Chapter 24, Section 3“The Jazz Age”

MINORITIES

African Americans in Early 20th Century• Redemption – with the end of

Reconstruction in 1876 and the removal of federal troops from the South, the Southern Democratic Party sought to regain control (often with the support of groups like the KKK)

• Jim Crow laws – set up segregation in public places in the South

• Plessy v. Ferguson – US Supreme Court case that said that “separate but equal” segregation was legal

• Restrictions on voting – in violation of the 15th Amendment Southern states passed laws to restrict their right to vote (Grandfather’s clause, literacy tests, poll taxes)

Ku Klux Klan• Racist group that terrorized

African Americans after Reconstruction that saw a resurgence in the 1920s

• 5 million members• Harassed African

Americans, but also Catholics, Jews, and immigrants

• Also fought women’s rights, urbanization, and technology

Marcus Garvey• Born in Jamaica and eventually moved

to New York in 1917• Published a newspaper for African

Americans in which he expressed his ideas about how African Americans could improve their place in society

• Encouraged black people around the world to express pride in their culture and to unite to build strength

• Encouraged African Americans to build economic independence by building their own businesses and supporting other businesses owned by black people

• Founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association to help spread black nationalism (what his ideas are collectively known as)

The Great Migration• The economic opportunities of the era

(during WWI and the prosperous 1920s) triggered a widespread migration of black Americans from the rural south to the industrial centers of the north - and especially to New York City

• In New York and other cities, black Americans explored new opportunities for intellectual and social freedom

• Black American artists, writers, and musicians began to use their talents to work for civil rights and obtain equality

Jacob Lawrence• Jacob Lawrence grew up in a

settlement house in Harlem during the Harlem Renaissance

• Lawrence's parents were among those who migrated between 1916-1919, considered the first wave of the migration

• His own life in Harlem, and the struggle of other African Americans inspired his earliest work

Lawrence’s Work

• Jacob Lawrence painted his Great Migration series during the 1940s to capture the experience of African Americans during the 1920s

http://www.columbia.edu/itc/history/odonnell/w1010/edit/migration/migration.html

Harlem Renaissance• The Harlem Renaissance

was a flowering of African American social thought which was expressed through –Paintings–Music –Dance – Theater– Literature

Where is Harlem?

New York City →

New York State

Where is Harlem?

New York City is on Manhattan Island

*

Manhattan Neighborhoods Harlem

*

Langston Hughes

• Hughes is known for his insightful, colorful, realistic portrayals of black life in America.

• He wrote poetry, short stories, novels, and plays, and is known for his involvement with the world of jazz and the influence it had on his writing.

• He wanted to tell the stories of his people in ways that reflected their actual culture.

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.They send me to eat in the kitchenWhen company comes,But I laugh,And eat well,And grow strong. 

Tomorrow,I'll be at the tableWhen company comes.Nobody'll dareSay to me,"Eat in the kitchen,“Then. 

Besides,They'll see how beautiful I amAnd be ashamed-- 

I, too, am America.

I, too, sing America

To listen to Langston Hughes read his poem, click here.

(1920s)

'I, Too' written just before Hughes’ return to the States from Europe and after he'd been denied passage on a ship because of his color, has a contemporary feel in contrast to the mythical dimension of 'The Negro Speaks of Rivers'. It is no less powerful however, in its expression of social injustice. The calm clear statements of the 'I' have an unstoppable force like the progress the poem envisages. Hughes's dignified introductions to these poems and his beautiful speaking voice render them all the more moving.

From PoetryArchive.org

•What is the tone or mood of this poem? •Why do you think the poem was written and for what audience? •List two things in this poem that tell you about life in the United States at the time.

The Jazz Age• The 1920s are known as the “Jazz

Age” due to the popularity of jazz music in the decade

• Jazz was a blend of European harmonies and West African rhythms that began in New Orleans and moved north during the Great Migration

• Young people loved it and the fast-paced dances that went with it

• It symbolized the divide in the decade between the younger and older generations

Duke Ellington• Ellington was a jazz composer,

conductor, and performer during the Harlem Renaissance

• During the formative Cotton Club years, he experimented with and developed the style that would quickly bring him worldwide success

• Ellington would be among the first to focus on musical form and composition in jazz

• Ellington wrote over 2000 pieces in his lifetime

The Cotton Club• The Cotton Club in Harlem

opened in 1923• Its revue shows featured

glamorous dancing girls, acclaimed tap dancers, vaudeville performers, and comics

• The shows featured African American performers and white-only audiences

• The Duke Ellington Orchestra was the "house" orchestra for a number of years at the Cotton Club

Apollo Theater• In opposition to the Cotton Club was this theater

that featured the same performers, but was open to African American audiences

Louis Armstrong• Louis Armstrong was a jazz

composer and trumpet player during the Harlem Renaissance.

• He is widely recognized as a founding father of jazz.

• He appeared in 30 films and averaged 300 concerts per year, performing for both kids on the street and heads of state.

• Biggest Hits: When the Saints Come Marching In, What a Wonderful World

“Ascent from Ethiopia,” Louis Mailou Jones. 1932

Questions to think about:

1. What do you see?

2. What does each part of the painting represent?

5. What actions/activities do you see?

6. What questions does this painting raise in your mind?

7. How does this painting relate to the Harlem Renaissance?

Effects of the Harlem Renaissance• The Harlem Renaissance helped to redefine how Americans

and the world understood African American culture. • It integrated black and white cultures, and marked the

beginning of a black urban society. • The Harlem Renaissance set the stage for the civil rights

movement of the 1950s and 60s.

Negro League Baseball

• Another aspect of the movement of African Americans north (and the discrimination they faced there) was the creation of professional baseball teams for just black players

• African Americans in northern and eastern cities had the time and money to go to games now

• Some of the greatest players of all-time played in these leagues such as Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, and Jackie Robinson

Native Americans

• Thousands of Native Americans served in World War I

• This helped convince Congress to pass the Indian Citizenship Act in 1924 that granted citizenship to all Native Americans

• Also during this time the federal government was trying to buy back as much reservation land as possible

• Native Americans organized groups to try to stop this and to build pride in Native American culture

Native American leaders withPresident Coolidge after the bill was signed into law

Hispanic Americans

• Hispanic Americans also faced discrimination in the US in the 1920s

• This treatment would include segregation and a denial of voting rights

• League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) – created in 1929 by a group of Mexican American leaders to fight to improve their situation

Lost Generation• Nickname for the group of young

writers and their followers who expressed feelings of disillusionment in the American society

• They were worried about their futures and felt as though American society was losing its sense of morality

• Some like Ernest Hemingway moved to Paris to escape our society and write

• Others like F. Scott Fitzgerald stayed and wrote about the problems in our society (in books like “The Great Gatsby”)

F. Scott Fitzgerald →writing

← Ernest HemingwayIn Paris in 1923