Roaring 20s Music & Art
Harlem Renaissance
The growth of African American culture in Harlem
…was a place where African American artists,
writers, and musicians revealed the freshness and
variety of their culture
The leaders of the Harlem Renaissance drew
upon the heritage of black culture…
…to establish themselves as powerful forces for
cultural change.
The Harlem Renaissance
• http://www.history.com/topics/roaringtwenties/videos/the-harlem-renaissance
(3 min)
ART - Jacob Lawrence
…a painter…
…chronicled the experiences of the
Great Migration North through art
Langston Hughes
LITERATURE
…a famous poet
that combined the
experiences of
African and
American cultural
roots
I, Too, Sing America
I, too, sing America
I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well, and grow strong.
Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody’ll dare
Say to me,
“Eat in the kitchen,”
Then.
Besides,
They’ll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed
I, too, am America.
MUSIC
Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong were
the jazz composers of the era
Duke Ellington created his own style of music…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDQpZT3GhDg
…and Louis Armstrong was a famous trumpet player
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncXtUml7M6M
…and Bessie Smith
was a famous
blues singer
Popularity of these artists spread to the rest of
society
So what?
What is important to understand about this?
The 1920s and 1930s was a time of change in
manners, culture, and morals in the United States