Jazz in Relation to Popular Culture

Jazz in relation to Popular Culture

Humans want to interact with each other, it is a basic desire of all mankind. But as customs change over centuries, the way humans communicate desires has changed, furthermore, the situations that we create to express our desires has changed. This has given way to the common dating and romance atmosphere. With the turn of the 20th century, jazz music became a popular standard for people to meet and become closer together via the medium of dancing. The evolution of dance in the early twentieth century gave rise to the creation and popularization of jazz music.

To look at the creation of jazz, one must first look at the inspirations and influences that jazz music took as it was created. Jazz music was originally inspired by the former popular music of the time, marches and other brass heavy, fast tempo, orchestral and marching band pieces. This style of march was popularized and primarily dominated by the american composer john philip sousa. At the time these marches were the most dominant music for dancing in the late 19th century, but jazz would soon change all that. Early Jazz tunes of the period were heavily inspired by, or just variations of existing marches. This style, called ragtime, consisted of the main melody of these marches being syncopated and changed in instrumentation as well as tempo. This change in style also represented a change in urban culture, instead of leading more individual lives, people in cities were coming together to convene in merriment, and more specifically, to dance.

The Original Dixieland Jazz Band

Jazz originated from the deep south, specifically new orleans and other more culturally diverse towns of the time. This new style of music was far more appealing to people in the gathering and dancing communities, as it’s syncopated rhythms and fast tempo made jazz music easy to dance to. It was this innovation that caused much of the dancing world to begin to develop in the early 20th century, and especially the 1920s. The first band to officially record and sell jazz music was the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, which played and further advertised the variations of jazz at the time. Playing ragtime music, as well as blues and one-step, the Original Dixieland Jazz band created the first standards for jazz musicians and jazz as a style. While this band was not the first to create jazz as a music style, they were the first to mass market it to the public through recordings and performances all over the united states. With this influx of jazz into the everyday man’s culture, jazz became a popular topic and attracted the creation of many other jazz bands. After ODJB’s success and marketing across the country, jazz became more diverse, with other groups using the same techniques and styles, but changing the standards to fit their own bands.

Over time, the standards of jazz drastically changed, taking the regimented styles of ragtime and marches and changing it to a more improvisation heavy style that focused more on the players talents, rather than the song itself. Over the years, this change in styles shows how jazz fell out of step with popular dance culture, or more specifically, how dance culture became less and less prevalent to society. Much like the economic law of supply and demand, jazz, and all of popular music changed relative to what the masses wanted to listen to changed. At the beginning of jazz’ creation, and continuing into the peak of its popularity in the 1920’s, the people wanted fast, brass band music to dance to at gatherings, and that’s what the bands of the period gave them. As time moved on however, dances and clubs waned in popularity, and jazz became a different kind of art, paving its own may as a musician’s music, rather than music for the people.

As much as musicians would like to determine the fate of their own music, the choice of whether a song is a hit or not is left to the people, and what the people want to hear to suit their needs is what makes money, and thus what survives. A successful musician records what the people will listen to, and what will make him money, while less and less musicians are playing jazz. The explanation is the change in culture, as people become more docile and interconnected in other ways and through other means, the need to listen to a live jazz band waivers. The ideology that a singular person should follow the herd is what drives the populace to change along with culture, switching jazz for blues, blues for folk, folk for rock, and rock for pop as time goes onwards. It is also the capitalization on this idea which made the earliest adopters of jazz successful, and it is still the standard for successful artists today.

Works Cited

Gregg, F. M. "Is There an Antidote for Jazz?" The Journal of Education 108.14 (1928): 347-48. JSTOR. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.

Hilderbrant, Edith L. "Music Memory Contests." The School Review 30.4 (1922): 300-06. JSTOR. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.

Howard, Jr. John Tasker. "On Folk Music." Art & Life 11.8 (1920): 451-53. JSTOR. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.

"Jazz History: The Standards (Early Period)." Jazz History: The Standards (Early Period). N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.

Morgan, Russell V. "Music and Morale." Music Supervisors' Journal 6.3 (1920): n. pag. JSTOR. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.

PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.

Jacob Riis

Jacob Riis: Influence throughout society

There have been many people throughout the course of history who have made a positive impact on the way people live their lives. Jacob Riis whose disturbing yet eye-opening photographs of urban poverty changed the course of history in a positive way.

