Roaring 20s Music & ArtHarlem 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/roaring-twenties/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 playerhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncXtUml7M6M

…and Bessie Smithwas 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