Musicians such as King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington defined the music genre, jazz in the United States and abroad . Literature, artists, writers, actors, and many who evolved during the Harlem Renaissance brought forth a new meaning to liberation for both the social barrier, but the race barrier as well.
- In 1922, F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of "The Great Gatsby," came up with the term "Jazz Age" to describe the post-World War I era in the United States. During the Jazz Age, change was the order of the day. The country had passed a law prohibiting the sale of alcohol, and women had won the right to vote. Hollywood began to make its mark because of the multi-billion-dollar industry through "talkies," or movies with sound. "Speakeasies" and smugglers cashed in by providing alcoholic beverages despite Prohibition, and the younger generation rebelled against the restrictions of the past, leading to the idea of a moral decline within America's youth.
"The music is sensuous, the female is only half dressed and the motions may not be described in a family newspaper. Suffice it to say that there are certain houses appropriate for such dances but these houses have been closed by law. "The Catholic Telegraph".
In 1918, Prohibition had been introduced into America. This law banned the sale, transportation and manufacture of alcohol. However, there was a ready market for alcohol throughout the 1920's and the gangsters provided it. Capone's earnings at their peak stood at $60 million a year from alcohol sales alone with $45 million from other illegal ventures. Notorious in Chicago, Capone achieved national celebrity status when he appeared on the front of the celebrated "Time" magazine.
Written by :Genessis Enriquez
Written by :Genessis Enriquez