the first time. The events of the First World War had created distance from the nineteenth century, and the United States was looking forward toward the future. Society in the United States was changing – more women were working outside of their homes and more people lived in cities than in the countryside. But with all these advancements, many reflected in the phrase “the Roaring 20s,” there was also a dark side to the decade filled with social unrest, nativism, and racism. The maps in this collection reflect the trends and mores of the times.

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