Jacob A. Riis, himself.

      Jacob Riis came from modest beginnings, he was unable to find work and immigrate to the United States in 1870 because he only had $40’s in his pocket. He spent seven years of his life barely making a living by working various odd jobs.This sparked his interest to recognize and fix the problems in New York City Lower East Side’s worst slums. Riis documented poverty by photos and writings, however his most famous one is, How the Other Half Lives (1890). This extraordinary book by Riis was an eye-opener to most people who lived in wealthy homes or who were fortunate to have their own water supply. Riis brought more attention to the unsafe and horrible conditions of these tenements to the world through this book. It served as a tour of the slums going through every neighborhood alerting millions of Americans of the many  problems accumulating as a cause of urban poverty. Every tenement included the working poor of the city who came from Italian, Irish, German, Jewish, Czech, and Chinese backgrounds. Many middle and upper class Americans were shocked and appalled by Riis’s photographs in How the Other Half Lives. Riis took a plethora of photographs mostly of dark alleys, overcrowded apartments, and the plight of the urban poor who lived there. In American History, Jacob Riis said, “The hall is dark and you might stumble over the children pitching pennies back there. . . . A flight of stairs. You can feel your way, if you cannot see it. Close? Yes! What would you have? All the fresh air that ever enters these stairs comes from the front door that is forever slamming, and from the windows of dark bedrooms that in turn receive from the stairs their sole supply of the elements God meant to be free, but man deals out with such a niggardly hand. . . . What sort of an answer, think you, would come from these tenements to the question "Is life worth living?”  Riis was extremely concerned with the effects of such horrible conditions on all the families. Riis didn’t believe that these people deserved such harsh conditions to live and to raise their families.

Riis took his pictures using newly invented flash photography. A mixture of magnesium and potassium chlorate powder ignited the flash illuminating the shocking sights of a tenement, documenting urban poverty. All the photographs in his books were eye-opening and disturbing photographs of slum life which caught the eyes of middle and upper class Americans. Riis explicated the horrible conditions of the tenements through his book, for example: 12 adults had to sleep in a room that was only 13 feet across. The living conditions in the tenements in New Y

Three little boys sleeping in a dark, dirty slum corridor,
photo taken by  Jacob Riis.

ork were known to be the worst living conditions ever to the public. Many of the buildings had inadequate ventilation, indoor plumbing was rare, water was never available to anyone living in the building, and indoor/outdoor privies were shared by all the residents. Who would want that type of lifestyle? My guess is, no one.  He also talked about how the infant death rate in tenements was as high as 1 in 10. This stunned many Americans across the county and led to a renewed call for reform. In 1901 city officials passed the Tenement House Law. This outlawed the construction of new tenements on 25 foot long lots and mandated improved sanitary conditions, fire escapes, and access to ventilation/light. This also led to the building of 200,000 new apartments within 15 years which was supervised by the city authorities. Riis not only was concerned about the slum life, but he was also very passionate about the condition that children were in and worked to secure parks, playgrounds, and strived for better schools. He fought for the passage of child labor laws and established a boys’ club. Riis strived to make sure that children had positive outlets despite their poor living conditions.

Jacob Riis's first photograph ever taken, most famous one- "Five Cents".

Through Jacob Riis’s exposure of horrid living conditions and different groups of peoples’ depressing living arrangements, he was able to catch the eyes and attention of the outer world and make a difference in their lives. Not only were the lives of people across the globe changed positively, but the people living in the tenements were forever grateful for the efforts Jacob A. Riis put in to improve their living conditions. 

Citations

1. McGuire, William, and Leslie Wheeler. "Jacob Riis." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 9 Dec. 2014.

2. "Jacob Riis." Photos/Illustrations. Cirker, Hayward and Blanche Cirker, eds. Dictionary of American Portraits, 1967. American History. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 9 Dec. 2014.

