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Final Project Outline The topic of my final project as related to Arts as related to African American Culture influences In the United States, is the influence sports have had. I have chosen Jack Johnson and Paul Robeson, both of whom had major impact on African American Culture and the larger American Culture and society. Coming from different cultural and family lineage, both of these great athletes were affected by the American Culture and society, but both changed the world of sports and the society with their skills and expertise. Robeson used sports as one of the avenues to propel himself to additional means of cultural expression such as debating, acting, and singing.
The 1960s was a tumultuous decade for the United States. Along with the escalation of the Vietnam War, this decade was rocked by the Civil Rights movement and the second wave of the Feminist movements, creating an immense amount of social tension. As a result, people turned to politically-charged music, predominantly Rock n’ Roll, to release their frustrations. However, an equally important musical genre, Soul, was left in the background. Despite the fact that Soul music was not as popular in the United States, artists such as Aretha Franklin released many politically-charged songs that advocated for social justice.
Jazz music has spread around the world. It has drawn on national and regional musical cultures. Jazz has been the most important social factor that black musicians were able to record the blues, gospel and more. These musicians lived through inequality and many discovered their freedom in jazz. It became African Americans freedom because jazz
Songs had more than one purpose because it was used to get points across and raise eyebrows to questions that seemed to have the “right” answers, such as the equal rights and the Civil Rights Movement. Songs were used to motivate long marches, giving them strength psychologically against brutality and harassments, and other times they were sung to just simply watch the time go by. Explained simply as, “There were songs for every mood. You know, there were the very jubilant songs. There were the very sad songs when someone was killed.
Motown Motown didn’t just make great music, they made an impact in the civil right movement. Though you can’t see the impact as much as you see the impact of Martin Luther King Jr. or Malcolm X, they did play a role in the movement. Motown was started by Berry Gordy in 1959. He didn’t only care about making money through his music, he wanted to help out in the movement of civil rights.
This kind of music was the source of inspiration for most of the black artists who also played a big role in influencing Michal Jackson and his numerous works. Soul music would be perceived as having an influence on almost every facet present in popular culture. It has its history from Back Power and Civil rights movements that were seen in the 1960s (Soul: a Historical Reconstruction of Continuity and Change in Black Popular Music, 21). Some of the popular genres include blues that are deeply embedded in the black tradition. Blues and specifically country blues has its origin or essence from socially isolated communities in the antebellum period (Soul: a Historical Reconstruction of Continuity and Change in Black Popular Music, 22).
Swing has also helped people come together not only to listen, but also to play. It was during the time of the civil rights movement that swing was created and popularized. While the African Americans had their freedom, they were still largely unaccepted and segregated. Even though swing did not fix the segregation part of the world, it did bring blacks and whites together in interesting ways. Swing was first introduced by black musicians.
Graylie Grose Mrs. Hitchcock Language Arts 2 February 2023 Aretha Franklin’s Fight for Civil Rights Aretha Franklin was an African American singer and civil rights activist. Aretha Franklin used her music for good. Franklin used her talents during the Civil Rights Movement to fight for the rights of African Americans, women, and Native Americans. There is way more to Franklin than just her singing ability.
Ashley Miller HIST 202B Timothy Paynich 3/7/16 HUMAN Rights How much of history would change if African Americans never went through adversity? Between 1877 (End of Reconstruction) and the 1950’s (Beginning of the Civil Rights Movement) African Americans went through immense hardships. They had to fight numerous times in order to gain their rights and even be counted as “human”. During the Harlem Renaissance many African Americans arose and found ways to create and show what they were going through.
During the 1950’s and 1960’s, there was the need and desire for social justice, so that African Americans could gain equal rights under the law in the United States. The Civil Rights Movement defeated the injustice of public facilities being segregated by “race” in the South. Two women who advocated for black justice during the Civil Rights Movement through the use of music are Nina Simone and Billie Holiday. Simone is an American singer who sang a mix of blues, jazz, and folk music. She was known for songs like “ Young, Gifted and Black,” “ Four Woman,” and “ Mississippi Goddam.”
Over the course of human history, music has been an integral part of life. Music’s impact can be seen in every facet of the world today and it is a way to express feelings, tell a story, or prove a point. It can bring people together and can transcend communities, cultures, and ideologies. Although many do not realize it, music has had a profound impact on all human lives, and the lives of all others that have since died. Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come’ is a song that defined a generation while bringing the oppression and injustice that African Americans experienced, on a daily basis, to the forefront of society.
I also did not know the song, “We Shall Overcome” was meant to be the theme song of the Civil rights movement. This was interesting to find out because this song served as an inspiring force that made everyone feel connected during the movement. One hears of everyone singing during the revolution saying they are on their way to freedom or praying to the Lord to aid them on this journey. Yet, I never realized “We Shall Overcome,” was meant to talk about overcoming these trails and that one day it will be alright. I now look at this song differently, knowing the meaning behind it.
The migration of workers to urban areas, prosperity, and the anxiety of social change all contributed to the development of Rock and Roll and Civil Rights. Social anxieties of the Civil Rights Movement such as: institutionalized racial slavery, segregation, discrimination, and the struggle for equality were strongly exemplified throughout African American music, which would soon transform into Rock and Roll. Essentially, Rock music originated amongst the African American culture deriving from jazz, gospel, rhythm, and blues. Ultimately, these genres together corresponded to create Rock and Roll. Seeing that music has the ability to reflect and influence social movements and interactions, the music that becomes popular can gain national recognition (“Concurrent
Exposing Racial Problems in Society Through Music and Movements The term “soul” can mean maybe things… It can mean the spiritual part of a human that is perceived to still be living after the individual is deceased. In this application of our learning and analyzing, soul mostly refers to the style of music. “Soul is a form of urban Black popular music, derived from rhythm and blues of the 1950s, that crystalized in the late 1960s and peaked in the mid-1970s.”
Musicians and creators have preserved social histories by writing and singing about them for over 50 years. A strong example is the Black Lives Matter movement. Many artists, such as James Brown, took part in this social revolution. James Brown wrote a song titled “Say it Loud (I’m Black and I’m Proud)”.
