The document provides an overview of the arts and culture of the Roaring 1920s, focusing on the Harlem Renaissance and Jazz Age. It discusses several influential artists, writers, and musicians of the time period including Georgia O'Keeffe, F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Steinbeck, Aaron Copland, George Gershwin, Langston Hughes, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Bessie Smith. The Harlem Renaissance saw African American artists draw upon their cultural heritage to establish themselves as forces for cultural change and influence American life.

1. Arts & Culture
of the Roaring 20’s:
• Harlem Renaissance
• Jazz Age

2. The Century:
America’s
Time
Boom to Bust (1 of 3)
Start @ 4:05
End @ 12:00

3. How did life in
America change
during the 1920’s?
19th Amendment – August 18, 1920
18th Amendment – January 17, 1920
21st Amendment – December 5, 1933
Stock Market Crash – October 1929
Prohibition Speakeasies
GangstersWomen’s Vote
Commercialism
Consumer Goods
Advertising
Automobiles Communication
WWI Officially Ended – June 28, 1919
Great Migration – began in 1910

4. The 20’s – Jazz Age

5. Who were the leaders in art, literature,
and music during the 1920’s and
1930’s?
Cultural Climate of the Roaring 20’s:

6. Art:
1. Georgia O’Keeffe
 A painter known for
painting ______ scenes
and later, paintings of
the __________.
urban
Southwest

7. Georgia O’Keeffe:
Early Urban Scenes

8. Literature:
2. F. Scott
Fitzgerald
 A novelist who
wrote about the
________ of the
1920’s.
Jazz Age

9. The Great
Gatsby
By F. Scott Fitzgerald
Preview:
The Great Gatsby (1974)

10. Literature:
3. John Steinbeck
 A novelist who
portrayed the
strength of poor
________ workers
during the 1930’s.
migrant

11. John Steinbeck
Life of Migrant Workers
“Grapes of Wrath” Movie
“The Harvest Gypsies”

12. Music:
4. Aaron Copeland
 Composer known for
his distinct style of
________
composition.
American
Copland’s
“The Promise of Living”
Copeland’s
“Lincoln Portrait”

13. Music:
5. George Gershwin
 Known as one of the
most significant
American composers of
the 20th Century.

14. George Gershwin:
American Composer of the 1920’s
Wrote the music for the
American folk opera,
______________ about
African American life In
Charleston, SC during the
1920’s.
Porgy and Bess
His composition, “Rhapsody in
Blue” was the first to
combine classical music with
the new element of _____.Jaz
z
1959 Movie:
Porgy & Bess

15. Other than composing
“American” music, what did
Copland and Gershwin have
in common?
• Both were the sons of
Russian Jewish
Immigrants.
• Both were born in
Brooklyn, New York:
 Gershwin – 1898
 Copland - 1900

16. Harlem
Renaissance
1920 - mid 1930’s

17. Before 1920, how was African
American culture portrayed in the
arts?
Directions:
1. In your pods, examine the primary resources that
depict how African American culture was portrayed
in art, music, and theater.
2. Answer the questions in your notes.
*Remember, these images and documents represent viewpoints from a different time in our
history. We see them as offensive and unacceptable, but we study them to understand what
life was like for African Americans during that time period.
Music? Theater? Art?
Group Activity:

18. Questions:
1. Before 1920, how were African Americans portrayed in art, music, and theater
2. What were some of the common themes found in these forms of art or enterta
OLD FOLKS AT HOME
Way down upon de Swanee ribber,
Far, far away,
Dere’s wha my heart is turning ebber,
Dere’s wha de old folks stay.
All up and down de whole creation,
Sadly I roam,
Still longing for de old plantation,
And for the old folks at home.
Chorus:
All de world am sad and dreary,
Ebry where I roam,
Oh! “Brothers” how my heart grows weary,
Far from de old folks at home.
All round de little farm I wandered when I was young,
Den many happy days I squandered,
Many de songs I sung.
When I was playing wid my brudder happy was I.
Oh! Take me to my kind old mudder, Dere let me live and
die.
Chorus

19. “A Great Day in Harlem”
How did the Harlem
Renaissance influence American
life?

20. Harlem
Renaissance
The leaders of the
Harlem
Renaissance drew
upon the heritage of
African American
culture to establish
themselves as
powerful forces for
cultural change.

21. Art:
Jacob Lawrence
1. A painter who
chronicled the
experiences of the
_______________
through art.
Great Migration

22. Art:
Jacob Lawrence
Click Here
The Phillips Collection

23. Jacob Lawrence: The Migration Series, Panel 3

24. Literature:
Langston Hughes
Biography Channel:
Langston Hughes
2. A _____ who combined
the experiences of
________ and
__________ cultural roots.
poet
African
American
The Ballad of the Landlord
Mother to Son

26. Music:
The Jazz
Age3. Louis Armstrong
“When the Saints Go Marching In”
“Dinah”
• Singer, trumpet player, and
one of the most influential Jazz
musicians of all time.
• Born and raised in
____________, Louisiana, the
city known as the birthplace of
Jazz.
• Nickname – __________
New Orleans
“Satchmo”

27. Music:
The Jazz
Age4. Duke Ellington
Concert Video - 1933
Old Man Blues –
“Check and Double Check”
• Famous music composer,
pianist, and Jazz bandleader.
• Along with his orchestra, he
was a regular at the
____________, a famous
nightclub in _______, NY.
Cotton Club
Harlem

28. Music:
The Blues
5. Bessie Smith
Biography Channel
• Known as the best
______ singer in America.
Bessie Smith, “St. Louis Blues”
with Louis Armstrong
blues

29. Discussion Questions:
1. Prior to the Harlem Renaissance, how do you
think the rest of white America viewed African
American culture?
2. How did the Harlem Renaissance change the way
African American art, literature, and music was viewed
by the rest of America? Explain your answer.
4. The Harlem Renaissance ended during the mid-
1930’s,
but the Civil Rights Act that ended segregation was
not
3. How did the Harlem Renaissance improve the quality
life for African Americans in America?