This class will look at the 1920s, decade of profound change such as the United States has seldom seen. It was a decade that began in the aftermath of a horrific world war and ended with an economic crash that devastated the nation. And yet, in the intervening years, people danced to the Charleston, drank bootleg liquor at the local speakeasy, and eagerly joined in with all the fads and fashions that the “Age of Ballyhoo” had to offer. They embraced the Harlem Renaissance and new styles of literature and music and witnessed essential changes brough about by the “new woman.” Affordable automobiles transformed society, while the radio created a national audience that followed a pantheon of celebrity icons, sports heroes, and scandalous politicians. This was the “Roaring Twenties,” an aptly named decade with echoes that can still be felt today.