Racial Equality During The Harlem Renaissance

Following the Civil War, America was in shambles. There were many groups with strong, conflicting ideas of how things should be. However, most groups had one idea in common: reducing the rights of African Americans as much as possible. Freed slaves had very little freedom under the law, were treated like a lesser species by those around them, and faced dangerous environments everywhere they went. Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation may have legally freed slaves, but African Americans were barely more than paid slaves.

The simple game of basketball introduced in 1891 has slowly changed over time in response to new social and political changes occurring in the U.S. The jazz age contained the New York Renaissance, more commonly known as the Harlem Rens, who were the first all-African American professional basketball team. The Rens, through incorporating their black style of improvisational play on the court, differed greatly from all other teams, and earned their title as world champions. As world champions, the Rens were still subject to racial discrimination, but through their success, they were able to create awareness of their talent, develop a following of support with African Americans, and break racial barriers along the way. The black style and sportsmanship the Rens displayed produced many accomplishments breaking racial barriers in a manner that influenced the next generations to continue from, paving the way towards achieving racial equality.

There were many notable events taking place in the years 1900-1940, some being Pablo Picasso painting one of the first cubist paintings is 1907 , the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 , the 18th Amendment being added to the Constitution (prohibiting the use of intoxicating liquors) and then being repealed in 1933 , the 19th Amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote in 1920 , Amelia Earhart becoming the first woman to fly across the Atlantic in 1928 , and the list continues. Undoubtedly one of the most influential of events during this time was the Harlem Renaissance. Even with its many leaders and innovators, it wouldn’t have been nearly as effective had it not been for Alain LeRoy Locke: black writer, philosopher, and teacher who influenced black artists to look to African sources for pride and inspiration. Without Locke’s contribution, the Renaissance would not have flourished as much as it did, and black pride would have taken longer to develop and accept.

The Freedmen of the United States weren’t truly free. Freedmen was a title only and did nothing to guarantee the treatment of former slaves when they stepped out into the world of a free man. African Americans were looked down upon, not property anymore but as less than human. The end of the civil war bought about the end of slavery and the beginning of “equality”. To properly integrate the freedmen jobs, homes, and small amounts of property should have been shared with them. Mixing African Americans and whites would have strengthened the presence of both, something that neither side should try to deny. With the end of the Civil War slaves were free but such an action was impossible to accept right away. Ex-slaves were overjoyed at their newfound freedom but were quickly shot down when they realized that freedom was something they didn’t yet have. Integration of blacks would take much more than a law against slavery, blacks being looked upon as property was deeply ingrained into society and was something they couldn’t just stop. Integration shouldn’t have been handled in such a passive manner but with actual effort that

Aberjhani once stated "The best of humanity’s recorded history is a creative balance between horrors endured and victories achieved, and so it was during the Harlem Renaissance. Although the Harlem Renaissance underlines the trouble of ethnic issue knowledgeable by African Americans all through the twentieth century. There were numerous critical impacts, for instance, artistic the growth. The Harlem Renaissance was an energetic affiliation amongst the 1920s where African Americans started composed and transported artistry and writing one of a caring to their race, motivating a countless many dark's kin to complete in a white overwhelming society.

Within any group of people there is always going to be some form of judgment and African American people of the early twentieth century Harlem are no different. Throughout this course students have been immersed into the culture of 1920s Harlem and through this immersion many significant issues have surfaced from the artist of the time period. A major issue that has been repetitive throughout all forms of art during this period is colorism. Colorism which can also be called color conscientiousness, intra-racism, being color-struck, or having a color complex is a long standing epidemic focusing on physical appearance with a large concentration on

The early 1900s was a very challenging time for Negroes especially young women who developed issues in regards to their identities. Their concerns stemmed from their skin colors. Either they were fair skinned due mixed heritage or just dark skinned. Young African American women experienced issues with racial identity which caused them to be in a constant struggle that prohibits them from loving themselves and the skin they are in. The purpose of this paper is to examine those issues in the context of selected creative literature. I will be discussing the various aspects of them and to aid in my analysis, I will be utilizing the works of Nella Larsen from The Norton Anthology of African American Literature, Jessie Bennett Redmond Fauset,

This span of time gave the country the perfect opportunity for a fresh start yet little change occurred for the African American community. Though the end of the Civil war freed every slave, which happened only with the passion of Douglass along with the president, people of color were still treated as if they were unworthy and unequal. In 1868, African Americans could be granted citizenship but it took another hundred years for them to be treated as if they were really citizens. Women worked jobs doing domestic service and agricultural labor, which is similar to the work they did when they were enslaved. Another example of this unfair treatment was the segregation of schools which Douglass fought to reverse. African American children went to schools that were separated from the white children, who usually received a more substantial education in a nicer school. The schools in which the children of color attended were funded by the Freedmen’s Bureau and generally got less attention from the state. Not only were schools divided, but most public facilities were segregated as well. Due to racial injustice, facilities for the white people were always more luxurious, whether it was a restaurant, library, or a bathroom (Campbell, James). The time of Reconstruction could have

