Change and ConformityF. Scott Fitzgerald once said, “The test of first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” This quote rings true to the 1920s in that Americans were changing their lifestyle and at the same time being forced to conform. Postwar America was changing like never before. The economic recovery and new technologies of the time have made life easier than ever. Better pay and an eight-hour workday left time and money to spend, and Americans took the opportunity to socialize. New ideas and trends spread like wildfire, and postwar Americans, who had seen what it was like abroad, were not as ready to accept the traditions and ideals of the past. The Roaring Twenties created numerous positive changes towards the women's rights movement and improved acceptance of African Americans in the United States, while at the same time Americans were forced to conform through laws such as the 18th Amendment. human rights have acquired much greater strength than in the past. What helped make this possible was the economic recovery. Workers' wages increased and women also began to have more weight in the workforce. Starting in World War I, American women began taking their spouses' jobs to support their families. They continued to work even after the end of the war. The amount of women composing the overall workforce increased by approximately 2% in the period between 1920 and 1930, for a total of approximately 22% in 1930 (“Women in the Workforce”). Even though they didn't do the same jobs as men, women were still an important... medium of paper... what was used was medicinal alcohol. People who had a prescription could legally purchase alcohol and could not get into trouble (Hanson, Erica 33-34). The alcohol prescribed by doctors was produced in factories, so it was much safer than alcohol produced at home. Many people who didn't get their prescriptions made alcohol at home, called bootleg liquor. Unfortunately, the liquor that people made at home was extremely dangerous and could actually hurt people. Some people would add things like embalming fluid, creosote, and other harmful chemicals (Hanson, David J.). Homemade alcohol could lead to problems such as paralysis and blindness, and sometimes even death. Circumventing the amendment has often proven to be much more dangerous than following it. Some people, instead of drinking, tried drugs such as opium and cocaine, causing even greater problems.