During the roaring twenties, there were huge advances in the entertainment industry. Businesses were booming and Americans were developing a fondness for a new, faster type of lifestyle. It was a time for stepping out of the line and defying the social norms of previous times, especially for women and African Americans. Women were becoming more independent and gaining rights while African Americans were expressing a strong sense of their cultural individuality through music. The 1920’s were booming with new jazz music, dance styles, and Broadway musicals.
Jazz is a type of music that emerged at the beginning of the 20th century by black musicians and was developed mostly from ragtime and blues music. It was more than just a musical genre though,
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It was a fun, new type of entertainment and an important part in every party or club. While dancing became popular with the younger generation, the older, more conservative people saw the new dancing as indecent. This was because dancing heavily involved the moving of the upper body. “Shimmying” was where a woman would shake her torso and that was frowned upon by the older generation who thought it was not ladylike to be moving like that. Young people also began throwing their arms and legs in the air with reckless abandon and hopping or "toddling" every step in the Foxtrot, and soon every college student was doing a new dance which became known as the Toddle. (Scott) The dance that epitomized the 1920's was the Charleston. The Charleston was a new dance move, first introduced in a broadway musical, that is characterized by outward heel kicks combined with an up and down movement achieved by bending and straightening the knees in time to the music. (Scott) The great popularity of the Charleston inspired dance teachers and choreographers to promote and fabricate new dance fads for the public’s appeal. Another popular dance move was the Lindy Hop. The Lindy Hop was named after the pilot Charles Lindbergh’s first solo flight. It emerged and was the first dance that included swinging your partner into the air, as well as a jump sequence. All these new dance styles and moves were heavily promoted in movies and broadway musicals that were starting to be very popular
So basically, the 1920's or “Roaring Twenties” was a time of major change for America as a nation. Just following the Great War America was on the fast track to new times. There was the model t car, the stock market boom and crash, the banning of alcohol, the radio, jazz music, women seeking independence, Americans seeking higher education, union strikes, the red scare, the death of President Harding and many more. Many people say this was an enjoyable time of constant dancing and entertainment galore, while others would say that the hardships of racism and poverty made this time period one of struggle and hardships. While others only remember the 1920's as the creation of mickey mouse or babe Ruth. This decade truly was “The Roaring Twenties”.
The early 1920s, referred to as the Roaring Twenties, were characterized by economic prosperity and tremendous social, artistic, and cultural dynamism.
The Roaring Twenties were a time of prosperity, happiness, liveliness, and new ways. One of the many new ideas that were introduced was jazz music. Jazz fit the atmosphere perfectly, with it's upbeat and exciting sounds. Although jazz seemed to be a new world-wide obsession, there were people who saw it in a different light, one that was a lot darker, perhaps even evil. These people had negative opinions about the music, and saw it as a, "cause of loosening morals and frightening dislocation". The different generations had completely different views on the rapid change, and both views were just as correct, but only one was logical. The music brought change, freedom, and brought black America together with white America.
To understand the genesis of Jazz one must also understand the setting of its origin, New Orleans. The city was founded by the French in 1718, then in 1763 the city ceded to Spain and remained under Spanish control until later being returned to the French in 1803, and then was immediately sold to the United States under the Louisiana Purchase. New Orleans was also heavily populated by African slaves making up 30% of the total population of the city at this time; so New Orleans was experiencing a lot of cultural diversity and was being shaped and molded by the many different fashions of people who lived in the city. These different social groups along with their culture also brought with them their deep rooted musical traditions, the fusion and combination of these traditions would give rise to what we know today as modern day Jazz. Jazz is a genre of music that could only have formed in America; it draws from many different cultures and art forms creating a cocktail of traditional European and African music, mixed with a blend of Spanish tinge, with a strong base of blues filtered through the American experience.
Jazz was a unique form of music, there had never been anything like it before. It was rebellious, rhythmic, and it broke the rules- musical and social. It started a musical revolution, “With its offbeat rhythms and strange melodies, jazz was blamed for everything from drunkenness and deafness to in increase in unwed mothers.” Jazz was seen as immoral and worried the older generation that their kids would lose interest in classical music. It was also seen as against society because it came about from the African- American culture, but despite all of that, jazz led to a new era of music that still prevails today.
