The Jazz AgeMusic and Popular Culture

Ch. 22, Section 3

Fads and Heroes of the 1920’s

Dance fads that expressed the energy and optimism of the 1920s included the Charleston, Lindy Hop, Black Bottom and the Breakaway.

Other fads included flag pole sitting, Mah-Jongg and dance marathons.

Jazz Age Chapter 22, Section 3

Heroes Sports stars became American symbols and heroes

Baseball player: Babe Ruth Swimmer: Johnny Weissmuller Football player: Red Grange Golf Champion: Bobby Jones Tennis Stars: Bill Tilden, Helen Willis Boxer: Jack Dempsey

The most loved hero of the decade was Charles Lindbergh. He was the first to make a nonstop flight across the Atlantic. His flight symbolized American energy and optimism.

Jazz Greats Jazz was born in the nightclubs and dance halls of

New Orleans. Jazz combined rhythms from west Africa, work

chants and spirituals from the rural south and harmonies from Europe.

Many famous Jazz artists included Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, and Duke Ellington.

Jazz emphasizes improvisation and experimentation.

Older generations actually believed that Jazz undermined the morals of America’s young people.

Literature The 1920’s produced some of the most influential

writers in American history. Some novels reflected the exuberance of the era

as well as criticized its excesses. These novels included F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The

Great Gatsby and Sinclair Lewis’s Babbitt. Ernest Hemingway’s book A Farewell to Arms

captured the antiwar sentiment of the time.

Harlem Renaissance A vibrant African American culture known as the Harlem

Renaissance began to develop in New York City neighborhoods.

African American writers reacted to the prejudices African American writers faced.

The works of Langston Hughes, James Weldon Johnson and Zora Neale Hurston expressed racial pride.

Langston Hughes is one of the most famous poets to come out of this decade. He wanted his poems to express pride in African American culture.