Free Essay

Harlem Renaissance

In:

Submitted By shelbyg9457
Words 2245
Pages 9
Harlem Renaissance was a time of explosive culture and growth in the black community. During this time in the 1920s and 30s, it was not only the birth place of jazz but also we heard voices of the African American Authors who were taken serious by their white connects for the first time in history. It focused on portraying black culture and life in the ghetto. And it gave the African American Culture uniqueness within literature and art.
Harlem Renaissance was an evident racial pride that symbolized the melodic theme of the New Negro. New Negro challenged the penetrating racial discrimination to encourage socialistic help of art and literature.
As to be significant in the Harlem Renaissance the writers used poetry to present the African American experiences. Grabbing the attention between both black and white readers around the world. One Poet that set that bar really was Langston Hughes he was one of the most popular black poets of the Harlem Renaissance. Hughes was great at his job with more diversity in his choice of writings. He had written Plays, Novels, Poems, and Short Stories, Most of his writings were the real situations that really happened in black cultures. Movies were highly looked up upon in the Harlem Renaissance. D.W. Griffith directed “The Birth of a Nation” the film was over African Americans directors who countered negative stereotypes promoted in majority of the mainstream movies. Then released films in The Harlem Renaissance showcased the struggle of the African Americans in the U.S. alone.
Musicians during the Harlem Renaissance developed a style and movement that simply took Americans by storm. Musicians such as Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong have inspired others all over the country. The renaissance itself was not only an observation towards life of Americans that they have a place in society. All of the Musicians shared a common purpose. The purpose was to develop art that reflected upon the African American Community. In which this era was the start that blacks provided themselves with their cultural roots and a promise for a better future.
Emerging at the same time as the renaissance was a new form called jazz. Jazz groups usually were made up of several instruments. Whites were very interested in this form of music. Jazz reflects the black society by adding the growth culture of black people rising out suffering and heading to a good place.
As America moves into a more cultural and diverse era, more people were expanding into more developed areas to branch out and learn more intriguing activities. Harlem Renaissance Was far most to be more of freedom of African Americans soared in art, music, literature, and poetry. The main writers soaking the Harlem Renaissance was the popular was Langston Hughes.
Lance Armstrong was one of the most famous musicians within the Harlem Renaissance. Coming from a poor family in New Orleans, Armstrong was invited in 1922 to move out and head to Chicago, to play for a Creole Jazz Band which made him local. He has to be one of the most appreciated both jazz and African American music even more, because of Armstrong. His Ambition was all focused on the art of his passion of playing Jazz. He will always have a very large imprint within the Harlem Renaissance.
Marcus Garvey was important as being one great Social Activist and Journalist. Garvey caught the attention of White and Black Americans with powerful ideas about being separate. Garvey established the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). In which it promoted business ownership and encouragement of sense of brotherhood among African Americans.
The Harlem Renaissance is still happening today. I’m not saying literally but it has rolled over into today’s generation. The music that we listen to and the poetry that we are involved in has brought up from the Harlem Renaissance whether one knows it or not. If it was not for the people that came before the people who are still doing it now the arts which includes Literature and music. Harlem is known as a place that was known for poverty, but was a place that eventually turned into something bigger and meaningful. And it uplifted the African American race through are very well upbringing. The Harlem Renaissance refers to the cultural, artistic and social expression in which the New York neighborhood of Harlem between world war I and the 1930s. Throughout the Harlem renaissance, writers and other artists came to Harlem for the opportunity having a fact to express their work of art.
Harlem considered a cultural center, particularly among those who relocated to the area from the south, which was subject to a repressive caste system. The Harlem renaissance happened during the 1920s and 1930s. It was known within the “New Negro Movement”. It was a time when intellectual growth was at the for African American in history. It was a new beginning for blacks and our future. It gave African Americans pride in them. It made them feel like anything and everything was possible. That nothing could stand in their way. The people involved became very important to African American history and black culture. They became very famous. But, that’s not just all of it is much more. The legacy of the Harlem Renaissance opened doors and influenced the generations of African Americans that wrote what followed. In the decades immediately following World War I, Have numbers of blacks that moved to the industrial north from the economy in the south. In the cities, such as Chicago, Washington, D.C. and New York City, the recently moved and found new opportunities, but economic and creating great art. Blacks were encouraged to celebrate their heritage and to become “The New Negro” a term coined in 1925 by sociologist and critic.