3. Jacob A. Riis, Social Service Review, Vol. 23, No. 2 (Jun., 1949), p. 231 Published by: The University of Chicago Press Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30018266

4. Yochelson, Bonnie. "Excerpt: 'Rediscovering Jacob Riis'" Www.npr.org. Ed. Daniel Czitrom. N.p., 30 June 2008. Web.

5. Siegel, Robert. "Jacob Riis: Shedding Light On NYC's 'Other Half'" Www.npr.org. Robert Siegel, 30 June 2008. Web.

6. Jaycox, Faith. The Progressive Era. New York: Facts On File, 2005. Print.

7. Evans, Harold, Gail Buckland, and Kevin Baker. The American Century. New York: Knopf, 1998. Print.

8. Pendergast, Tom, and Sara Pendergast. American Decades. Detroit, MI: UXL, 2003. Print.

World's Fair Chicago 1893 (Bailee Barrilleaux)

A poster advertising the World's Fair

          Since 1492, when Columbus sailed the ocean blue, and the New World was first discovered, the human race has evolved into a creative and complex species. There is no longer a reliance on hunting and gathering. Modern medicine is advancing every day, and, fortunately, there is the luxury of indoor plumbing. Humanity has never been shy to boast about accomplishments such as these, and the World’s Fair in 1893 was planned entirely to showcase the advancements of the modern world.





The tickets given to visitors who visited the fair

A celebration of the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ arrival, the 1893 World’s Fair, located in Chicago, Illinois, was a necessary social and cultural event in Chicago and America’s history. Every aspect of Chicago was updated and positively affected, from architecture to sanitation, by the extravagance of the event. The fair proved to the world that Chicago had been able to make a full recovery from the Great Chicago Fire in 1871 and the city became a symbol of the rising belief in American Exceptionalism. The World’s Fair, coined the  World’s Columbian Exposition, was carefully planned by a plethora of popular commercial leaders and project managers. Construction on the site began in 1891 and over 40,000 workers were employed during the building of the fair. Daniel Burnham and Frederick Law Olmsted were the primary designers of the building plan for the event and headed the Court of Honor, which oversaw the construction of every building and attraction. The two men decided to use the French architecture technique, “Beaux Arts”, which applied symmetry and balance to the layout of the buildings in order to showcase their splendor. One of the greatest aspects of the entire fair was the enormous reflecting pool that was in the center of Jackson Park. The massive size of the pool was a symbol of the long journey that Columbus made to the New World and the great strides that humanity have made since then. The World’s Fair was split up into two main attractions; the White City and Midway. The White City was boulevard upon boulevard of old world inspired, white stucco buildings and exhibits on all areas of human invention, including agriculture, transportations, science, engineering, and art. The Midway was a crowded mix of belly dancers, exotic animals, “freakshow” entertainers, and the world’s first ever Ferris Wheel.

 



An article written about the uses of electricity at the World's Fair

Chicago was chosen to host the fair in 1893 after many local business tycoons raised a few extra million dollars to produce a slightly higher bid than New York City. The competitive spirit of the selection process only brought more interest to the fair. Ultimately, the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago surpassed all previous attempts in grandness and perfectly showcased the greatest inventions of the time along with boosting American optimism. The main goal of the event was to celebrate the achievements of man and all achievements were showcased in multiple different ways. The advancing techniques in architecture were seen throughout the 200 buildings built for the fair, 5 of which still stand today, and the building of the Home Insurance Building, which was the first skyscraper in the world with a completely steel framework. Of all the great advancements showcased at the World’s Columbian Exposition, electricity was the unsurpassed star. Electricity was a recently invented phenomenon that spark the interest of people across America and the World. The first official test of the light bulb was only a few years before, performed by Thomas Jefferson in 1879. This revolutionary idea could be seen throughout the fair, whether it was the sidewalks of the White City accented by an abundance of electric street lamps, or the first Ferris wheel built by George Ferris that stood at 264 feet high and could hold 2,160 people at once. The press ate up every part of the World’s Fair and the amazing human technologies that it celebrated. Papers across Chicago, America, and the World published tons of articles on every aspect of the event and attracted more than 27 million visitors to the windy city from May 1^st, 1893 to October 1893.

While there have been many elaborate World’s Fairs since 1893, and the upcoming fair, nicknamed “EXPO 2015”, in Milan is supposed draw in 29 million people to its sites in Rho and Pero, the World’s Columbian Exposition will always be a memorable international exhibition. The fair took place at just the right time, when Chicago had finally recovered from the Great Fire, a sense of curiosity was spreading across the country, and one of the world’s greatest technologies, electricity, was affecting every aspect of human existence. The 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago will always be one of the greatest testaments to the accomplishments of man and the basic human persistence to always understand and create a better world.

