Step back to the Roaring 1920s, where America is in the throes of a cultural revolution: Jazz, the provacative new genre, is sweeping across the nation, fueling an underground culture of speakeasies and flappers. But beneath the surface of this newfound freedom, a dark and violent force is gaining traction: the Ku Klux Klan. This video uncovers the shocking clash between the vibrant, rebellious Jazz Age and the hate-fueled rise of the Klan, led by one of the most notorious figures in American history—D.C. Stephenson.
In this Painting the Past episode, we dive into the intertwined forces of modernity and bigotry, examining how jazz, prohibition, and racial tensions shaped the 1920s. While young people danced in hidden speakeasies, defying prohibition, the Klan gained power and influenced state politics across America. We'll uncover the story of how the Klan's fall from grace was triggered not by politics, but by a shocking criminal court case.
We explore:
• The rise of jazz and its cultural significance during the Roaring '20s
• The emergence of the Ku Klux Klan in the post-Civil War era and its resurgence in the 1920s
T• he clash between the free-spirited energy of jazz and the reactionary forces of white nationalism
• The dark story of D.C. Stephenson, a Klan leader whose horrific crimes and eventual downfall shook America
• The unlikely connection between jazz musicians like Louis Armstrong and the Klan's rallies during a tumultuous period in U.S. history
• The parallels between the 1920s and America today.
📖 Primary Source: "Fever In the Heartland" by Timothy Eagan
00:00 Introduction
1:30 PAINTING: Composition and first wash
5:03 HISTORY: America after the Civil War
8:48 HISTORY: The birth of the Jazz Age
10:47 HISTORY: D.C. Stephenson
15:46 PAINTING: Finishing the art
16:59 HISTORY: The end of Stephenson, and the victory of Jazz
19:10 Critiquing the art
#blackhistorymonth #paintingthepast #americanhistory #1920s #musichistory #jazz
I hope you leave feeling a little more relaxed, informed, and inspired.