April 1919
Lives of African Americans By: Anna Verry, Brooke Dolan, Emma Ingersoll-Weng, and Aaliyah Clayton
Table of Contents
Editorial-The struggle is real for African Americans……………….….3 Cotton Club…………………………………………………………….….4 New music Era…………………………………………………………....5 Challenges faced by the blacks……………………………………..…..6 Political Cartoon………………….…………………………………….....8 South still dangerous for blacks?.....................................................9 Political Cartoon....…………………………………………...……...….10 The Great Migration. Is it really great?............................................11 Works Cited…………………………………………………………..…..13
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The Struggle is Real for African Americans From swaying their hips to the Jazz beats to being judged by whites, life for African Americans has had its ups and its downs. As Jazz is becoming more popular in the 1920s, African Americans have been able to find their voice through the lyrics and beats. Many people are able to find joy through the lyrics and the mashup of sounds that are played out during a Jazz piece. Although African Americans have had success with Jazz, they have also been facing many challenges. Many African Americans moved from the South to the North to get away from discrimination, poverty, segregation, and lynching. This move was an opportunity for African Americans to get away from their challenges in the South. But, the North consists of some of these challenges too. These are the reasons why this editorial group believes that African Americans have faced more hardships than had success in the 1920s. Jazz was initially introduced in 1895, but now jazz is having a huge impact on America, particularly African Americans. For so long the African American community has been in the shadows. Now the light has shone on the African American community with them bringing jazz. Even though this is a very successful accomplishment for the African American community they still have to face racial discrimination. Despite the contributions from blacks to World War 1 they are still being discriminated and killed in the South. There are still a lot of lynchings going on and the African American community can’t really do anything to stop the whites. Now a lot of African Americans are migrating to the North where there isn’t as much discrimination and lynching as there is in the South. In the North, African Americans are frequently questioned by whites about why they are here, and why they are stealing whites jobs in the workforce. After hundreds of thousands of blacks packed their bags and headed north in 1916, they thought their move would bring them a chance to begin a new life. But, this is not the case. Today, many race riots are breaking out in the streets between African Americans and whites. People are losing their homes, many are getting wounded, and some have even lost their lives in these riots. The move to the North was supposed to relieve some of the hardships that blacks had to deal with in the South, but they are still facing many of them today. In recent news, African Americans are getting discriminated from the whites. When they were returning home, they were hoping to lessen prejudice. They had difficulty finding jobs, and many of them were murdered in lynch mobs. There were race riots mainly in Chicago. Race riots are a big factor that African Americans have to face. In conclusion, this editorial group agrees that African Americans are facing more hardships than success in the U.S. African Americans are still facing discrimination, the Ku Klux Klan, and unequal rights. These hardships create a life full of fear and difficulty. African Americans are facing success in the music industry with Jazz. Jazz has affected African American lives by giving people joy through the style of music. Although African Americans had success with Jazz, there are clearly more hardships that African Americans have to face in the U.S. 3
Jazz beginning of a new music Era By Aaliyah Jazz is changing the world by a storm and the world is loving all of what it has to bring. Blaring trumpets,hot clarinets,booming drums Welcome to a new era of new music called jazz. it's the hottest thing for the 1920s where it makes your body dance with the melody. Carefree music that's driving with rhythm music that makes your foot tap and sway your hips. That music that makes your troubles go away. It even will call you in from the streets baby. African american have immigrated from the south have brought a new hot thing called jazz with them. Even though jazz is great there are those who are against this new music era. Older americans are believing that we are
The hottest music artist are even taking over the world by a storm. Louis Armstrong master of jazz who has the hottest solo trumpets most amazing voice and a great music writer. Duke Ellington a jazz pianist who has the hottest group called Red Hot Jazz. Who has play at The Cotton club on broadcast nationwide. Bessie Smith known as “Empress of the Blues� is a great female jazz artist. If you wanna know where you can listen to the hottest pieces of jazz go to the Cotton Club or a look out in the streets,and listen to the radio.
losing our morals they feel like its wild and reckless. But forget what they think or say come to the most famous club there is The Cotton Club here is the most famous club there is in New York.Bring a party where you can listen to some good jazz,have a good drink and forget about your troubles.Even come meet the jazziest artist there is in New York. 5
Challenges faced by the blacks Towards the end of WW1, African
Jazz consist of influences which
Americans are facing discrimination and
includes african rhythms, european
religious prejudice which are the main
harmonies, african american folk music,
points on what it’s like being black in the
and the 19th century American band
cities. The race riots were extremely
music and instruments. Also, most of the
common in Chicago. Black soldiers
songs are about loneliness and sorrow.
returning home from war are hoping that
With jazz, there are new dances. The
by them serving the country, would
kicks, twists, and turns seemed reckless
lessen prejudice. They now have
to older Americans. They are shocked
difficulties finding jobs, and over 70
by jazz. They feel that the fast rhythms
african americans are being murdered
and improvisations is leading to a
by lynch mobs. After a white American
loosening of moral standards. However,
killed an African American for living in
jazz indeed is the very first uniquely
the, “white part” of Michigan, that’s when
american music to be played and lover
most of the race riots and Chicago
throughout the entire world. Even on the
began. After all the killings, it gave
radio, jazz is labeled as “race records”
Claude Mckay inspiration. If whites can
and this was known known as the “jazz
constantly keep killing blacks and
decade.”
treating them as hogs, it made him feel that they should die nobly instead, meaning as they’re being beaten they will try in all their power to fight back. The back to Africa movement attracted up to 2 million followers and even enough money to start businesses, but Garvey was sent to prison for mail fraud, so since him being the potential “leader” of this movement, it faded away when he left.
