History is a funny thing, the world is full of so much of it that you never know what to believe. Also, when it comes to humans discovering our own history we have to take into account our own flaws. For example: you could have outstanding evidence that something is real or happened, but there will always be somebody who completely disagrees with you. On the other hand, you could have barely any evidence, but modern science and human puzzle solving skills allow us to shape together what happened. Usually, to keep things at a level playing field we rely on six factors when examining history. Luckily, PLP learned about all six this week, so I can actually sound like I know what I’m talking about.

 

The things you want to consider are;

Historical Significance
Evidence and Interpretation
Continuity and Change
Cause and Consequence
Historical Perspective
And Ethical Judgement

Each group did a presentation in PLP about one of these key questions. My own group was the ethical judgement presentation with Luciano, Jackson, and Chloe. The only problem with each group giving individual presentations is that each historical lens by itself, only shows a piece of the puzzle. You need the entire list to understand what happened in history. So why don’t we try that? We can look at an event of our own and see its place in history. It would be boring to do an event that somebody else has already done, (it’s also against the rules) so we’ll do something new. I think I’m going to choose… Motown! Yes, it’s perfect! A mix of hard times as well as overcoming adversity. Well, let’s dive right in.

Motown was a record company that was started in Detroit, Michigan by Ben Gordy Jr. It has cemented itself beside other great record companies like Sun Studios and Stax Records because of its successful integration of African-American music into the popular music genre. The company quickly became known all over the world due to its unique Motown sound. Considering it’s size as a business it did very well for itself, hitting the billboard top 100 multiple times due to its astounding ensemble of musical legends. This cast included the Jackson 5, Diana Ross and The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, The Marvelettes, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Edwin Starr, and Marvin Gaye. It was solely based in Detroit until 1967 when the Detroit riots occurred. They then moved to Los Angeles to set up shop. This relocation also allowed them to branch into the movie industry with films such as, Lady Sings the Blues and Mahogany. This was a great time for Motown records until bigger labels started poaching their contracts. Motown lost most of its biggest stars to other companies. This was tragic, but even with those singers going on to new projects they still loved Motown. That is why everyone got together for a reunion concert in 1983. However, this didn’t save its independence for long, it was sold in 1994 to PolyGram.

 

But this is all stuff you can look up on Wikipedia (trust me I looked) so let’s look at it closer using our historical lenses;

 

 

Historical Significance:

This one’s pretty simple. Motown cemented itself to this place in history for its countless contributions to the music industry. Whether it’s through genre defining sound or pop music legends, there’s no arguing that it changed the world.

Evidence and Interpretation:

Ben Gordy, as well as multiple singers from Motown are still alive today, so there is an abundance of evidence to pull from. Interviews, recordings, and even Ben Gordy‘s autobiography “To Be Loved: The Music, the Magic, the Memories of Motown” are all easily accessible. There is also an interpretation of the story that was made into a Broadway musical.

 

Continuity and Change:

Motown has changed its location over the years, but has always retained the same spirit. It’s also easy to see where events took place in this company’s history because it wasn’t too long ago and there are still primary sources alive today.

Cause and Consequence:

The history of Motown has created cause-and-effect scenarios not just in the music world, but also in politics regarding racial tension. They prided themselves on having equally paid staff as well as being a driving vehicle for social change regarding African-Americans. They dedicated themselves to make music not just for African-Americans, but for people all over the world. This made them a symbol of change in some difficult times.

Historical Perspective:

The 60s and 70s were a difficult period for people to live through, especially people of colour. The Civil Rights Movement was coming to a close and that led to the rise of radical groups like the Black Panther Party. This time period was also in the middle of the Vietnam war. But through all this pain and hardship, Motown still managed to be a lighthouse on stormy shores. It conveyed the message of social change while still making music that everyone could enjoy.

Ethical Judgement:

When comparing Motown to modern day ethics they were pretty much always in the right. When the Black Panther Movement started accusing them of betraying the African-American community because they had white employees, they defended themselves and their workers saying that we’re all equal. Motown also released multiple peaceful protest songs to convey the message of equality and anti-war to everyone.

 

So in the grand scheme of American history during the late 20th century, Motown showed itself to be a driving force.The people, songs, and memories that have come out of Detroit Michigan will never be forgotten. Ben Gordy truly made his dream come true. He changed the face of music and directly affected American culture.

 

So if you’re a visual learner like I am, that mountain of text probably wore you down a bit. But luckily I have a solution for you. If you still retain the story of Motown that was just presented above, you can watch the video I made to accompany it. It has songs and visuals to help you grasp the true story of Motown and people involved with it.