Jazz+Age

=__The Jazz Age__=



The Jazz age describes the period from 1918-1929. These were the years between the end of WWI and the start of the roaring twenties, ending with the rise of the Great Depression. The Jazz age not only marked the start of a new generation in America, but the financial troubles that the country would soon face. Due to the new found joy of spending money for random things such as entertainment, buying stock, and gambling, America was sure enough headed for financial ruin. Some politicians and citizens predicted this, but most people just thought that the joy and prosperity would last forever.

What the Jazz Age entails
The roles of women and African Americans started to greatly increase during the Jazz Age. WOmen started to wear skimpier clothes, cut their hair in different and shorter styles, and go out into public in much different clothes. (Such as pants and shirts.) African Americans started to drasticly increase their importance in society. People such as Langston Hughes and Bessie Smith showed everyone that blacks could be just as succesful as white people and had as much potential. = =

Fl∂ppers
Flappers were women who decided to take a stand for the versatility of the role of women in society. The appearance of flappers was mostly sparked by the 19th amendment,which stated that women could vote. This gave most women a new sense of confidence, they decided that they could do the same things as men such as smoke, drink and wear whatever they wanted. The first appearance of the word and image in the United States came from the popular 1920 Frances Marion movie,The Flapper, starring Olivia Thomas. Olivia had starred in a similar role in 1917, but it was not until The Flapper that the term was used. After this movie the term really caught on, and was heard in every day conversation. == ==

Langston Hughes
James Mercer Langston Hughes, best known as Langston Hughes, (February 1, 1902 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, novelist, playright, short story writer AND columnist. He was known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance. Not only was he succesful in all these fields, but he was black. This man really gave black society a jump start into their importance in american history by doing what was not thought possible in these days, being taken seriously no matter what race. In Hughes's poem "Jazzonia", he describes the Jazz age. Though the poem is not incredibly long, it really captures the esscence of the age. "In a Harlem cabaret Six long-headed jazzers play. A dancing girl whose eyes are bold Lifts high a dress of silken gold." A "Harlem cabaret" would have been a largely black establishment, located in an area of the city where mostly blacks resided. Here, Hughes describes a "dancing girl whose eyes are bold", most likely a flapper. He really captures the whole esscence of the Jazz Age in just this stansa of his poem. He was a talented writer and without his contributions many black writers of today wouldnt have dared take the strides that they did.

**Bessie Smith**
The most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s, Smith is often regarded as one of the greatest singers of her era. She was a blues singer of the 1920's and 30's and had a major influence on subsequent jazz singers. Bessie was born April 15, 1894 in Chattanooga,TN. Tennessee was a state which was very heavily segregated, it would have been very difficult to make a name starting in such a place. As a way to earn money Bessie and her brother (Andrew) would often perform as a duo in the streets of Chattanooga. Bessie would sing and Andrew would accompony her on the guitar. Their performed spot to perform was in front of the White Elephant Saloon at 13th and Elm Streets, in the heart of the African American community. Eventually one of her brothers, Clarence, left with a group called Moses Strokes. Bessie would have joined him but at the time she was still a child. Clarence did not tell Bessie before leaving because he knew she would be dying to tag along. This was for the better because if Bessie had found her way into the group she probably wouldn't have earned such a prominent place in the history of black America. In 1920, sales figures for "Crazy Blues," an Okeh recording by singer Mamie Smith (no relation) pointed to a new market. The recording industry had never aimed its product at blacks, but now the door had been opened and the search for female blues singers was on. Smith was signed by Columbia Records in 1923 when the label decided to establish a "race records" series. Smith continued to star in several broadway musicals and in 1929 made her film appearance in the movie "St. Louis Blues". (not a very succesful movie.) Smith had a very succesful career and was a human milestone in black history. Without her contributions there wouldnt be many jazz singers to come along later, which lead to much Rap, R&B, and other genres of music that now exist.

How the Jazz Age effected us NOW
The only positive about NOT having the Jazz age is that America probably wouldnt have gone through a depression. But far more are the negative effects ton todays culture without the Jazz Age. Because of flappers, women started to grow their confidence and speak out for womens rights. Without these women, today girls and women would probably still have to wear dresses everywhere and stay at home to cook, clean, and take care of children instead of having good, well paying jobs to help keep their family running. Without the contributions of Langston Hughes, there wouldnt have been near as many black writers. This includes songwriters as well as authors which means none of Ushers music would be played, none of Tony Morrisons books published. All in all, the Jazz Age had a huge impact on the roles of women and African Americans. America wouldn't be the same now without it.

=References=

Garraty, John, The story of America, Austin,TX: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1994

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