African American History: The Harlem Renaissance

778 Words2 Pages

One of the most influential and powerful movements in American history was the
Harlem Renaissance. It affected the African American culture, and artistic expression. This was a time that many poets, writers, musicians, and artist were able to come together to create a movement that would create a new identity for
African Americans to be embraced in society. This paper is going to focus on how the Harlem Renaissance started, thrived, and influenced the world today. African
Americans earned the right to create and thrive in their own movement but before they could, it is important to know how they got there.
White power and white supremacy controlled the south after the reconstruction era.
The Jim Crow Laws were in full effect and separated …show more content…

(Han,2008)
In a safe place creativity thrived and African Americans were able to create a new identity. The Harlem Renaissance influenced future generations of black writers.
With the advent of the civil rights movement, it again acquired wider recognition.
(Foner,2013) One of the most notable black writers during the Harlem Renaissance was Langston Hughes. Hughes writings covered issues such as “race, the legacy of the folk, the promise of modern life for African Americans, and the potential of art in this life, as well as the building of a racially free American nation.”
( Odiemo-Munara, 2007) Avery important essay called “The Negro and the Racial
Mountain,” by Hughes in 1926 spoke about the “creative independence and boldness espoused and lived by the artists of the Harlem Renaissance.” ( Odiemo-Munara,
2007) This essay stood as the movement’s proclamation. Hughes was also diverse in his writings and he often incorporated music into his poetry. Types of music included blues, folk, and jazz.
The 1920s was an exciting time for music, it in some respects called the Jazz Age.
Finally, African Americans were getting the exposure they deserved. From Chicago …show more content…

In 1929 he performed steadily with his very own group called, “Louis Armstrong and the Stompers”. African Americans were known to use music and especially jazz music to express themselves and put meaningful and hopeful message thought their talent.
Zora Neal Hurston a prominent novelist said "Sometimes I feel discriminated against, but it does not make me angry. It merely astonishes me. How can anyone deny themselves the pleasure of my company? It's beyond me.” There was sense of pride and confidence for the African American people. During the Harlem Renaissance there was a spirit of #HYPERLINK "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self- determination"##self-determination#. A chance was given through the people and by the people of Harlem. This was attained through music and writing. These were ways to escape discrimination and in turn giving them a sense of pride, joy and hope.
This very well could have been the foundation laid for the future their community would face for Civil Rights in the 1950s and 1960s. The Harlem Renaissance was a fresh start, a new beginning, a stepping stone for what was and is to come. It shaped not only African American history but American History as a

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