FDR and Pearl Harbor

The end of the American Civil War in 1865 ushered in an era of increased education and employment opportunities for blacks. This created the first middle class in America. But in 1896, racial equality was denied in the Plessy vs. Ferguson Supreme Court case when they made “separate but equal” laws, making the environment in the South even harsher for black; sending many to the North in search of equality. This phenomenon became known as The Great Migration and brought more than seven million African Americans to the North. {biography.com} Cities were full of nightclubs and music, particularly in the New York City neighborhood of Harlem- the heart and the soul of the African American Renaissance. {The American Vision} The Harlem Renaissance was one of the most important moments in United States history because it gave African Americans a voice (racial pride), it showed America that whites were not superior to blacks, and it changed the life of all American people. African American changed the way they were viewed by making advancements in higher education, cultural music, and even becoming influential authors and artists. As African Americans moved North in the 1920’s, they brought with them a culture born of their experiences in the south. They sang about being in the cotton fields and about all the depressing times they had faced. They called this type of singing the “blues.” From blues came Jazz, America’s first authentic art form. {Britanica} In 1919 Prohibition was a nationwide ban of sale, production, and importation of alcoholic beverages that stayed in place from 1920-1933. This Prohibition Act made obtaining alcohol difficult. Then came “speakeasies,” which were nightclubs that sold alcohol and were made to allow Americans...

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...away. A mounted police officer was called to the scene to investigate. When asked if he wanted to press charges, the store owner instructed the officer to let Rivera go. In order to avoid anxious crowds and excited spectators, the officer took Rivera down through the back entrance of the store and out onto 124th Street. When one of the spectators saw the police officer take Rivera away, she shouted that they were going into the basement to beat Rivera. This angered the blacks in the neighborhood and they rioted until the next day. The riot lasted all night. Blacks were tired of injustice and were not going to stop rioting until they got the equality they deserved. The riot caused over $200 million in property damage. {Blackpast.org} African Americans lost hope of the dream of equality for a while but the impact of the Harlem Renaissance will never be forgotten.