Works Cited

 

Adams, Judith A. "The promotion of new technology through fun and spectacle: Electricity at the World's Columbian Exposition." Journal of American Culture 18.2 (Summer 1995): History Study Center. Web. 17 Dec. 2014.

Appelbaum, Stanley. The Chicago World's Fair of 1893: A Photographic Record, Photos from the Collections of the Avery Library of Columbia University and the Chicago Historical Society. New York: Dover Publications, 1980. Print.

Nalty, Sean. "Building a Century of Progress: The Architecture of the 1933-1934 Chicago World's Fair." The Virginia Quarterly Review 84.1 (Winter 2008): 266-267. History Study Center. Web. 9 Dec. 2014.

 

"The Chicago World's Fair of 1893." Inside American History. Abingdon/Cambridge: Helicon, 2007. History Study Center. Web. 9 Dec. 2014.

 

"WORLD'S FAIRS." The Reader's Companion to American History. 1991. History Study Center. Web. 9 Dec. 2014.

  

College Football

            College football endured extensive rule changes, and game improvements throughout its history. Today it is still an ever changing game, within the past 10 years kickoffs have been moved up 10 yards, and the targeting rule has been implicated. These are two major rule changes that have happened very recently. However the rule changes made when the sport was just getting started are the most important changes the sport has had. These rule changes helped to make the game into what it is today, and most importantly, save the game that is loved by America.

An early college football game.

            At its inception college football was a brutal blood sport. It was much more like rugby than the football played today. It was a violent sport, it was common for fights and brawls to break out during a game. There were even cases of players running into the stands to engage with spectators. Along with these extracurricular violent acts, the plays committed within the rules were just as brutal, and sometimes lethal. Formations like the “flying wedge” in which players joined arms, and used their helmets as battering rams. When ball carries were gang tackled and trapped under countless bodies. These types of plays, along with the lack of protective equipment led to injuries and even deaths. The Chicago Tribune reported in 1904 that there were 18 football deaths, and 159 serious injuries. These injuries included; crushed skulls, wrenched spines, and broken ribs that led to pierced hearts. Football faced much criticism, some schools even went as far as dropping their programs.  Football had to undergo serious reform to survive.

President Teddy Roosevelt

            Football was on thin ice. It was facing heavy criticism from all over. University presidents, the media, schools were dropping their programs. The most notable supporter of college football was President Teddy Roosevelt. Roosevelt was instrumental in saving college football. Before the 1905 season Teddy called a meeting with the head coaches and some representatives of Harvard, Yale, and Princeton at the White House. Roosevelt told them to stop the violence, and to set an example for the rest of the country to play fair. The schools all released a letter condemning violence. That season play was much of the same. 19 deaths and 137 serious injuries were reported. Harvard president Charles Eliot said college football was, “more brutalizing than prizefight, cockfighting, or bullfighting.” Eliot said dropping the program could be Harvard’s next move, something that could hurt college football and Harvard alum President Teddy Roosevelt. Roosevelt vowed to not let Eliot “emasculate” the sport, but he called another meeting to urge the coaches of Harvard and other universities to make radical rule changes. In 1906 an intercollegiate conference, which would later become the NCAA, approved rule changes for the 1906 season. Among the rule changes were; legalizing forward passing, eradicated dangerous formations, formed a neutral zone between offense and defense, and doubled the first-down distance to 10 yards in three downs. Football was still dangerous, however deaths dropped to 11 per year in 1906 and 1907, injuries fell sharply as well. In 1909 fatalities spiked and more rule changes were made. These new rules lessened the restrictions on forward passing and created the foundation of the modern sport seen today.

            The formation of college football has been a very important to American life. Football is a sport enjoyed by countless Americans. Without the rule changes imposed by Teddy Roosevelt and others the game may not be in existence today. Over 1 million high school students played football in America in the 2012-2013 school year. This makes football the number one participation sport in the American high schools. These players along with the college, and professional players make an astounding number of football players in America. There is an average of 110 players on a Division I football team. Each professional team has 53 players on roster along with 5 practice squad players. Football is a huge part of American life, it can be seen on TV almost every night during football season. Pro games on Monday, Thursday, and Sunday. College on Thursday, Friday, and all day Saturday. Including all the Friday night high schools throughout the country that can be seen. Football teaches character, toughness, how to be a part of a team, leadership, along with other countless life lessons. It is considered by many to be the ultimate team game, unlike other sports such as basketball, the success of every play is dependent on every player on the field doing their job. If a lineman misses a block, a running back loses yards. If a quarterback throws a bad ball, a receiver misses a chance at a touchdown. Football is very important to America, you cannot go anywhere in America where football is not being played somewhere in that state at least. Football has shaped many of the men of America. It has made them the leaders they are, the mentally tough the men they are, it has built them into the productive members of society they are.  

