During World War I many things changed, lives were destroyed; dreams shattered, and many soldiers' who went to war came back with a different view of life. This "lost generation" was one of the main reasons why the speakeasies and popular 20s culture arose. That culture arose because the men returning from the battlefield did not care. Especially when the African American soldiers returned from WWI. They changed their views also on their American Dream. These soldiers "the lost generation" are what made the 20s. The African American soldiers when upon returning to the United States were as lost as all the other soldiers were. They had lost faith in society.

The African American soldiers who returned from WWI were of a different demeanor they when they had left. Before they had left they were mostly acceptful of the status quo. They were lower class, and lacked the basic human civil rights that the rest of the country had. The few who sought change were suppressed or given no importance. However during the war this all changed. Men who went into battle fought and died among men of many different races, although their battalions were different. They realized that the country

Klock, Brian. On the Lost Generation. New Hampshire: Lancelot, 1992

They had come all this way thinking that war was going to be like fancy war stories. However the reality was quite different. Trench warfare was used in WWI and they were forced to live in mud houses for months exposed to the elements, and inviting diseases such as gangrene. The sheer horror of people losing limbs in battle right in front of them was starting to take a psychological toll. Shell shock, poison gas, and fighting for 2 meters of land at a time all contributed to this generation's loss. The men returning from the war were depressed, disoriented and distraught. "These 3 D's of downfall were also on of the reasons why the American Dream during this time was not profound in society, the result of which people did not care about society. They just wanted to have fun and try to forget the horrors of war. This led to the popular "Roaring 20s."

they were fighting, and dying for was not giving them any rights at all. They were fighting for their country yet they did not receive the same treatment as all the other people did. "The race riots broke out in 29 American cities as African - American soldiers returning from Europe and demanding greater civil rights were opposed by mobs of whites." (Jackson 25)

The rest of the United States had people left behind who did not change and refused to give them their rights. Thus the race riots began. This scared many white Americans

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Approximate Word count = 983
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)