The most influential decade on contemporary times was the 1920s due to the contribution of transportation technology, the advantage of credit, and the change in women's freedom. The 1920s were a time of change in America. There we brought so many new concepts into the daily lives of American citizens and that being said the 1920s were the most important for America. Advances in transportation technology, credit, and women's freedom gave people the independence they needed. Flapper girls in the 1920s were women who changed the way they dressed by wearing shorter skirts, changed the way they lived by partying more often, and by taking these actions changed the way women were viewed in America. For some people in the 1920s their opinion of flappers was, "Flappers are a disgrace to society because they are lazy pleasure seekers only interested in drinking, partying, and flirting." ”(Problems and Controversies in American History, 1). Negative opinions were formed towards them because changing so drastically in such a short time posed a threat to society. Although flapper girls were not liked by everyone, many of their courageous choices influenced the way American women live today and how they are viewed. Flapper girls were so important to the history of America because they opened so many doors for women. Flapper girls took a stand for women and wanted to be treated equally to men. They began to dress however they wanted, wearing short skirts and bright, shiny jewelry to stand out. They cut their hair short to give themselves a more masculine appearance in contrast to their sex appeal attire. To the human eye, flapper girls simply appeared different than women had always appeared. It was more than simply the way… half the paper… but as a percentage of personal income it doubled from 4.2 per cent in 1918-20 to more than 9 per cent in 1929” (The 1920s Credit Bubble, 1). People started spending so much money without thinking about the credit they were spending on luxury items. All these purchased items had to be paid off one day. The concept of debt was now in play in America and causing stress for years to come. The introduction of debt was so important to America's history because it was the cause of the Great Depression for Americans. There was no more money in people's pockets to support their families. So, in a way, the possibility that Americans could lose everything they had by spending too much humiliates American citizens today. It's not easy to speak for everyone, but it taught people that spending too much when you don't have enough is not the logical thing to do.