Rock and Roll impact on race relations in the 50’s

describe in your own words how African-American music genres (jazz, blues, and R&B) break down racial barriers in the 1950’s and start to create a common culture amongst teenagers of all races.

I don’t want you to simply give me a fact-based response – I want your ideas and opinions as well. Remember that by 1950 teenagers had become a distinct social group with economic and cultural power. Never before had youth been such an important factor in music, movies, radio, television, fashion, and politics. In thinking through the situation as Rock and Roll began to emerge in the 1950’s, try to put yourself in this time frame. As you write your one-page essay, remember that music allowed teenagers in the 1950’s to learn about tolerance and to communicate with people they had been taught they were not supposed to be friends with. Think through these five prompts from the perspective of someone who might have lived through these events.