The Harlem Renaissance, or back then referred to as the “New Negro Movement,” was a movement that took place in Harlem, New York around the 1920s which consisted of art, music, and creative writing. The Harlem Renaissance was an important and memorable movement because it brought a voice, never before found freedom, and joy to African Americans who had been hushed and persecuted for too long. Shortly after the Civil War ended in 1865 some blacks expected that just because there was more education and jobs available for them that they would finally be treated “equal.” This was until Plessy versus Ferguson case where the Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation was okay. “Separate but equal” was the legal doctrine used

The American Civil War helped to save the nation by rejoining Union Confederate and as result of the Emancipation Proclamation, most African American slaves were declared freed men. However, during the American Reconstruction, the lack of political unity was still very apparent as the South saw Reconstruction as being defeated humiliatingly and thus sought vengeance through the slaves it had lose. Although many slaves did receive their freedom, Reconstruction caused an increase in the white supremacy groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and laws such black codes/ Jim Crow laws/ sharecropping, which limited the rights freed slaves had. This unfortunately caused many of the freed slaves to be only marginally better off than before the Civil War

The Harlem Renaissance represents the rebirth and flowering of African-American culture. Although the Harlem Renaissance was concentrated in the Harlem district of New York City, its legacy reverberated throughout the United States and even abroad, to regions with large numbers of former slaves or blacks needing to construct ethnic identities amid a dominant white culture. The primary means of cultural expression during the Harlem Renaissance were literature and poetry, although visual art, drama, and music also played a role in the development of the new, urban African-American identity. Urbanization and population migration prompted large numbers of blacks to move away from the Jim Crow south, where slavery had only transformed into institutionalized racism and political disenfranchisement. The urban enclave of Harlem enabled blacks from different parts of the south to coalescence, share experiences, and most importantly, share ideas, visions, and dreams. Therefore, the Harlem Renaissance had a huge impact in framing African-American politics, social life, and public institutions.

Racism or racial discrimination is the direct opposite of being loving and therefore stops people from becoming the Jesuit ideal of being men and women for others. Poems, the literary arts and motion pictures can offer an escape for those affected by this type of bigotry. Unfortunately, there has been other examples of racially prejudiced poems, literary arts, and motion pictures. For example the 1915 film Birth of a Nation was a groundbreaking film that led to the emergence of the Second Ku Klux Klan. The movie dealt with the Civil War and the Reconstruction era of the United States. The reason why this film is so controversial is that it portrayed African Americans as not smart and also sexual violent, while portraying the KKK as a just and chivalrous force for good. This film influenced the Harlem Renaissance Poets because it illustrated how hate and discrimination existed against African Americans. That is why racial discrimination is one of the most important problems. Racial discrimination and stereotypes are important to consider in modern times because they are the opposite of love, which is hate. The poetry I chose that dealt with how African Americans not only survive with racism but learned how to defeat it.

I always found the 1920’s a very interesting decade as it went from a lively moment to a depressing and struggling one within a split second. Therefore, I believe that I learned all of the concepts pretty well. For instance, I learned about the Harlem Renaissance, the cause and effect of The Dust Bowl, and the lasting political argument of the New Deal in the United States. First of all, the Harlem Renaissance was a time period where African Americans began to embrace their roots and create art/works to reflect their experience living in US society. However, during the Great Depression many Americans were left unemployed. In addition to drastic unemployment rates, the environmental disaster, also known as the Dust Bowl, contributed to many

The Harlem Renaissance refers to a prolific period of unique works of African-American expression from about the end of World War I to the beginning of the Great Depression. Although it is most commonly associated with the literary works produced during those years, the Harlem Renaissance was much more than a literary movement; similarly, it was not simply a reaction against and criticism of racism. The Harlem Renaissance inspired, cultivated, and, most importantly, legitimated the very idea of an African-American cultural consciousness. Concerned with a wide range of issues and possessing different interpretations and solutions of these issues affecting the Black population, the writers, artists, performers and

The Harlem Renaissance was a period of ethnic rebirth in the streets of Harlem, New York that changed the way people viewed black culture and their art. During the Great Migration, hundreds of African Americans packed their bags and moved north in search of a better life. There, they were given the chance to express themselves through their music and literature. New artists, musicians, and writers emerged from the city. Musicians like Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday performed in clubs, showcasing their talent to white audiences. Artists and photographers like James VanDerZee captured the real lives of black people living in America. Through the art, music, and literature of the Harlem Renaissance, black culture becomes ours to share and appreciate.