Rhythm+&+Blues

__ Women Bring It, Brought It, Got It! __



__ Women's Rights Movement __ Women's Rights Movement is an important event that is in history. The women’s rights movement lasted from 1848 to 1998 where it marked the150th anniversary that women started to achieve the civil rights in this country. In 1848, the first women’s right convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York. It took two days of discussion and debating to get 68 women and 32 men to sign the declaration of sentiments. The document outlines the resentment of women and demands the equality to man. During the movement, many groups and organizations were created. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony formed the American Equal Rights Association where white and black women and men dedicated their selves to the goal of universal suffrage. However in 1868 the women’s rights movement splits into two separate organizations. The N.W.S.A was lead by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, while the A.W.S.A was lead by Lusy Stone, Henry Blackwell and Julia Ward Howe. The Nineteenth Amendment is the law that prohibits any citizen of the United States to be prohibited the right to vote based on their gender. Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton first wrote the amendment in 1878. The law was ratified in 1868 and passed on August 18, 1920. Figure 1. Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
 * Events **

__ Voting Rights Act __ The voting rights act was an act to enforce the fifteenth amendment to the Constitution of the United States, and for other purposes that entitled African-Americans voting rights. The voting rights act of 1965 is a piece of legislation that finally allowed African Americans to vote in the United States. Taking act in 1965, the act was a landmark in time when it came to discrimination. Before then, the only people that were able to vote where whites. White women were only aloud to vote since 1920. African Americans being able to vote were a major step when it came to African-American’s equal rights. This was a milestone in history for African Americans and their rights to equality.

__ Montgomery Bus Boycott __ One of the Jim Crow laws in history was the segregation of public transportation. The rule of the transportation system was that all Negros (African-Americans) were to sit at the back of the bus. The rule prohibited any blacks to sit in the front of the bus or train even if there were empty seats. Blacks sitting in the back of the bus had to give up their seats if a white person asked for it. Many people viewed this rule as very unfair, not just blacks but also whites. One day, an African-American women named Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat in the back a bus to a white man. Her refusal got her arrested. The boycott was triggered in result of her arrest. The movement continued from December 1, 1955 to the next year of December 20. During the boycott, African-Americans refused to use public transportation. The movement ended when federal ruling took effect and the United States Supreme Court declared the Alabama and Montgomery law of segregated transportation to be unconstitutional. The Montgomery Bus Boycott included many members of the Civil Rights Movement. The boycott included Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., Ralph Abernathy and many more significants.  ﻿ Figure 2:Several Activists and and citizens marching for the the Montgomery Bus Boycott. These events show both liberty and equality. The way they present equality is because the passing of the laws gave black and white women and men equal rights. They received the right to vote, freedom to sit where they please, and equal treatment because they endured generations of labor to get what they deserved. They deserved to be treated equally and that entitled their freedom to have their own creations. Women wanted to be equal to man because they felt that they contributed the same amount of labor throughout our country’s history.
 * Liberty & Equality **

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead.

__ Rhythm & Blues __ Rhythm & Blues(R&B) is a genre of African-American music that originated in the 1940’s. R&B replaced the term “race music” which was directed at music that African-Americans made. The term R&B was originally used to describe recording marketed mostly to Urban African-Americans. At that time, when rocking, jazz based music with a heavy insistent beat was becoming more popular. After many years of the birth of the term r&b, the meaning had a number of shifts. In the 1950’s, R&B contributed to the development of rock and roll and from then it was used to refer to music styles that developed electric blues as well as gospel, and soul music. By the 1970’s rhythm & blues was used as a blanket term for soul and funk music. In the 1980’s a newer style of r&b was developed. It was becoming known as contemporary r&b. media type="file" key="aaliyah_-_at_your_best.mp3" width="240" height="20" Song: At Your Best (You Are Love) Artist: Aaliyah Album: I Care 4 U Genre: R&B Released:2002 media type="file" key="17 Here I Stand.mp3" Song: Here I Stand Artist: Usher Album: Here I Stand Genre: R&B Released: May 13, 2008
 * The Music **

﻿ __ British Rhythm & Blues __ The term “British Invasion” refers to the British version of Rhythm & Blues. British rhythm & blues developed in the 1960’s largely as a response of American artists. Rhythm & Blues was brought over to Britain by African-American soldiers that served in the cold war. Many bands in the developing London club scene tried to emulate black rhythm and blues performers resulting in a different sound than the popular beat groups. media type="file" key="10 Say Yes.mp3" width="240" height="20" Song: Say Yes Artists: Floetry Album: Floetic Genre: R&B Released:2002

An article was written on British Rhythm & Blues by James B. Golden titled “The Death of American R&B”. The article states that true rhythm and blues is being replaced by techno beats and British artists. Quote from the article: "Truth be told, British Soul has survived largely due to the contributions of Black American Soul artists. Performers from across the pond, like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, have traditionally borrowed or stolen songs from Black American Soul artists. Their entire popular music landscape is rooted in records made famous by Little Richard, The Shirelles, Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles." "American R&B is not dead. It’s simply regrouping and waiting for audiences to love American R&B once again by supporting the artists who have shaped the sound of Soul around the world. It also calls for newer artists to rise, allowing the best performers of our generation to become legends while younger singer-songwriters grab the microphones, riding into the next chapter of Soul music."

__ Time Influence __ We hope that you see throughout history, these rights tie into our freedom in music as well. Music is not just the bass beat playing out of your headphones, but the understanding of history throughout the centuries. As African-Americans we must understand how meaningful music is to us. Singing and music was one of our first rights we had as African-Americans. And from those rights, we have taken our talents and turned them into what we have today.