Today, jazz is recognized as a uniquely American art form created by African Americans. It is considered one of the most important cultural achievements of the United States.

Jazz was a new kind of music that combined African rhythms and European harmonies.

New Literature

Ernest Hemingway - Farewell to Arms

F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby

Edna St. Vincent Millay

My Candle burns at both ends;

It will not last the night;

But ah, my foes, and oh, my

Friends —

It gives a lovely light

In the 1920s, large numbers of African American musicians, artists, and writers moved to Harlem, in New York City.

This gathering of black artists and musicians led to the Harlem Renaissance, a rebirth of African American culture

For the first time, white Americans took notice of the achievements of black artists.

Langston Hughes became a leading poet of the Harlem Renaissance.

The night is beautiful, So the faces of my people.

The stars are beautiful, So the eyes of my people.

Beautiful, also, is the sun. Beautiful, also, are the souls of my people.

Jacob LawrenceDust to Dust (The Funeral) 1938

Aaron DouglasInto Bondage 1936

Babe Ruth hits 60 homeruns in one season – a record that will last for 60 years!

New York Paris

Charles Lindbergh becomes the first man to fly across the Atlantic