When Jazz Changed The world

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In the early 1920’s and 1930’s, African Americans were not given the same rights as whites. For hundreds of years, African Americans were forced to be slaves because they were not as good as whites. Even when slavery ended in 1865, Blacks were not given the respect as human beings that whites had. Then jazz came along. Jazz changed the world for Blacks because it gave them the freedom to express themselves without constraint. Jazz has no limits, which gave Blacks the freedom to be original. The first known form of jazz in the United States was called Ragtime and it was introduced in 1895 by Ernest Hogan. New Orleans became the “official” birthplace of jazz in the 1910’s because many jazz artists performed in brothels and bars in what s known as “Storyville.” Performers from New Orleans then traveled to big cities such as New York, Chicago, and Kansas City. Louie Armstrong and Charlie Parker came along and helped introduce the world to Scatting. Big Band style came along in the 1930’s, and was lead by amazing artists such as Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, and Artie Shaw. Kansas City Jazz transformed the music from swing to bebop. From then on, jazz had no limitations. When Prohibition came in 1920, jazz was thought of as immoral. Jazz clubs had to be kept from the public eye. Speakeasies, which were clubs that illegally sold alcohol, were formed and kept hidden. There was no proof that there was alcohol at these clubs, so they couldn’t be shut down. Many performers played at venues like this because many people would go there to get alcohol, and enjoy the music. Performers traveled to Kansas City during this time because it was home to many speakeasies in the 18th and Vine district. The area was isolated from whites. Blacks were accepted here. They were able to dance, sing, play, and drink without worry about law or discrimination. In

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