            Football had to endure rigorous and drastic changes to survive in America. Football is a staple in American culture today. It is unavoidable, some of the leaders of America have played football, and some of the CEOs of major corporations in America played football. Football is America’s sport.

           

            

Gangs and the Progressive era

Gabrielle Williams

December 16, 2014

Mr. Ward

 Crime; a word that has always struck fear in the hearts of many. Although crime has been present throughout the years, it drastically increased during the Progressive Era. It was the abundance of people along with prohibition that caused a sharp rise in illegal activity. Gangs of the time saw a significant upsurge in competition during this time. It was the Progressive era that shoved seemingly insignificant people like Al Capone and little known gangs such as the Five Points Gang into infamy.

The Five Points gang of New York City, New York were a notorious group of criminals. Their territory was in, not surprisingly, the Five Points area in New York city. There are many reasons that people join gangs. Safety and the need to belong are two of these. Although these are a couple of the reasons individuals may choose to become a member of a gang, there are many factors that go into the actual formation of a gang. During the Progressive era, people wanted change. Women fought for their right to vote, factory workers fought for better safety measures, and men and women such as Upton Sinclair and Ida M. Tarbell fought to bring the poor conditions in impoverished urban areas to light. During this time, another group of people were also fighting, although they were fighting for very different things. Rivaling gangs were fighting for the most money, power, and authority. The large increase in population meant that gangs faced more competition than in the previous years. While some gangs focused on gambling, others specialized  in illegal drugs and prostitution. Some gangs, however, participated in a plethora of criminal activities, not settling on one particular area. The Five Points Gang produced some of the most well known criminal figures. Al Capone, Johnny Torrio, and Lucky Luciano all had their start in the Five Points Gang.

Poor living conditions also contributed greatly to the rise in gangs during the Progressive era. Because more and more people were moving to the cities and the country as a whole, living conditions in large cities declined. People who immigrated from other countries often had little money. This meant that they were forced to live in poor areas with bad conditions. One reason for the formation of gangs is lack of money. Selling drugs and engaging in gambling meant profit for those living in poor areas. Natural born citizens and immigrants alike were desperate to get enough money to feed themselves and their families. This made the formation of gangs inevitable. Also being able to feel and posses power was an important factor in the construction of gangs. The poor often had to see wealthy citizens with much more than they had looking down on them . The idea that they could have power and be able to gain money at the same time was an appealing component.

Perhaps one of the biggest factors in the boom of gang activity was Prohibition. When alcohol was outlawed, the need for it by the people of America shot up. The only way to get it was by illegal means. This is where the gangs came in handy. People were buying alcohol illegally on the blackmarket like never before. Even the mayors and police chiefs of cities were seen drinking alcohol illegally in speakeasies. The high demand for alcoholic beverages created more competition between the gangs. There was a great deal of money to be made off of desperate individuals across the country.

 Although gangs and gang activity was not a new occurrence during the Progressive era, the circumstances surrounding that tumultuous time caused a rise in illegal activities, especially in gangs. Poverty ran rampant through the streets and it seemed as though everyone was fighting for something, gangs included. Prohibition in particular had an incredibly large effect on gangs. Because of the media, news of gangs and their doings traveled far and wide, thus creating notorious figures. Notorious figures that are still well known today and will be for many years to come.  

Works Cited

"The A to Z of the Progressive Era." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2014.

""Gangs of New York": Fact vs. Fiction." National Geographic. National Geographic Society, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.

"History Files - Al Capone." History Files - Al Capone. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2014.

"Into the Abyss: Why Gangs Form." Into the Abyss: Why Gangs Form. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2014.

"Prohibition in the Progressive Era - American Memory Timeline- Classroom Presentation | Teacher Resources - Library of Congress." Prohibition in the Progressive Era - American Memory Timeline- Classroom Presentation | Teacher Resources - Library of Congress. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.

"The Real Gangs of New York." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.