The 1920’s, or rather known as the roaring twenties, were an exuberant era filled with prohibition, speakeasies, and wild youth. Within this time, the robust economy was booming with stocks increasing rapidly, causing people to get rich quick. During the twenties, life was brilliant with numerous opportunities including changes within politics, women’s rights and racial prejudice.
The 1920's was a time of change in the United States. “The Roaring Twenties” had an outstanding impact on the economy, social standards and everyday life. It was a time for positive results in the industry of consumer goods and American families, because of higher wages, shorter working hours, and manufacturing was up 60% in consumer goods. But it was also a time of adversity and opposition for others, such as immigrants and farmers. Immigrants had lots of competition when they were looking for work and they weren't treated fairly by Americans, depending on where they came from and what they believed. Farmers were paid very little because the price of food kept going down, they also had the Dust Bowl to worry about. African Americans became further infused with mainstream America during the Harlem Renaissance. They were also able to organize and elect officials who would make life better for them. The Roaring Twenties was a very exciting time to live in and we can all learn what the real world is like, and how we can prepare to be ready for it, today and in the future.
After four hard years of fighting, Canadians celebrated the end of the Great War. Many returned to the country early in 1919, only to be brought down by the lack of employment and other disappointments. However, slowly, good times returned back to Canada, as the country ushered into a new era known as the “Roaring Twenties”. Many Canadians participated in the good life as the wealthy, as well as average families had more money to spend. Economic prosperity and technological advances brought Canadians pleasure to their lives. Canadians tuned in to their radios, used the automobile, cheered for their home sports teams, followed new fashion trends, listened to the same music and did the same dances. In addition, the 1920s marked the growth of movies as Canadians packed theatres to watch their favourite stars. The 1920s were one of the most important and revolutionary times for the film industry.
The Roaring Twenties was America’s golden age. F. Scott Fitzgerald once said,“The parties were bigger, the pace was faster, the shows were broader, the buildings were higher, the morals were looser, and the liquor was cheaper” (“People” PBS). The cultural undertone of the twenties was very different from the times before and during World War I. “ For the first time, more Americans lived in cities than on farms…people from coast to coast bought the same goods…listened to the same music, did the same dances, and even used the same slang” (“Roaring” History). The Twenties was a time of social and cultural change. During this time, things like the automobile and jazz became more popular and mainstream. These things were possible because America
After World War I, America was going through an uplifting time of good fortune and prosperity. This period of freedom, known as The Roaring Twenties was a time for fun and disobeying rules. The 1920s brought new and exciting things to American culture. Music, entertainment, pop culture, and fads were greatly impacted during this time in history. The effects of each of these areas still influences America today.
Jazz music is one of the only musical genres originally developed in the United States. Almost all other forms of music come from other parts of the world, obviously predating the creation of the jazz. This is perhaps why jazz music is one of the most diverse, original, spontaneous, and wild forms of music. Jazz music draws from a rich history of African, Latin American, and European influences. Jazz was created at time in which women in the United States were making great progress in securing equal rights. However, this progressive form of music still held fast to deep seated discrimination against allowing the involvement of women.
The 1920s in America, known as the "Roaring Twenties", was a time of celebration after a devastating war. It was a period of time in America characterised by prosperity and optimism. There was a general feeling of discontinuity associated with modernity and a break with traditions.
Jazz is an American genre that developed from ragtime and blues in the early twentieth century in urban areas of the U.S. This genre is characterized by strong, prominent meter, improvisation, distinctive tone colors, and performance techniques. The development of Jazz made a postive, lasting impact after World War One ended. It became a way of bringing young people together. Jazz became the basis for most social dance music and provided one of the first opportunities for public integration. Subcultures like the gangs of New York and Chicago encouraged the subjugation of the black artists to the white man’s economic and social power, often resulting in gang leaders having complete control over
The Roaring Twenties a period when a dramatic social and political change happened. Researching about Harlem was learning about how the people contributed more the music to America’s New Urban Culture. The Harlem Renaissance was a significant movement during the 1920s were African American artists were brought together, explored what it means to be an artist, what it is to create art and literature, as well as what it means to be a proud African American in a community, that influence each to stand-up together in a white-dominant culture, furthermore Harlem was a hotbed of political, cultural and social activity. While researching about the 1920’s, I found out so