When we think about culture and what kind of a culture a country holds we have to take into account many different aspects.

For example

• the money that country has

• the food they eat

• the clothing they wear

• the language and religion

• their arts and music

 

But most importantly we have to consider the history and what that country has gone through in order to gain this rich culture. This of course shines through in the dance styles as they are often a product of an event. Below you will find a timeline of events that I believe have influenced dance in America as dance has massive roots in the American culture

 

 

 

1492 – Christopher Columbus discovers America

 

In 1492, Columbus sailed from Europe to America. He (alongside his sailors) crossed the Atlantic Ocean, they were looking for India and hoping to find it to colonise it and settle there. Unfortunately they found America and they found it already had residents (Native Indians, named this as they believed they found India). After this other Europeans began to move over and settle in America.

Fun facts
 

• When Columbus was 14, he left school and his father’s wool

workshop to apprentice himself to a merchant on a trading

ship

• Columbus operated a little mapmaking and bookselling shop

with his brother Bartolomeo while he lived in Portugal

• Columbus had two sons by two different women. Diego

Columbus (1480–1526) and Fernando (1488–1539)

 

 

 

 

 

1619 – Slavery is introduced in the colony of Jamestown, Virginia

 

Slavery in America began when the first African slaves were

brought to North America. The initial intention was to help aid the

production of crops such as tobacco. Slavery was then used all over

America through the 17th and 18th century. African-American

slaves also helped to build the foundations of the new nation. In

1793 the invention of the cotton gin showed the importance of

slavery to the South’s economy.

Many slaves died on the journey to America as so many were

packed on each boat. The conditions were so poor that diseases

spread very quickly and became very deadly. The women we also

often used for sex in order to entertain the make sailors

 

Did you know?

• Approximately 11,863,000 Africans were shipped across the

• Atlantic, with a death rate during the Middle Passage reducing this number by 10-20 percent. As a result between 9.6 and 10.8 million Africans arrived in the Americas

 

 

1775 - War Of Independence

 

From 1775 to 1783 America was at war, they wanted their

independence from the 13 British colonies. The war was initiated

from the growing tensions between the 13 British colonies and

the colonial government.
Arguments between the British troops and the American military

started the armed conflict in April 1775. By the following year the

rebels had joined in and started a full scale war. Then in 1778 the

French joined the colonial government side, this then turned what

was a civil war into an international war.
1781 Britain had surrendered in York Town the fighting did not

stop until 83
Declaration of independence was signed in 1776 on the 4th of July

and was written by five men, led by Thomas Jefferson, it

consisted of 56 signatures   

 

1808 & 1865-Abolishment of Slavery

 

As of January 1st 1808 slave trade was banned in America. However

this of course did not stop some people and slaves were still being

bought over to America to work illegally for the white men for the next

fifty years. It wasn’t until 1865 that slavery was finally ended (thanks to

the war of independence when blacks fought for their country. The fight

to end the slavery was long and hard and even when it ended life for

blacks did not improve much at all as many forms of discrimination was

soon developed. To this day black Americans still face discrimination.

Despite the slave trade being made illegal, cargo ships still smuggled

Africans over until 1867, this was mainly onto Brazil and Cuba.

 

 

 

1861- Civil War

 

The American civil war is seen as the most important event in

American history. The civil was determined the shape of the

American nation and it tied up any loose ends left by the War of

Independence. The Civil War was between the south and north

states of America and was fought from 1861 to 1865. The

president at the time of the Civil War was Abraham Lincoln and it

began when Southern troops invaded and took over South Carolina.

The north won the Civil War which meant that the slaves were now

free and it is seen as one of the bloodiest battles in American history.
 

How many soldiers died?

 

It is estimated that 620,000 soldiers died from combat, accident, starvation, and disease during the Civil War

 

 

 

1914-1918 World War One

 

The First World War is also known as the ‘Great War’ and was a war

involving global countries however it was mainly fought on European

land. The war started on July 28th and was stopped on November 11th

(this is why we have a minute of silence at 11am on this day). More than

seven million civilians died during the First World War and is to this day

one of the deadliest conflicts in history. 

 

 

The war was fought between the ‘Triple Entente’ (the Allies); the United

Kingdom, France and the Russian Empire and the ‘Central Powers’;

Germany and Austria Hungry.  As the war went on more countries joined, Italy, the U.S and Japan all joined the Allies while the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria joined the Central Powers

 

 

The war started when the Austro-Hungarians decided to declare war on Serbia and invaded. Germany then also invaded Belgium and Luxembourg (France) before heading into more central France. This meant that Britain then declared war on Germany. After four years the Allies won and Germany was split up into little countries.

 

 

 

1955-Desegregation

 

When the slaves gained their freedom American citizens became very scared of what the blacks might do now that they were wondering the same streets as them. So they bought in the Jim Crow laws. This meant that black people were not to mix with any whites. They were to have their own toilets, busses and even water fountains. This was then stopped in when desegregation took place. It was a long process led by the Civil Rights Movement and was shown massively in schools and within the military.

 

1939 – 1945 World War Two

 

During world war one a certain soldier (Adolf Hitler) won many medals

for his efforts and his outstanding performance throughout the four

years. However when it ended he proceeded to blame the Jews for

Germanys lo ss. He then set out to become Germanys leader and

change the country into a dictatorship, meaning the civilians had

no choice in who lead their own country. Hitler then led to propaganda

to turn the country against the Jews.

 

In September 1939, Germany invaded Poland and just two days after

Britain and France declared war on Germany. The Germans set out to

kill as many Jews they could find and take them to death and work camps,

which left the Jewish fleeing the country and going into hiding.

 

In 1945 the British and Americans won the war.

 

1945–1963 Cold War

 

 

 

The cold was caused, initially, between the tension between the United

States and their allies the Soviet Union, also known as the USSR. The

start of the war was due to the idea that all governments would soon

be either communist or capitalists. From the 20s there was red scare,

this was the scare that communism would be enforced in all governments.

 

Although it may not of been a war fought with massive amounts of conflict,

it was a war fought by two sides trying to score points off each other. During this time the first moon landing was successfully achieved by Neil Armstrong and his crew, the Americans were driven by fear as they believed that the USSR were attempting to drop many nuclear weapons on them and every U.S citizen knew that they had to be the first to win the ‘Space Race’.

 

Did you know? The term "cold war" first appeared in a 1945 essay by the English writer George Orwell called "You and the Atomic Bomb."

 

 

1948 - 1972 Cross Bronx Expressway

The Cross Bronx Expressway is a huge highway in the New York City, created by Robert Moses and built between 1948 - 1972. It carries traffic through the city and was originally built in stages. It is also where dance styles such as hip hop and breaking came from. In the bronx  there were lots of Break and Hip-Hop dance crews created and in these dance styles became huge.