Oklahoma Academic Standard 4. The student will analyze the cycles of boom and bust of the 1920s and 1930s on the transformation of American government, the economy and society.

Objective 4.1  Examine the economic, political, and social transformations between the World Wars. 

  A. Describe modern forms of cultural expression including the significant impact of people of African descent on American culture as exhibited by the Harlem Renaissance and the Jazz Age.

  B. Describe the rising racial tensions in American society including the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan, increased lynchings, race riots as typified by the Tulsa Race Riot, the rise of Marcus Garvey and black nationalism, and the use of poll taxes and literacy tests to disenfranchise blacks. 

In a Nutshell

Student learning is focused on the accomplishments and challenges of African Americans during the 1920’s in primarily northern urban communities. As African Americans began to celebrate unique features of culture through mediums such as poetry and music, this explosion of creativity became known as the Harlem Renaissance. Students should also compare conditions in the South during the first decades of the 20th century, where racism and violence against African Americans were on the rise. Voter suppression, lynching, and race riots proved that not all Americans were prepared to recognize the principle of racial equality.

Teacher Action 

Student Action 

• Facilitate student analysis of information from visual, oral, or digital resources reflective of the perspectives and messages of Harlem Renaissance artists, writers, and musicians.

• Provide opportunities for students to actively listen, evaluate, and analyze a speaker’s message while engaging in collaborative discussion about the rise of violence during the 1920s. 

• Analyze multiple causation and change over time by examining the writings and speeches of key leaders of the Harlem Renaissance.

• Evaluate useful primary and secondary sources for specific inquiry related to issues faced by minority groups during the 1920s. 

Key Concepts 

Misconceptions 

• continued attempts by local and state authorities to limit opportunities and civil rights of African Americans

• impact of intimidation and acts of violence by racist organizations

• racist fears, tensions, and animosity leading to riots, racially-motivated massacres, and destruction of property

• response by government officials and charitable organizations to race-based violence

• goals and rationale of Black Nationalism 

• impact of increased influence of black artists, musicians, and writers on American culture including Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Louis Armstrong

• Some students assume that the social and economic lives of African Americans had improved during this time in mostly northern states and major cities.

• Some students may not easily recognize that art often reflects the historic events and human experiences of an era, serving as a firsthand record for understanding the past.

• Many students may find it challenging to understand the complexities of the event, its background, and its impact; including why many historians have suggested the event be renamed as a "massacre" as opposed to a "riot."

Instructional Resources