Why the 1920s Were a Roaring Decade
The 1920s most definitely roared due to the several improvements made in women’s freedom and rights, the various advances made in technology, and due to the fact that sports started to gain lots of recognition and the popularity of sports entertainment overall started to grow in Canada. To start off, the 1920s roared due to the fact that this was a time where women finally started to receive freedom and rights for the first time throughout history. Before the 1920s, women had been treated tremendously poorly by men and were given very little rights and limited freedom. For example, before the 1920s, women were not allowed to do things such as drive and own cars own property, own a bank account, or even vote, however, these were all things men were allowed to do without an issue. However, during world war, I, which took place between 1914 to 1918, women were finally able to prove to everyone else that they were equal to men, as they worked jobs that were traditionally given to men. However, considering that women were still not considered “persons” and were not given the same rights as men in a time where they were contributing the same amount as men, this led women to start advocating and protesting against the injustice they were receiving.
As a result, throughout the 1920s, various women across Canada formed multiple groups that were dedicated to ensuring that women received the rights they deserved and were given the same freedom that men had. For instance, women such as Nellie McClung, Agnus McPhail, and Emily Murphy were some of the more successful female rights advocates- these were all activists who tirelessly fought for issues such as the right for women to vote, the ability for women to run for office, and most importantly these women fought for the right to be considered “persons” under Canadian law to ensure that they could do simple things such as own a bank account or own property.
Nellie McClung and Emily Murphy for example, were members of the “Famous Five,” which was a group heavily involved in the Person’s Case. In 1929, the famous five presented the issue that women were not considered “persons” in Canada, to the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, and in the end, won the right to be able to be considered persons under the law of Canada. Not to mention, because women were now looked at as persons just like men, women were now given the right to run for office which was a very significant accomplishment for women. “Nellie McClung and a group known as the ‘Alberta Five’ won for women the right to be appointed in Senate.”
After all, for women in Canada, the 1920s most definitely roared because this was the first time women were overall given the same rights and freedom that men had. Secondly, the 1920s roared due to the fact that the popularity of sports entertainment started to grow in Canada. Sports such as hockey, rugby, track & field, and football were some of the most commonly watched and enjoyed sports by Canadians and the popularity of each sport grew tremendously. Because of this, this gave many Canadian athletes a chance to become successful and gain recognition worldwide.
For example, athletes such as Percy Williams, a famous 100m and 200m sprinter, Lionel Conacher, both a hockey and football player, along with Fannie Bobbie Rosenfield, a 100m sprinter were all examples of Canadian athletes who gained lots of recognition worldwide for their athletic talent. Considering that many Canadian athletes became well known worldwide during the 1920s, this caused Canada to be very well represented throughout the Olympic games in 1924 in Paris and in 1928 in Amsterdam. However, the most significant thing about the growth of sports entertainment in Canada is that this is what caused Canada to start to develop a culture of its own, in terms of sports. In the end, considering that sports and sports entertainment became tremendously popular throughout Canada, this also explains why the 1920s were a roaring decade.
