ipl-logo

Creative Explosion Of African American Arts In The 1920's

727 Words3 Pages

American culture today is extremely diverse, reflecting the creative explosion of African American arts in the 1920s. This expressive transformation of culture was called The Harlem Renaissance, which America could not cast away or ignore. This social, cultural, and artistic outburst impacted the lives of many African Americans like Louis Armstrong and Langston Hughes and their culture with revolutionary art, literature, and music, and this movement made blacks more acceptable to America, as they embraced their own culture and heritage.
During the 1920s, the Harlem Renaissance flourished because of the achievements and culture of African Americans’ literary, musical, theatrical, and visual arts. It was a time of great experimentation and …show more content…

They were inspired to embrace their own culture and heritage instead of imitating the ways of white Americans. Jazz attracted whites to Harlem speakeasies, which are nightclubs where interracial couples danced (The Harlem Renaissance). However, the Renaissance had little impact on breaking the tough barriers of Jim Crow that separated the races (Jim Crow Laws). While it might have contributed to a certain relaxation of racial attitudes among whites, perhaps its greatest impact was to reinforce race pride among blacks. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, black Americans ignited an explosion of cultural pride. Harlem emphasized great works that might have been lost or never produced, and the results were astonishing. The people of the Harlem Renaissance greatly altered African American culture, but the impact on all cultures were equally as strong (The Harlem …show more content…

Jazz was one of the major aspects that shaped the Harlem Renaissance the most, and it breached many musical protocols with its syncopated rhythms and improvised instrument solos (The Harlem Renaissance). Jazz lifted African Americans spirits when they were down, and famous jazz artists like Louis Armstrong made it popular. Louis Armstrong, the famous jazz trumpeter, bandleader, singer, soloist, film star, and comedian, was considered one of the most influential artists in jazz history and the Harlem Renaissance, and he was also credited with ranking Jazz on the musical map (Alchin, Louis Armstrong). He traveled all over the country to share his music, and his charismatic stage presence impressed all popular music around the world. This powerful musician influenced other countless musicians with both his bold trumpet style and distinctive vocals, and with these characteristics, he is known for his song recordings of "Star Dust," "La Vie En Rose," and "What a Wonderful World." Louis also stood up against racial segregation, and he was able to play his music and stand up for major issues (Louis Armstrong). Therefore, Louis Armstrong was considered a revolutionary artist in the Harlem Renaissance because he made Jazz known to the

Open Document