African Jazz

Number 4:

8. How did African Americans seek to maintain their particular cultures within the American society?

African Americans seek to maintain their particular cultures in many different ways. One evident example is music inspired by Arican culture, such as jazz, the blues, and ragtime. Throughout the United States Africans made their mark by the numerous amount of popular jazz clubs. These clubs not only brought in a black crowd, but became ever increasingly popular among

the white population dating back to the the early 1900's. The Progressive Era sparked the turn of interest

in music to African inspired beats. Today, jazz and the blues are still some of the most popular music in America.

9. What was the me aning of "Americanization" for African Americans? What was the process of "becoming American" for African Americans?

In America, it was a struggle for Africans to be accepted in their communities as equals. Africans worked to become "more American" as an effort to fit in among their white peers. This process of trying to become the same as their white neighbors was known as Americanization. Some would give up their personal autonomy to blend in with the mainstream of American life. One major example of Africans "becoming American" was the actions taken by African Americans at the brink of World War I. W. E.B. Dubois preached to African Americans that fighting in this war was one way to make a stand and prove to the whites that they were just as patriotic as everyone else. African Americans took full advantage of this opportunity to fight for their country. Another example of African Americans seeking to become more American is the Detroit Urban League organized in 1916. This group worked to help adjust southern blacks to the business and suburban life of the north. Group members worked with southern African Americans to assimilate them into the ways of the north. The members of the Detroit Urban League also worked as a bridge between blacks and white business men to create more job opportunities for blacks in the workplace.

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