Historical Background and Dramaturgy

Photo of A.C. Smith, James T. Alfred, and Cedric Young by Michael Brosilow.

Explore the historical context of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and the dramaturgy underpinning Court Theatre’s production. Learn more about the time and place in which this play is set, as well as the real figure who inspired the story.

The Great Migration and Chicago
- The Great Migration: In episode #24 of Crash Course Black American History, Clint Smith explores the causes and effects of the Great Migration from southern states to Northern cities, in particular Chicago.
- Learn more about the Great Migration in this Britannica page, which includes maps and images of Black families preparing to start their new lives.
- Unlike every other play in the Century Cycle, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom takes place in Chicago. Check out this colorized video of Chicago in the 1920s!
- 1920s Black Chicago: Southside Policy Kings: This mini documentary video shares the politics, corruption, and crime in this tumultuous decade in Chicago.
- Roy Kinsey on the Great Migration: Hear Chicago-based rapper and librarian share how his family history is part of his art in this video from Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Ma Rainey and the Blues
- The Mother of the Blues (The True Story of Gertrude Ma Rainey): Learn about the real Ma Rainey in this 14-minute mini-documentary.
- Take a listen to some recordings of Ma Rainey’s music:
  - Gertrude ‘Ma’ Rainey – Prove It On Me Blues
  - Ma Rainey – “Jealous Hearted Blues” 1924
- Blues – A Short History: This brief informative video takes the viewer through the origins and hallmarks of blues.

Six family members stand by a fully packed car, with sacks and tins of luggage tied to the back and the roof. On the left there’s an older bald man turned towards the car and away from the camera, a young girl in a straw hat, and an even younger boy in a straw hat and a tie in the center. On the right, two adult men in suspenders and a woman carrying a purse. — A Black family preparing for a life-changing road trip: leaving North Carolina for New Jersey in 1940, during the Great Migration.

Image courtesy of Encyclopedia Britannica.

Eight family members wearing traveling hats and coats pose against a wall for a photo. Two suitcases sit in the foreground. — The Arthurs, a Black American family moving to the urban North from the rural South, arrived in Chicago in 1920. The family left their hometown of Paris, Texas, after two family members were murdered because of their race in a lynching. From left to right, as originally identified on the front page of the Chicago Defender on September 4, 1920: Cora D. Arthur, Andrew Arthur, Scott Arthur, Millie Arthur, Earlie Lee Hill (grandson), Mrs. Violet Arthur, Eulah Arthur, and Mary Arthur.

Image courtesy of Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Jean Blackwell Hutson Research and Reference Division, The New York Public Library (1168439).

Major destinations on this map include San Francisco, Chicago, St. Louis, and Buffalo. — Between 1916 and 1970, about six million Black Americans relocated from the South to cities in the North and West, a mass movement known as the Great Migration. This map shows the major routes and destination cities for those Americans.

Image courtesy of Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Four musicians & Ma Rainey pose for a photo - from left to right, a trombone player, a trumpet player, Ma Rainey posing with a feathery fan, a saxophone player, and a pianist standing while playing, leaning into the piano. — Ma Rainey, known as the “Mother of the Blues,” made nearly 100 recordings in her lifetime. She was known for wearing diamonds, feathers, and tiaras while she performed. Her shows were some of the first integrated performances in the American South.

Image courtesy of JP Jazz Archive/Redferns/Getty Images.

Ma Rainey looks into the camera wearing a cloth headband with tassels hanging behind her ears. She also wears a pearl necklace and a sequined dress. She is smiling warmly with her teeth showing. — A close-up photo of the legendary blues singer Ma Rainey.

Image courtesy of Donaldson Collection/Getty Images.

Posted on November 5, 2025 in Learning Guides, Productions

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