Frank Lloyd Wright

Alexander Cox           

December 9, 2014
Mr. Ward

F Block

            Frank Lloyd Wright was an amazing man who had a large influence on the architect in not only America, but in some parts of the world. He has been considered as the greatest American architect of all time. Some of his most notable works were the Taliesin East and Taliesin West, Falling Water, Rosenbaum, Robie House, Wright House, and the Imperial Hotel. All of Frank Lloyd Wright’s buildings had a horizontal and planar view and actually had more to it than meets the eye, it also seemed to harmonize nature and it would

            Frank Lloyd Wright was born June 8, 1867 and died in April 9, 1959. Wright had been born about 2 years after the American Civil War, so Frank Lloyd Wright was able to witness many of the new inventions being created like the Rocket Ship. While most people disliked the change that America was taking, Wright accepted and loved the social and technological changes. The basis of a lot of his architecture had a historic European style that many seemed to favor in America. When Wright would create his buildings it was not just about the building but about those who lived in the building. Wright had said himself that he wanted his buildings to be “organic”.

            A lot of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture was made with the intention of trying to harmonize with nature and make the building almost be a part of it. Wright had great respect for the more spiritual and omnipresent idea of nature. The physical aspect was also equally important, because it provided the resources that he needed to make his buildings. Wright also believed that the land and all parts of any of his architecture should be unified. Whether it is the furnishings, plants, lines, or colors all of it would be in balance with nature, all of them were geometrically planned carefully. All of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture was masterpieces to look at because there was a certain balance between manmade creations and natural ones.

            Frank Lloyd Wright’s works buildings will always be a part of the world of architecture, whether it may be the physical or spiritual and mental side. He has influenced how architects think when it comes to building and nature, he shown ways that people can make their buildings coexist with nature in a way that does not disrupt each other. 

Sources

                                    http://www.franklloydwright.org/about/fllwbio.html

http://www.jstor.org/stable/view/10.2307/990941?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=Frank&searchText=Lloyd&searchText=Wright&searchText=Architect&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DFrank%2BLloyd%2BWright%2BArchitect%26amp%3Bacc%3Don%26amp%3Bwc%3Don%26amp%3Bfc%3Doff

http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/4635746?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=Frank&searchText=Lloyd&searchText=Wright&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DFrank%2BLloyd%2BWright%2B%26amp%3Bacc%3Don%26amp%3Bwc%3Don%26amp%3Bfc%3Doff

http://www.fodors.com/news/photos/top-10-frank-lloyd-wright-buildings#!7-imperial-hotel-tokyo-japan

http://www.biography.com/people/frank-lloyd-wright-9537511

 

This is the Rosenbaum house that is located in Florence, Alabama. 

 

Frank Lloyd Wright working on one of his buildings with another architect. 

 

           

The art of entertainment in the form of theatre started to take shape in America in the Eighteenth century, but did not become a widespread activity until the late 1800’s and well into the Twentieth century. The beginning of American musical theatre took numerous years to develop the unique and beautiful form which we continue flocking to today. Though the first musical performance took place in 1735, the search for new and exciting experiences in theatre was found in the construction of the Broadway theatre in New York City in 1811, and flourished in the early 1900’s.

Even though Broadway was not the first theatre in America, it is easily the most recognized in the world due to its stunning architecture and gorgeous performances. With the term “Broadway” meaning 500 or more seats on the street of Broadway, there is not really a main building along the street with the 40 theatres packed on it. Through the Depression, around 25,000 people involved with theatre productions lost their jobs, but president Franklin D. Roosevelt donated 46 million dollars to the industry and financed more than 1,200 theatre productions. This boost elevated the industry while regaining the theatre’s strength and popularity.

The first musical performed on Broadway was in 1866 with the title The Black Crook. This musical was extremely successful, with one performance lasting five and a half hours and running for a total of 747 nights. Later on, as the United States helped fight in World War 1, popular shows were still successful but it is what the actors did that helped their communities the most. The Broadway actors did volunteer work, hosted food drives, and donated unnecessary items to most heavily impacted places. With the efforts of the actors and the dedication to push through, Broadway was able to keep its doors open through the roughest and depressing times.

Through thick and thin, the charm of Broadway still shines as bright as it did over 100 years 

ago, while the perseverance and strength of devoted audiences and actors made Broadway soar 

into the most coveted theater in America and around the world. The transformation of a small and 

local set of theaters grew into an enormous production, with hundreds of thousands of visitors a 

year.