The Harlem Renaissance

The Harlem Renaissance was “variously known as the New Negro movement, the New Negro Renaissance, and the Negro Renaissance, the movement emerged toward the end of World War I in 1918, blossomed in the mid- to late 1920s, and then withered in the mid-1930s. The Harlem Renaissance marked the first time mainstream publishers, critics took African American literature seriously, and that African American literature and arts attracted significant attention from the nation as a whole (1).”

     The Harlem Renaissance was a time of racism, injustice, and importance. Somewhere in between the 1920s and 1930s an African American movement occurred in Harlem, New York City. The Harlem Renaissance exalted the unique culture of African-Americans and redefined African-American expression. It was the result of Blacks migrating in the North, mostly Chicago and New York. There were many significant figures, both male and female, that had taken part in the Harlem Renaissance. Ida B. Wells and Langston Hughes exemplify the like and work of this movement.

The Harlem Renaissance was regarded as a blossoming of African -American culture particularly in the genre of creative art and one of the most influential movement in African- American literary history. While the Harlem Renaissance embraced musical, theatrical, literary and visual arts, the participants within the movementsought to re-conceptualize

During the early 1920’s, African American artists, writers, musicians, and performers took part in a cultural movement known as the Harlem Renaissance. This migration took place after World War 1 and brought African Americans of all ages to the city of Harlem located in New York (Holt). There were many inspiring young artists; one of them in particular was Augusta Savage.

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1912 , the 18th Amendment being added to the Constitution (prohibiting the use of intoxicating liquors) and then being repealed in 1933 , the 19th Amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote in 1920 , Amelia Earhart becoming the first woman to fly across the Atlantic in 1928 , and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 Harlem Renaissance was a time of great change for the African American community in America that brought many good things. It occurred in a neighborhood in New York after a large population of African Americans immigrated there. The Harlem Renaissance was a literary, artistic, and intellectual movement that created a new black cultural identity in America. During the Harlem Renaissance there were 2 conflicting ideas; the idea of High art and Folk art. High art was the idea that blacks should show their equal to whites to prove that they are intellectual equals and folk art which was the idea that showed more traditional art. During Harlem african cultural rebirth many still questioned which best expresses racial pride, highly educated and trained high art or raw traditional folk art. High Art during the Harlem Renaissance best expressed racial pride by using old educated techniques, showing positive celebration and advanced vocabulary.

The Harlem Renaissance began with the Great Migration, when black men and women from the southern United States began moving to Northern cities. They were escaping Jim Crow laws and searching for better jobs ("The Harlem Renaissance"). Many people moved into Harlem, a neighborhood in Manhattan, New York City. It was relatively empty and apartments were cheap, though small. The sudden influx of African Americans, all filled with hope for better lives, ignited an artistic revolution of music, and literature. Black men and women began depicting their lives realistically and uniquely, breaking down common stereotypes that surrounded their culture (Boundless, "The Harlem Renaissance"). Civil rights activists were afraid that

The Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance is a turning point in the lives of blacks in the United States. Harlem was once a white upper class neighborhood but had developed into a predominantly black urban community. After the Civil War, many blacks moved from the south to Harlem. This Great Migration kick-started the period of time in the early 1900’s known as the Harlem Renaissance.

The Harlem Renaissance was one of the greatest times of artistic expression for African Americans in American history. The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural, social, and artistic explosion that took place in Harlem between the end of World War I and the middle of the 1930s. During the time it was known as the "New Negro Movement" named after the 1925 anthology by Alain Locke. Locke wrote many famous works that focused on African and African American identity. He published The New Negro in 1925 which soon became a popular classic.

The New Negro Movement, also known as The Harlem Renaissance, was a time in the early twentieth century where African Americans embraced literature, music, theatre, and visual arts (Alchin). They were inspired and gave inspiration to many blacks in the community. The Great Migration was the beginning of the Harlem Renaissance – it is, where it began the most significant movement in the black history. After World War I, “more than six million African Americans” traveled from “the rural South to the cities of the North, Midwest, and West” to achieve economic and social benefit, and a new home in Harlem, New York City (History.com Staff). It “has been a synonym for being a center of culture, intelligence, and fashion” (Harlem). That exact time period gave black people opportunity to grow, to prosper, and to express. Through art, they have shown the value of life, even though there was brutal racism, injustice in black identity, and slavery. This is a movement in the black culture to show that they are just more than the color of their skin.

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.

The Harlem Renaissance was a time in history when the African American people started to stand up for themselves(2009). At this time the African Americans expressed themselves in song or by doing dances. The states that took place in this event were:Harlem,New

The Harlem Renaissance was mostly focused on African Americans. Many Artists made High art which meant they used upper class vocabulary or painting skills to show them that they’re equal. African Americans who made High art wanted to see beyond the ordinary person. They wanted to see what their lifestyle could be if they were treated like a high class Caucasian.

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

Harlem Renaissance, a blossoming (c. 1918–37) of African American culture, particularly in the creative arts, and the most influential movement in African American literary history. Embracing literary, musical, theatrical, and visual arts, participants sought to reconceptualize “the Negro” apart from the white stereotypes that had influenced black peoples’ relationship to their heritage and to each other. They also sought to break free of Victorian moral values and bourgeois shame about aspects of their lives that might, as seen by whites, reinforce racist beliefs. Never dominated by a particular school of thought but rather characterized by intense debate, the movement laid the groundwork for all later African American literature and had