Final answer:
The swing or Big Band Era began after World War I and amid economic changes brought by the industrial boom and cultural transformations of the 1920s—known as the Jazz Age. This era saw the rise of jazz from African American communities and its widespread popularization in nightclubs across America, especially following the ratification of women's suffrage.
Step-by-step explanation:
The swing or Big Band Era began after a period of postwar turbulence and the subsequent cultural shift that gave rise to the Jazz Age during the 1920s. After World War I and amid the economic transformation due to industrialization, there was epidemic, anticommunist hysteria, and economic uncertainty that characterized 1919. However, as the nation transitioned to peace, the Jazz Age emerged, marked by new forms of social expression and entertainment such as jazz. This musical movement, which was part of a broader societal change, including the women's rights movement and the growth of women's political power following the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, created the backdrop for the swing era that followed.
Jazz, a genre born out of African American communities, incorporated elements of blues and ragtime, and by the 1920s, it had spread from clubs in New Orleans and Chicago to garner widespread popularity in New York and beyond. In places like Harlem's famed Savoy Ballroom or Apollo Theater, jazz reached its zenith, becoming a part of the tapestry of American culture during this period. The flapper lifestyle, bootlegging due to Prohibition, and nightclubs featuring live jazz music were all features of this transformative time.