Question

Complete the Timeline of Early 20th Century American Literature by adding two events or literary influences for each of the decades listed. You should be able to complete this as you read through the lesson, filling in events on your timeline, however you may also use outside sources if you would like. You should have a total of eight events on your timeline before submitting it to your instructor.

1900-


1910-


1920-


1930-

Answer 1

Hi! The examples for each decade are below.

1900's

Literary title: "The Souls of Black Folk" by W.E.B. Du Bois (1903)

Influential event: Laws are passed to disenfranchise African Americans in the South in 1900.

Connection: The poem and the laws both show the struggles that African Americans faced.

1910's

Literary title: "Baseball's Sad Lexicon" by Franklin Pierce Adams (1910)

Influential event: The Chicago Cubs won the National League pennant four times from 1906-1910.

Connection: The poem is connected to the Cubs winning the National League pennant four times from 1906-1910. It is written to reflect the feelings of a New York Giants fan because the Cubs often defeated the Giants on the way to their victories.

1920's

Literary title: "Darkwater: Voices from Within the Veil" by W.E.B. Du Bois (1920)

Influential Event: The Ku Klux Klan had its biggest event in 1925, in which they marched down Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington.

Connection: Both are related to the history of racism in the United States. The poem advocated equality between the races while the KKK advocated white supremacy.

1930's

Literary title: "Let America Be America Again" by Langston Hughes (1935)

Influential Event: The Communist Party-affiliated International Workers Order (IWO) was formed in 1930.

Connection: Both the poem and the IWO advocated making the American Dream more accessible to economically disadvantaged groups.