Description: Tambourines to Glory is a comedy written by Hughes about two women who start a church to get some money. They begin as street preachers, but their energy and enthusiasm allows them to open a church called the Tambourine Temple. However, these two women suffer many trials and tribulations at the hands of a sweet-talking swindler and their own personal problems.

 

Explanation: Harlem in the 1920's was a bustling black community. Tenements lined the streets and churches were being established on every street corner. Women were becoming more independent and it was a time of promiscuity and opportunity. The characters in this play live in Harlem when these new trends for both African Americans and women were become popular.

 

Evaluation: This play gives insight into the type of materialHughes usually wrote about. Churches were constantly being founded in Harlem, but Hughes managed to make the seemingly normal practices of Harlem into a new world that intrigued both black and white audiences.

 

Analysis: Tambourines to Glory exemplified the new values of the 1920's. Women were becoming more independent and free-willed. Characters like Laura show how women became freer and more powerful in the world of men. It also showed how faith never faded for Black people and their faith reflected their identity as a people.