Hey!
I've been interested in this since it went up, but something's blocking me from working on an app any further than I have. Mind, I have a character concept, but the 1920's setting is really proving to be an obstacle. You encouraged background research on the era -- a request that's totally plausible, but research on its own won't be enough to inspire me to write!
If it's not too much of s bother, might I suggest more setting development on your behalf, Khawil? Just giving me and anyone else on the sidelines more of a 20's vibe, one we don't have to impose ourselves. Even just a synopsis or timeline of crucial events would really help, I think, and it would just make things more accessible.
Absolutely.
So the RP starts just around June of 1920. A year and a half has passed since the end of WW1 (The Great War), and with that there is an air of dread and cynicism coming from veterans (who endured trench warfare, chemical warfare, etc) and civilians. During 1918 and 1919, a deadly influenza outbreak killed many worldwide, killing nearly 600,000 americans. Communism and anarchism are sensitive topics and major fears for the public (due to violent incidents in the previous year in various countries and a serious of bombings throughout the summer of 1919 in numerous American cities), and in January several thousand suspected of supporting these were arrested in major cities. A civil war in Russia has been going on since the end of WW1 and in 1919 the communist party is winning. Also affecting the public is the outlawing of alcohol on the 16th of January and a refusal from the USA to join the League of Nations later on in that month.
In February, the Nazi party is formed (or rather the German workers party renames itself under Hitler). The public in general doesn't think much of the party, and the importance of this is under-shadowed by the inability to see the future and the fact that the united states senate refuses the treaty of Versailles, Congress follows suit in March.
Now, although its called the "Roaring 20s" the economy doesn't start kicking until around '23, with the years before that mostly being recovery and growth. Civil rights for both minorities and women are starting to take root. Earlier last year in 1919, the Senate voted to pass an amendment to allow women to vote, although it has not yet been written in. African Americans are beginning to flourish culturally, and while the popularity of Jazz is underground, in only a year, it will grow to become popular throughout New York.
Jazz and Dancing are popular in this era, with Dance clubs being popular spots for anyone who is anyone. Going into all of the crazy dances that caught on would be tedious, but the major pastime and hangout instead of drinking was dancing. Other pastimes are silent films, (if you're rich enough) taking your car out, and going to illegal speakeasies run by gangs. F. Scott Fitzgerald released his first hit in March, making him a celebrity of the time. Talk of movies killing Broadway is about, but ends up being wrong. Radio will catch on as a home device that one can tune into for music and news, although at this point in 1920, there are not many thoughts on it.
Science side, both Einstein and Sigmund Freud are popular around the world, Einstein for his general relativity theories, and Freud for his psychological theories.
News does
not travel fast in this era. Newspapers and word of mouth are the main sources of information for an average citizen. Muckrackers are big around this time, exposing all sorts of government issues and scandals. Much like today, Newspapers feature "clickbaity" headlines, often about crimes, scandals, or political scares. African American run papers flourish in big cities, giving a political voice to the mistreated group.
In Summary
-Post War Depression and Cynicism (and the hope that The Great War is the last war)
-Rise of African American Culture
-Fears of Communists and Anarchists
-The outlawing of Alcohol
Are some of the things that define America in 1920. As the years go by (the RP will ideally end in 1929, the start of the Great Depression), more historical, as well as slightly fictional events will go on, and the things that have already changed for this RP are mostly important within the RPs context (The famous gangs of the 1920s won't be present in this RP, although things they did will be performed by fictional gangs).
I hope this is adequate enough for you, even though it is terribly abridged. The time leading up to 1920 was incredibly chaotic. 60 years prior, the civil war ended which means that there are people alive who remember a divided America. Additionally, WW1 was such a drastically different war than any other, and so inhumane and bloody, that many of the people alive are on edge and open for any distraction (an ironic state to be in as prohibition sets in).
This Wikipedia article is likely your easiest bet for general research in the era