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Ku Klux Klan sets itself against
In conclusion, all of those reasons are
immigrants, african americans catholics, and
what the challenges are that blacks faced and
jews. KKK attacked at night because they wear
what they’re like. Also on why there are race
hoods that covered their faces. In order to
riots, and where they mainly happen at. There
intimidate their victims, they whip, kidnap, cross
are some downfalls of being african americans
burn, and use arson. The ACLU ( American
because the whites are so judgemental and felt
CIvil Liberties Union ) is formed so that these
“threatened” by african americans during war.
victims can have freedom of speech, and the
So they decided not giving them jobs, or places
ADL ( Anti-Defamation League ) was formed to
to live, so they only have little to live off of. It’s
stop false accusation of jewish people. The
truly saddening how society is, and how
Harlem Renaissance is an outpouring social
everyday african americans are being judged
artistic explosion that took place in Harlem,
judged based off of their skin color.
New York. Harlem also became the hook for jazz lovers because the migrants brought their love for jazz with them to the city, and the African American neighborhood.
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Discrimination
Religion Prejudice
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South Still dangerous for blacks?
Since the blacks had contributed to the South during WW1 it discrimination and racism has been a lot better. But as an African American during the war and after it the South is still a dangerous place for people like me. African Americans are still tortured, beat, and discriminated against after all they have done to help soldiers and out country in WW1. We are still told we do not belong. The African Americans did or were used for many things during the war. Thousands of blacks served in the war, blacks in the South and North were used for slave labor, and servants. During the war or start of WW1 many African Americans listed in the war and thousands of them got in. While serving in the war blacks are still being discriminated against. We should not have to put up with this. The whites should not be able to treat us like dirt. They should not be able to say we are unequal to them. But alas what is there to do. The whites are superior and we are inferior to them. African Americans after the war are still treated like dirt and spit on by the whites. The discriminations still continued. Many blacks were lynched and killed for no apparent reason. What were the whites getting at when they were killing. Did they enjoy watching the pain and suffering of our people? African Americans didn’t understand why they were treated like this. They believe that they should be treated as equal as any other person of different skin color.
African Americans migrated to the North because of all the challenges they had to face in the South. Many of us in the North still faced hardships, but it was a lot better compared to the South. In the North a lot of whites thought that African Americans were taking their jobs. Because a lot of whites believed African Americans were just coming to the North to take their jobs, they took their anger and frustration out on them by killing them. They became very brutal. They used methods that were uncalled for. In conclusion African Americans are still very discriminated in the South even though they have contributed a lot to the war. They contributed there blood, sweat, and tears. They gave up a lot and a lot of them lost their lives. Blacks shouldn’t be having these hardships after all they have done for the whites and for our country. They should be treated equally and have the same freedoms as everyone other human being.
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Anna Verry
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Works Cited (Aaliyah Clayton) Hart, Diane, and Bert Bower. History Alive!: Pursuing American Ideals. Student edition. ed., Rancho Cordova, Teachers' Curriculum Institute, 2013. Hill, Laban Carrick. Harlem Stomp!: A Cultural History of the Harlem Renaissance. New York, Little, Brown, 2009. U.S.A. 1920s. Danbury, Grolier, 2005
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Works Cited (Brooke Dolan) Hart, Diane, and Bert Bower. History Alive!: Pursuing American Ideals. Student edition. ed., Rancho Cordova, Teachers' Curriculum Institute, 2013. This Fabulous Century. Alexandria, Time-Life Books, 1987. U.S.A. 1920s. Danbury, Grolier, 2005. AHFS Consumer Medication Information.
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Works Cited (Emma Ingersoll-Weng) Hart, Diane, and Bert Bower. History Alive!: Pursuing American Ideals. Student edition. ed., Rancho Cordova, Teachers' Curriculum Institute, 2013. This Fabulous Century. Alexandria, Time-Life Books, 1987. U.S.A. 1920s. Danbury, Grolier, 2005. AHFS Consumer Medication Information.
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Works Cited (Anna Verry) DTH Widman Davis New York. sites.duke.edu, Oct. 2013, sites.duke.edu/dthrenaissanceballet/sample-page/. Accessed 4 Nov. 2018. The Great Migration and Diaspora. 2017. International African American Museum, iaamuseum.org/history/the-great-migration-and-the-diaspora/. Accessed 1 Nov. 2018. The Great Migration Begins. HistoryCentral.com, www.historycentral.com/AfiricanAmerican/GreatMigration.html. Accessed 4 Nov. 2018. Hart, Diane, and Bert Bower. History Alive!: Pursuing American Ideals. Student edition. ed., Rancho Cordova, Teachers' Curriculum Institute, 2013. Rethinking "The Great Migration." 5 July 2018. KOTTKE, kottke.org/18/07/rethinking-the-great-migration. Accessed 1 Nov. 2018. The Second Great Migration for Black Families is Embracing School Choice. educationpost.org, 3 Apr. 2017, educationpost.org/the-second-great-migration-for-black-families-is-embracing-s chool-choice/. Accessed 4 Nov. 2018. U.S.A. 1920s. Danbury, Grolier, 2005.
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