--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only art form that Americans have…" description: "\"The only art form that Americans have created that's recognized around the world is jazz music born in a community that had the peculiar experience of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/467/ken-burns-9897_around-the-world_the-only-art-form-that-americans-have-cr_2766088.jpg" --- # The only art form that Americans have created that's… ![“The only art form that Americans have created that's recognized around the world is jazz music born in a community that had the peculiar experience of being unfree in a free land.” quote by Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/467/ken-burns-9897_around-the-world_the-only-art-form-that-americans-have-cr_2766088.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/467/ken-burns-9897_around-the-world_the-only-art-form-that-americans-have-cr_2766088.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/467/ken-burns-9897_around-the-world_the-only-art-form-that-americans-have-cr_2766088.jpg) > “The only art form that Americans have created that's recognized around the world is jazz music born in a community that had the peculiar experience of being unfree in a free land.” [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Jazz emerged as a unique American art form born from the paradox of oppression in a free society. **In simple terms:** Jazz is a creative response to restricted freedom. Key Takeaway Recognize art’s roots in social struggle. Themes culture freedom creativity Mood reflective analytical Type historical educational When to use this quote - music education - social justice initiatives - community arts programs Key Concepts American history musicology Questions to Reflect On - How does oppression fuel artistic innovation? - Can other cultures produce similar paradoxical art? A Different Perspective May generalize all American art as jazz. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Americans Created](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans-created-1521960/) [Around the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/around-the-world/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-form/) [Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Form Americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form-americans-3206156/) [Jazz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jazz/) [Jazz music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jazz-music/) [Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/land/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Peculiar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peculiar/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Unfree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unfree/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World Jazz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-jazz-932642/) ## Related quotes > [Like any group that has endured much, African Americans have created a strong and mutually reinforcing sense of group identity. 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When he was a kid, he came by to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-konitz/bernstein-grew-up-in-my-building-in-new-york-he-s-a-very-very-fine/) [Lee Konitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-konitz/) > [An unfree mind is just like a windmill inside the bell jar!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/an-unfree-mind-is-just-like-a-windmill-inside-the-bell-jar/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [If the image was sketched onto the canvas and spontaneously drawn, colour would often be restrained and unfree... 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A system that remains passive in the face of attack deserves to go under. Those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-crozier/a-society-that-does-not-defend-itself-is-doomed-a-system-that-remains/) [Brian Crozier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-crozier/) > [Better to sleep in an uncomfortable bed free, than sleep in a comfortable bed unfree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/better-to-sleep-in-an-uncomfortable-bed-free-than-sleep-in-a/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [There's a great Albert Camus quote: 'The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/there-s-a-great-albert-camus-quote-the-only-way-to-deal-with-an/) [Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/) > [So far as discipline is concerned, freedom means not its absence but the use of higher and more rational forms as contrasted with those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-horton-cooley/so-far-as-discipline-is-concerned-freedom-means-not-its-absence-but/) [Charles Horton Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-horton-cooley/) > [The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-only-way-to-deal-with-an-unfree-world-is-to-become-so-absolutely/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The free market is ugly and stupid, like going to the mall; the unfree market is just as ugly and just as stupid, except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-free-market-is-ugly-and-stupid-like-going-to-the-mall-the-unfree/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Ken Burns > [Good history is a question of survival. Without any past, we will deprive ourselves of the defining impression of our being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/good-history-is-a-question-of-survival-without-any-past-we-will/) [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) > [Write: write letters. Keep journals. Besides your children, there is no surer way of achieving immortality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/write-write-letters-keep-journals-besides-your-children-there-is-no/) [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) > [By its very nature, no one person can ever be the center of Jazz.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/by-its-very-nature-no-one-person-can-ever-be-the-center-of-jazz/) [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) > [The genius of our country is improvisation, and jazz reflects that. It's our great contribution to the arts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/the-genius-of-our-country-is-improvisation-and-jazz-reflects-that-it/) [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) > [The reason why you do history, and particularly why you do war, is that you want to make sure that in the next war,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/the-reason-why-you-do-history-and-particularly-why-you-do-war-is-that/) [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) > [In a sense I've made the same film over and over again. 