Harlem In African American Culture During The 1920's

Introduction

This research mainly centers upon the period between the years mass influx of African Americans to the cities and the Great Depression. This thesis examines the case of Harlem in African American culture during the 1920s and 40s. Finally, it is aimed to clear up the period between these years.

The impacts of the Great Migration, which experienced up to the 1920s, the Harlem Renaissance which emerged from 1920, and the Great Depression which marked the era 1930s and 1940s on Harlem and African Americans are three aspects of this research. Events such as the Great Migration, Harlem Renaissance, and the Great Depression which took place from the beginning of the 1900s until the 1950s contribute to find out Harlem’s significant role

It is a settlement that witnessed many things as a culture and living space, and became a settlement for different ethnic groups. Harlem was originally settled by Dutch, but also it hosted British, German , and Irish immigrants. In the later years, Harlem became a neighborhood populated by black people in comparison to rate of white population. The black population primarily gathered in Harlem, and the northern cities if New York. One of the main reasons was the decline in the rent prices in Harlem because of unfinished construction of subway. Another reason why Harlem became a settlement attracting southern people was that Harlem also become the center of key institutions such as NAACP and the National Urban League. W.e.b DuBois, pioneer of The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Marcus Garvey, supporter of INIP, editor of Messenger A. Philip Randoph and activitist, poet, writer James Weldon Johnson moved to Harlem. Speeches on freedom and equality, the writings they wrote became effective on blacks who exposed to slavery. Therefore, Harlem was a hope for the blacks to make their African American identities stand out. African Americans migrated from rural areas to urban areas taking in their past slavery experiences, and the inherent pain they gained. Most of them presented Harlem as their new home in literary, musical, and visual works of art by accepting this transition as a milestone point. However, some African American artists regarded Harlem as a ghetto because of the injustices, inequalites, and racial attitudes toward black people in Harlem, and they introduced Harlem as a ghetto in their works. This paper focuses on how the duality created by these two different roles attributed to Harlem manifest itself through art. Harlem has historically been recognized as both cultural capital of African Americans and also ghetto blacks lived. Duality of cultural