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African Americans In The 1920s Essay

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The Roaring Twenties has another name, in fact. The 1920’s can be referred to as The Jazz Age. The 1920’s was a time for African American’s to express themselves through many different art forms. The Great Migration is what caused many chain events that led to the Jazz Age. The Great Migration brought a tremendous amount of African Americans from the rural south to the urban north. Most, if not all, of these African Americans left the rural south due to the lack of economic opportunities, and harsh laws against them. They were intrigued to move to cities in the North because of the better pay they would receive for less work than they were doing in the South, a higher standard of living conditions, better political rights and to take …show more content…

Art forms originated from Harlem, New York since it was the largest black urban community in the United States at the time. By 1930, there was a population of almost 200,000 African Americans in Harlem, New York. The artistic amelioration was known as the Harlem Renaissance. African Americans used varying forms of art like acting, artwork, music and writing to express raw emotion and thought to the world. The most prominent genres of music during the Harlem Renaissance was Jazz. Jazz music was seen as a symbol of “modern” cultures of the cities. Many young adults used Jazz music to express their rebellion to their elders’. Jazz also benefited African Americans because it was a symbol of rebellion towards the set of standards in society, allowing them to move forward in status and culture. Furthermore, poets like Langston Hughes made a huge effect in American history with their works. Hughes helped to shape American literature and politics with his emotion-filled pieces. In the same fashion, Hughes advocated equality while chastising racism and injustice. Through his works, he was able to celebrate the culture and spirituality of African Americans. Ultimately, this had a very positive change in the lives of Americans by being able to show African Americans in a new light and

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Picture it: New York, 1920, automobiles filled with flappers and Jazz music flooding the streets, a new age is here. Now this setting did not always occur in the country. The women would wear modest clothing, every daily task was done by hand, social standards were set no matter your race, and drinking became a serious problem despite your age or gender. However this all came to an end during the American’s Golden Age. The 1920s was a time in the country’s history where gender was defined, industries boomed, and political problems arose.

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Even though culture was booming everywhere during the 1920’s, nowhere was more exuberant than Harlem. The huge social, cultural, and artistic explosion in Harlem was called “The Harlem Renaissance” or “The New Negro Movement.” This movement’s main cause was to create a new black identity, to show blacks that they should be proud to be black. This movement gave light to many poets, authors, such as Langston Hughes, and gave birth to new styles of art such as Jazz. Jazz was described as “the essence of black music.”

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Feel the smooth jazz notes go through your body and straight into your feet, and before you know it you’re dancing in a dimly lit speakeasy while the colorful band plays a lively tune. Your date, a flapper, is smoking and drinking right next to you, along with important political leaders of your city. The room is full of promise, and devoid of concern, alcohol is illegal to everybody, yet everybody is drinking. Your back out onto the dance floor, and dancing the night away spending your time doing something perfectly illegal. That is what a normal weekend night consisted of for most adults during the era called The Jazz Age, more commonly referred to as the Roaring Twenties.

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Between 1910 and 1940 there was a bloom of black artistic expression this period of time was known as the Harlem Renaissance. This period of time had black culture everywhere from music, literature to stage performing and arts, this was only one of the great migrations pros. With all

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There are so many writers and people who do not write also that look up to him. He accepted the challenge of expressing the heart and soul of African Americans. Keenly aware of racism, Hughes visioned a nation where domestic problems could be realized. Hughes in his poetry, expressed his own reactions to incidents in his life and in the world at large. Langston Hughes left such a lasting impression on poetry , black culture, and the people in his life, that he changed the way they lived with the spirit and soul he put into his

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The Roaring Twenties The 1920’s were an era of time that people struggled in. It had ups, and it definitely had downs. This was an age of social change, and it consisted of many ideas and events. Many refer to this decade as the “Roaring Twenties”.

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Shane Boutwell Tara Monica McCarthy HST 112 WI 25 October 2015 African American Change between 1865 and 1920 The African American community has had a long struggle in their battle for equality, fortunately after the civil war abolished slavery in the U.S and began the long road of rebuilding and equality. Not everyone agreed with the abolishment of slavery even after the war because for a long time it was a norm to own slaves, it was just a part of life at the time as the Confederate vice president Alexander H. Stephens referred to slavery as the “cornerstone” of southern life just as many of the southern plantation owners also thought like South Carolina plantation owner Thomas Drayton who said "We are fighting for home & liberty. " But when Abraham Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation in January of 1863,

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To reiterate what was previously stated, Langston Hughes developing a sub-genre of poetry, massively impacted the world of literature. Another way in which Hughes impacted literature was by making literary spaces more open for black people. During the 1920’s, there were very few spaces that welcomed African Americans with open arms, and the world of literature was no different. As aforementioned, Hughes often made efforts to include African Americans in his writing. That was a motivator in his making of jazz poetry.

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African Americans face a struggle with racism which has been present in our country before the Civil War began in 1861. America still faces racism today however, around the 1920’s the daily life of an African American slowly began to improve. Thus, this time period was known by many, as the “Negro Fad” (O’Neill). The quality of life and freedom of African Americans that lived in the United States was constantly evolving and never completely considered ‘equal’. From being enslaved, to fighting for their freedom, African Americans were greatly changing the status quo and beginning to make their mark in the United States.

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The culture of most blacks was unwanted during this time. For this reason Hughes desired to make a change and illustrate such cultural identities in his poems. In doing this he caused a shift in ideas among all people. Although the change didn’t happen immediately it did eventually occur. With that said the African American people were given less of an opportunity at jobs, schooling, and most importantly culture.

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In the 1920s and 1930s, a large movement of art and literature took place in the city of Harlem. Many African American authors express their thoughts and ideas through anyway possible. Whether it be music, art, or literature, its impact gave the African Americans a new place in society. One composer of music was very influential to all people. His name is Duke Ellington.

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For African Americans, Harlem opened up several opportunities for places to live and job opportunities. Outside of Harlem, African American’s struggled to find jobs and places to live. Some whites would not hire an African American, or they would only pay them half of what a white person would receive. Even though it was small compared to other big cities, “Harlem for blacks, like New York for whites, was synonymous with opportunity” (Greenberg 13). Harlem gave African Americans a place where they could find a job a home without being judged for their color.

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The Jazz Age was a term used by F. Scott Fitzgerald to refer to the 1920s, but it was also a cultural movement that took place in America during this decade. It was also known as “the Roaring Twenties”. This movement coincided with the end of the World War I and the introduction of the mainstream radio. The era ended with the crash of 1929, which caused the Great Depression.

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In life, there are few things as organic as jazz music. With its raw sound and scrappy roots, one cannot help but feel life head-on whilst witnessing players produce such a sound right before their eyes. Its origins and arch are a product of the United States’ national culture and identity. Jazz exists not only as a deeply rooted form of art but as a cultural marker, particularly during its commercial peak in the first half of the 20th century. Its impact transcends borders, and it is one of the most beloved musical genres worldwide.

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Between 1910 and 1930, African Americans migrated from the rural South to the urban North in search of better economic opportunities and as a means of escaping the racism of the South, but they were disillusioned with what they encountered. To begin, African Americans still experienced racism—segregation, profiling, and unjust law enforcement—In the North, though it was more subtle. As a result, blacks were forced into lower-paying jobs than whites. Thus, while the northern white, middle-class population grew wealthier during the post-WWI economic boom and were moving to the suburbs, blacks and other poor, working-class groups were left in the cities, the state of which grew progressively

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