Author Question: Why did the Pullman porters organize into a union? How did they address difficulties presented by ... (Read 139 times)

misspop · **on:** Aug 9, 2018

Why did the Pullman porters organize into a union? How did they address difficulties presented by white-owned corporations?

What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

What is the relationship between the Harlem Renaissance and the Jazz Age?

What will be an ideal response?

kjohnson · **Reply #1 on:** Aug 9, 2018

Answer to Question 1

Ideal Answer: The ideal answer should:
1. Define the Pullman Company as the largest employer of blacks in the nation, with 12,000 blacks working for the company in the 1920s.
2. Explain that A. Phillip Randolph, a socialist labor leader, attempted to organize the brotherhood to provide improved working conditions for black porters.
3. Note that Randolph attempted to negotiate with the Pullman Company but was rebuffed and the brotherhood was infiltrated by company spies and agents.
4. Explain that Randolph called for a strike in 1928 but called it off upon request of the AFL.
5. Conclude that the brotherhood made later gains during the 1930s when federal legislation provided greater support for unions in the workplace and more blacks joined the union.

Answer to Question 2

Ideal Answer: The ideal answer should:
1. Define the Harlem Renaissance as the outpouring of black artistic development and the Jazz Age as the specific influence of jazz music on many facets of American culture during the 1920s.
2. Note that the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s coincided with the Jazz Age and both movements influenced and expanded the other.
3. Point out that jazz music was played at Harlem nightclubs and came to define the nightclub scene during the Harlem Renaissance.
4. Explain that black entertainers were also part of the Harlem Renaissance, and their musical influence on black and white culture helped to further define the identity of black artistic development during the decade.
5. Conclude that both movements helped to slowly integrate American society in the arena of art and entertainment.