The long boom in the aftermath of World War II induced a massive migration of the African American population, from rural small towns from the south to urban cities of the north. Along with this transformation of setting there was a simultaneously transformation in blues from acoustic the electrical instruments. The boom of migration increased the demand of blues records. The commercialization of blues records had a tremendous effect of other genres. After then the blues have worked their way into all forms of contemporary music.
It took some of the greatest minds of the time to bring about freedom. The Harlem Renaissance brought notice to great works that might otherwise have been lost or never published. The results were unusual. The artists, authors, poets, and musicians of the Harlem Renaissance definitely transformed African American culture. However, American culture had an equally strong impact.
Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X were two very powerful advocates for civil rights in the south. These two men fought for equal rights for African Americans. Both were two influential leaders who changed this nation tremendously by expressing their beliefs to the masses. Even though they both had similar messages concerning their beliefs, they took different routes in getting what they believed in. Martin Luther king Jr was one of the most influential people in the civil rights movement.
The beliefs of W.E.B. DuBois and Marcus Garvey, as influenced by their background, had a profound effect on their life work, including the organizations they were involved with and the type of people they attracted. DuBois came from a more privileged background. His life work centered on improving the condition of African Americans, but he wanted to do this by working with liberal whites through the NAACP. His following attracted mostly upper class and intellectual blacks.
Black slaves, who were kidnapped and taken to America, brought their own form of music with them and sung about their time in captivity and slavery. They would use songs as codes when they thought they could escape, and these are widely accepted as the original protest songs (Epstein, 2010). Throughout the 20th century there were numerous events that changed the way the world functioned, whether people liked what was happening or not. Within this changing society many turned to music to express themselves. Music has the power to establish and maintain a movement and to reinforce its message and objective.
It is safe to say the African American literature has impacted the creative works of the world in a greatly influential nature. Many generations have looked to the works of great Black writers to fill in the pieces and tell the secondary or rather the more realistic version of some the world’s toughest eras. The novel, Jubilee, by Margaret Walker captivates its readers by painting a picture of southern slavery at the critical era of the American Civil War. There are many interesting factors of this novel that draw the reader in. The protagonist, Vyry is a biracial slave, the product of her master and his mistress.
As many other musical genres such as Jazz, Gospel, and Blues were developed by African Americans, Hip-hop music is also a creation of their culture. Although the style and the characteristics of Hip-hop music that people have been making have varied over time, the essential purpose of the music remains the same: to send a message through music. African Americans developed their music as a product of their experiences of being under the harsh conditions of slavery in America. According to Megan Sullivan, the author of the article “African-American Music as Rebellion: From Slavesong to Hip-Hop”, white Americans treated African Americans unequally and separated them from white American’s society (21). Under the bleak condition of slavery, African American used music as a way to stay connected with their own African culture, while expressing the painful experiences that they had throughout history.
Between 1954 and 1968 in the country of America change was being heavily sought after in the area of black civil rights. Discrimination towards blacks was cemented into the law system, with the general public view from whites, especially in the south, agreeing with these. However the advancement of black Americans was the accomplishment of a progressive struggle which achieved much change for this suffering community. One man who was seen as an important figure for the ways in which change was created and the vastness of the support for campaigns which followed this main goal was Martin Luther King. I believe that the contribution of Martin Luther King was huge for the Civil Rights Campaign, however many important campaigners were overshadowed by King who possibly got too much credit when it was due elsewhere.
Musicians from all different races were coming together and playing and recording their passions through music. Even though prejudice race wars were at its height in Americas at that time, Stax Records was able to bring both white and black musicians together. Stax Records made a major impact on music history, by breaking the race barriers, and brought black and white societies together through their love of music .As the early 1960s were coming alive, Memphis was thriving
African Americans throughout history faced a great deal of hardships when it came to living a life of equality amongst whites. No matter what the cause, blacks never gave up, and kept striving for a better society. The movement of Civil Rights impacted African Americans a great deal. These impacts helped for a better society, and structured a large amount of African American history. The civil rights movement impacted African Americans a great deal.