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He is to 20th century music (I did not say jazz) what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/louis-armstrong-is-quite-simply-the-most-important-person-in-american/) [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) > [People tend to forget that the word "history" contains the word "story".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/people-tend-to-forget-that-the-word-history-contains-the-word-story/) [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) > [History isn't really about the past - settling old scores. It's about defining the present and who we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/history-isn-t-really-about-the-past-settling-old-scores-it-s-about/) [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) > [We strain to listen to the ghosts and echoes of our inexpressibly wise past, and we have an obligation to maintain these places, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/we-strain-to-listen-to-the-ghosts-and-echoes-of-our-inexpressibly/) [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) > [It follows the seasons, beginning each year with the fond expectancy of springtime and ending with the hard facts of autumn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/it-follows-the-seasons-beginning-each-year-with-the-fond-expectancy/) [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) > [“Jackie Robinson stole home and he's safe."...Nobody could hurt him again. He wouldn't hear the name-calling. 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These immigrants have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/throughout-our-history-the-words-of-the-declaration-have-inspired/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [It's difficult to believe in yourself because the idea of self is an artificial construction. You are, in fact, part of the glorious oneness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-brand/it-s-difficult-to-believe-in-yourself-because-the-idea-of-self-is-an/) [Russell Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-brand/) > [We know the candidate Barack Obama, what he was like - the anti-war government nig... America was a source for division around the world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/we-know-the-candidate-barack-obama-what-he-was-like-the-anti-war/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) > [Since 'coming out,' I've marched in gay pride parades all around the world, I've filled my home full of rainbow tat and I've become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carr/since-coming-out-i-ve-marched-in-gay-pride-parades-all-around-the/) [Liz Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carr/) > [Once, as an experiment, I travelled around the world with a single suit. Before I left, I went to a tailor in Savile Row…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hamilton/once-as-an-experiment-i-travelled-around-the-world-with-a-single-suit/) [George Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hamilton/) > [Thanks to all members of the military around the world for giving me the ultimate motivation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalya-neidhart/thanks-to-all-members-of-the-military-around-the-world-for-giving-me/) [Natalya Neidhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalya-neidhart/) > [I look at what's happening around the world and I see Iran four years closer to a bomb. I see the Middle East with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/i-look-at-what-s-happening-around-the-world-and-i-see-iran-four-years/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [“The low point occurred in July, during Romney’s junior week abroad, in which the press became increasingly frustrated over Romney’s refusal to talk to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/the-low-point-occurred-in-july-during-romney-s-junior-week-abroad-in/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [I believe there definitely are good things about social networking. It's a way for people to connect all around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizzie-velasquez/i-believe-there-definitely-are-good-things-about-social-networking-it/) [Lizzie Velasquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizzie-velasquez/) > [“Isn’t everyone on the planet or at least everyone on the planet called me stuck between the two impulses of wanting to walk away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/isn-t-everyone-on-the-planet-or-at-least-everyone-on-the-planet/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [You always can improve and I think that's the beauty of international cricket, particularly test cricket, is playing all around the world against different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kane-williamson/you-always-can-improve-and-i-think-that-s-the-beauty-of-international/) [Kane Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kane-williamson/) > [Trump is reviled around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/trump-is-reviled-around-the-world/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) [Browse all 3,349 Around the world quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/around-the-world/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The only art form that Americans have created that's recognized around the world is jazz music born in a community that had the peculiar experience of being unfree in a free land.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ken Burns" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/the-only-art-form-that-americans-have-created-that-s-recognized/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Around the world" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/the-only-art-form-that-americans-have-created-that-s-recognized/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/467/ken-burns-9897_around-the-world_the-only-art-form-that-americans-have-cr_2766088.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/467/ken-burns-9897_around-the-world_the-only-art-form-that-americans-have-cr_2766088.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/467/ken-burns-9897_around-the-world_the-only-art-form-that-americans-have-cr_2766088.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The only art form that Americans have created that's recognized around the world is jazz music born in a…” — Ken Burns", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ken Burns", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The only art form that Americans...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/the-only-art-form-that-americans-have-created-that-s-recognized/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/the-only-art-form-that-americans-have-created-that-s-recognized/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```