Music ran through Scott Joplin’s veins. His father, for whom a music career was never an option, passed his son a love of Black spirituals.
Would Joplin have a chance to break free from the limitations that had plagued his father?
The shadowy legacy of enslavement was still a fresh, open wound. But in the Joplin house, our music kept their spirits lifted. A young Joplin was impressive on the keys – but he ultimately took a job on the railroad.
By the late 1880s, he decided to bet on himself and took a HUGE risk.
Joplin quit his job to follow his dreams. He traveled worldwide, from the midwest to Europe, performing ragtime—a style rooted in rhythms of African music. And when he dropped “Maple Leaf Rag” in 1899, the world lost it.
His newfound fame didn’t stop their hate.
It was the biggest ragtime song ever, but critics rejected ragtime music as “lower art.” Joplin ignored them and composed an opera, “Treemonisha,” which highlighted the role of Black education in liberation.
Joplin’s death saw the end of ragtime. The jazz era soon followed. But the King of Ragtime’s life teaches us this: you can share your gifts with the world despite white supremacy—and uplift your people at the same time.