The Jazz Age

1468 Words3 Pages

The era of the Roaring Twenties, was a time of great societal change. Many of these changes were greatly influenced by jazz music. During this time, the country was coming out of World War I and the attitude of most people was dark and dismal. Dance and music clubs became tremendously popular in an effort to improve the quality of life for many people.

After experiencing the death and destruction caused by World War I, young men and women were ready for a change. They wanted to forget about misery of wartime and instead, focus on enjoying themselves as much as possible. The youth of this time wanted to rebel against the restrictive pre-war attitudes of their parents and society. In an effort to challenge tradition, they exhibited what was considered, at the time, outrageous behavior. Jazz music served as a catalyst for the freedom that they craved.

The decade between 1920 and 1930 was a period of prosperity for the United States. During this time the nation’s wealth nearly doubled (Burns). The rural population also decreased as people moved into urban areas as the country became more industrialized. The cities were where the jobs were located as well as the promise of a more exciting lifestyle. This urbanization allowed people exposure to other cultures, including their music.

A large number of African Americans were included in this urban migration. They were moving from the rural south to northern cities and bringing with them a type of music that was different from anything the white northern youth had ever heard before. It was not the music of their parents and they embraced it. This music strayed away from classic forms, rejecting the chromatic scale and instead choosing discordant sounds (Samuel). T...

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...ty and Agricultural and Mechanical College, 2003.

Clegg, Stewart. "If People are Strange, Does Organization Make us Normal?." The Sage Handbook of New Approaches to Organization Studies. Comp. David Barry. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2008. Print.

Music That Scared America: The Early Days of Jazz. Irvine, CA: Humanities out there in the Santa Ana Partnership, 2006

Nichols, Kathleen L. Jazz Age Culture. 11 Aug. 2008. Pittsburgh State University. 11 Apr. 2011 .

Samuel, D. (2007). American Expatriates in the 1920s: Why Paris?

Speakeasies, Flappers & Red Hot Jazz: Music of the Prohibition. n.d. Riverwalk Jazz. 11 Apr. 2011 .

The Jazz Age. n.d. Trail End State Historical Site. 11 Apr. 2011 .

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