1920's
The Harlem Renaissance
How it Began
Literature
Langston Hughes
Claude McKay
Their Eyes were Watching God
Music
Music was probably the thing that changed America the most during the Harlem Renaissance. Jazz became popular in America for its syncopated rhythms and instrumental solos. Thousands of people went to see Jazz performances at night. Each performance was improvised, meaning that no two performances were the same. A club known as the Harlem Cotton Club would often boast about the talents of Duke Ellington. Popular Jazz Vocalists at the time were Billie Holiday and Bessie Smith. Huge audiences of black folks as well as white folks were drawn in by musicians such as Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong as many people caught Jazz fever.
Louis Armstrong
Duke Ellington
Jazz Performance
Works Cited
"The Harlem Renaissance." PBS.org. PBS, n.d. Web. 6 Mar. 2015.
"The "The Harlem Renaissance." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. 6 Mar. 2015.
Pictures:
http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/images/langston-hughes-1.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/Mackey.jpg
http://www.blackballad.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/their_eyes_were_watching_god.jpg
http://swh.schoolworkhelper.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Louis-Armstrong-2.jpg?c71720
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/media/large/a/4/0/65ec271297e71ee8e333736565ae6.jpg
Video:
http://www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/videos/the-harlem-renaissance