Jazz and the Great Migration: How African Americans and the Great Migration Changed the Sound of American Music

Abstract

The Great Migration impacted America in countless ways from its very beginnings at the end of the nineteenth century. The arrival of new residents in the Northeast, West and Midwest regions altered the economic and social landscape across the entire nation. It would take however the years between 1920 and 1950, when the United States experienced an explosion in new creative arts that transformed the cultural landscape of the country. Of particular note is the emergence of black musicians, who had a profound impact not only on the black communities of America but also on the entire country. They gave African Americans a face and a voice and they gave the United States a newer, more complete, national identity. The progression of creative arts during the period known as the Jazz Age contributed immensely to breaking down racial barriers and changing the notion of what American culture should be.