1. 1920s Culture

2. Roaring 20s Art and Literature Art and Literature Bohemian- Artistic & unconventional Bohemian- Artistic & unconventional Greenwich Village & Chicago’s South Side Greenwich Village & Chicago’s South Side Modern Art Modern Art Disenchantment & isolation Disenchantment & isolation Poets & Writers Poets & Writers “hollow men” “hollow men” Visions of life Visions of life Emptiness & superficiality Emptiness & superficiality

3. Roaring 20s Popular Culture Popular Culture More $$$    more leisure time More $$$    more leisure time Sports stars Sports stars Babe Ruth Babe Ruth Jack Dempsey Jack Dempsey Hollywood Hollywood Charlie Chaplin Charlie Chaplin 1927 “talking picture” 1927 “talking picture” Radio shows & music Radio shows & music Politics Politics Jazz Jazz Fostered a sense of a shared national experience that helped unify the nation

4. Roaring 20s Harlem Renaissance Harlem Renaissance Epicenter of African Epicenter of African artistic expression artistic expression Claude Mckay – ‘defiance and bitterness towards racism’ Claude Mckay – ‘defiance and bitterness towards racism’ Langston Hughes- most famous today Langston Hughes- most famous today Zora Neal Hurston- featured women Zora Neal Hurston- featured women

5. Roaring 20s Jazz Jazz Louis Armstrong Louis Armstrong Influenced by Dixieland music & ragtime with its ragged rhythms & syncopated melodies “Everything, and I repeat everything had to swing. And that was just it, those cats really had it; they had that soul. And you know you just can’t play some of this music without soul. Soul is very important.” Duke Ellington

6. Roaring 20s Bessie Smith Bessie Smith Blues Blues A soulful style of music that evolved from African American spirituals A soulful style of music that evolved from African American spirituals Unfulfilled love, poverty, & oppression Unfulfilled love, poverty, & oppression “Down Hearted Blues” “Down Hearted Blues” Paul Robeson Paul Robeson Won acclaim for acting Won acclaim for acting Shuffle Along (1921) Shuffle Along (1921) Harlem Renaissance succeeded in bringing international fame to African Americans & sparked political transformation in the U.S.

7. Roaring 20s African American Politics African American Politics Marcus Garvey Marcus Garvey “Negro Nationalism” “Negro Nationalism” Inspired by Booker T. Washington Inspired by Booker T. Washington United Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) United Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) Advoacted separation from whites Advoacted separation from whites Lead to Africa Lead to Africa Racial purity & separation Racial purity & separation Prison time Prison time Deported to Jamaica Deported to Jamaica

8. I Hear America Singing I Hear America singing, the varied carols I hear; Those of mechanics--each one singing his, as it should be, blithe and strong; The carpenter singing his, as he measures his plank or beam, The mason singing his, as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work; The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat--the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck; The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench--the hatter singing as he stands; The wood-cutter's song--the ploughboy's, on his way in the morning, or at the noon intermission, or at sundown; The delicious singing of the mother--or of the young wife at work--or of the girl sewing or washing--Each singing what belongs to her, and to none else; The day what belongs to the day--At night, the party of young fellows, robust, friendly, Singing, with open mouths, their strong melodious songs. Walt Whitman