Cultural of the 20th Century

Jazz

Jazz orginaly came from New Orleans and moved quickly to Chicago.  It inspired poetry and dance.  In New York City jazz was lighting up night clubs and cafes in Harlem, a black neighborhood, but attracted whites, because of jazz.  Jazz brought a time period called the Harlem Renaissance, that helped people understand the black American experience.  Langston Hughes was a black American and one of the most widely known poet during this time period who wrote during the Harlem Renaissance about racism.

Langston Hughes

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Great Depression

In 1929 when the stock market crashed, only a few people were affected, but it became the beginning of the Great Depression.  A year later thousands of businesses and banks had gone under.  Many people blamed the depression on businessman, politicians, and the war debt Europe had not paid back.  Since so many people were out of jobs their became less and less consumers.

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