The Roaring 20s: African
American Culture
Ch 7.3
Thursday, March 22, 2012
• Daily Goal: Understand that the Harlem
Renaissance was a form of African American
Artistic expression and social protest.
• Ch 7.2 Notes Analysis
• Explain what technological innovations helped
created a mass media and popular culture:
• Examples: Radio, Talkies, Popular Culture.
Harlem Renaissance
• The center of flowering African American
Culture and Arts was in the New York
neighborhood of Harlem.
• Writers and Musicians expressed their anger,
frustrations and dreams through their arts like
Jazz, Blues and Poetry.
Discussion Questions
• Can music be used as a form of protest or to
send a political message?
• Can you think of any examples?
Jazz
• Jazz became incredibly popular form of music
during the 1920s.
• Jazz was an expression of the struggles which
African Americans dealt with during this
period.
• Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington were
notable Jazz musicians of the time.
Oscar DePriest
African American Politics
• In 1928 Oscar DePriest was the first African
American from the North elected to Congress.
• The NAACP lobbied Congress to pass antilynching laws to protect the rights of African
Americans.
Discussion Questions
• What is the difference between a country and
a nation?
• Example: The United Kingdom is one country
with four nations within it: England, Wales,
Scotland and Ireland.
• What is nationalism?
• How does it compare to Patriotism?
Black Nationalism
• Marcus Garvey started the United Negro
Improvement Association and “Negro
Nationalism” which glorified black culture and
history.
• Garvey believed African Americans would
never achieve justice and equality in the US
and began the Back to Africa Movement.
Marcus Garvey in his own words
• “The Black skin is not a badge of shame, but
rather a glorious symbol of national
greatness.”
• “Africa for the Africans... at home and
abroad!”
• “I have no desire to take all black people back
to Africa; there are blacks who are no good
here and will likewise be no good there.”