Question

well as in everyday living. the city was a world of competition and change. city dwellers read and argued about current scientific and social ideas. they judged one another by accomplishment more often than by background. city dwellers also tolerated drinking, gambling, and casual dating. these worldly behaviors were considered shocking and sinful in small towns. it was a tug that pitted what seemed to be a safe, small - town world of close ties, hard work, and strict morals against a big - city world of anonymous crowds, moneymakers, and pleasure - seekers. this tension between traditional, rural attitudes and modern, urban lifestyles was both a reflection of and a reaction to changes in american society during the 1920s.

1. did the 1920 census show that urban growth was on the rise, or that rural living was more popular?
2. list three differences/attitudes between small town life and big city life.

one vigorous clash between small - town and big - city americans began in january 1920, when the eighteenth amendment went into effect. this amendment launched the era known as prohibition, during which the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages were legally prohibited. at first, saloons closed their doors, and arrests for drunkenness declined. but in the aftermath of world war i, many americans were tired of making sacrifices; they wanted to enjoy life
eventually, the government sealed prohibition’s fate when it failed to budget enough money to enforce the law. the volstead act established a prohibition bureau in the treasury department in 1919, but the agency was underfunded. the job of enforcement involved patrolling 18,700 miles of coastline as well as inland borders, tracking down illegal stills (equipment for distilling

Explanation:

To answer the question about differences between small - town and big - city life, we analyze the text:

1. Moral Attitudes: Small - town life is described as having “strict morals” (against the big - city world of “worldly behaviors” like drinking, gambling, casual dating). Big - city dwellers tolerated such behaviors.
2. Social Environment: Small - town life is a “world of close ties, hard work”, while big - city life is a “world of anonymous crowds, moneymakers, and pleasure - seekers”.
3. View on Change/Competition: Small - town life likely had a more traditional view, as the city was a “world of competition and change” with city dwellers arguing about scientific and social ideas, implying small - town was less focused on such modern, competitive change.

Answer:

1. Moral Attitudes: Small - town had strict morals against “worldly” behaviors (drinking, gambling, casual dating) while big - city dwellers tolerated them.
2. Social Environment: Small - town was a world of close ties and hard work; big - city was a world of anonymous crowds, moneymakers, and pleasure - seekers.
3. View on Change/Competition: Small - town life was more traditional, less focused on competition and change compared to the city's “world of competition and change”.