The Harlem Renaissance is about what was involved and what the Harlem renaissance was. It is also about there is a lot of dealing with the renaissance. There is a lot of people in it. This was not just on explosion of American History. It was a new start for blacks and our future. It gave Blacks pride in them. Made them feel like everything was possible. That nothing could stop them. Nothing could stand in their way. The people involved became very famous. But, that’s not just all of it. The Harlem Renaissance was prominent in the late 1800s. “African Americans had endured centuries of slavery and the stuggle for abolition” , the Harlem Renaissance was away for African Americans to celebrate for their way out of bondage. The Harlem Renaissance was the African American way to the “promised land” but not the one many had “envisioned.” “In the 1890s, African Americans migrated to the North,” this is known as the Great Migration.
“The Great Migration” was the relocation of African Americans from the South to the North. This migration changed the world tremendously and the life of many African Americans in the generations to come. As these African Americans migrated, “many discovered they had shared common experiences in their past” such as being confined in their ethnicity and their “uncertain present circumstances” such as trying to find a way out of their confined circumstances and to ensure that their lives will be better over time. “Instead of wallowing in self-pity”, they created a culture- “The Harlem Renaissance.” The “Harlem Renaissance” blossomed in the “creative arts, visual arts, musical and theatrical” periods. This era was a booming time for the African American culture. The Harlem Renaissance was the celebration of the deprived time of the African American culture. The Harlem Renaissance had an enormous impact on “black literature and worldwide.” “Harlem attracted a remarkable concentration of intellect and talent and served as the symbolic capital of a cultural awakening.” George Hutchinson as the editor of the article, “Harlem Renaissance” on the website, Encyclopedia Britannica defines the idea of what the Harlem Renaissance was in American culture in the early part of the 20th Century. Hutchinson gives several facts and main ideas about The Harlem Renaissance, one of these facts being that “the Harlem Renaissance “was an African American culture” that happened in the time period largely between “1918-1937.” The article also discusses one of the most important things that happened in the Harlem Renaissance, and this is the African American’s “reconceptualization” of their self-identify “apart from the” negative, prejudicial and “white stereotype” given to them by whites that had “influenced” their ideas about themselves --- influences from their history of slavery in the Colonies and in the forming of Colonial America as a country. According to this article, this negative stereotype that “whites” had given “the Negro” also affected the way African Americans interacted with one another. Hutchinson tells how the “creative arts” like “literature, musicals, theater and visual arts are the cultural influences that helped the “blossoming” of this new African-American self-identify as a valuable and ancient people.
The Harlem Renaissance was a phase of a larger New Negro movement that had emerged in the early 20th century and in some ways ushered in the civil rights movement of the late 1940s and early 1950s. The social foundations of this movement included the Great Migration of African Americans from rural to urban spaces and from South to North; dramatically rising levels of literacy; the creation of national organizations dedicated to pressing African American civil rights, “uplifting” the race, and opening socioeconomic opportunities; and developing race pride, including pan-African sensibilities and programs. This “New Negro Movement” that emerged in the “civil rights movements of the late 1940s and early 1950s.” This was the “social foundations of this movement including the Great Migration of African Americans from rural to urban spaces and from South to North.” Langston Hughes had a great influence on the Harlem Renaissance. Hughes’s poem “The Weary Blues” won first place in the “Opportunity magazine literary competition.” He later “received a scholarship to attend Lincoln University, in Pennsylvania.” While Hughes was “studying at Lincoln”, his “poetry came to the attention of a novelist Carl Van Vechten, he used his connections to help get Hughes’s first book of poetry.” Hughes work was very popular and influential on the black culture. Some poems are depicted from “black themes and heritage.” In 1925, Hughes’s poem “The Weary Blues” won first prize in the Opportunity magazine literary competition, and Hughes also received a scholarship to attend Lincoln University, in Pennsylvania. While studying at Lincoln, Hughes poetry came to the attention of novelist and critic Carl Van Vechten, who used his connections to help get Hughes’s first book of poetry, The Weary Blues, published by Knopf in 1926. The book had popular appeal and established both his poetic style and his commitment to black themes and heritage. Hughes was also among the first to use jazz rhythms and dialect to depict the life of urban blacks in his work. He published a second volume of poetry, Fine Clothes to the Jew, in 1927. “Tin Pan Alley” referred to an actual location where popular music publishers had their offices in New York City—first Union Square, then West 28th Street, and then further uptown. But “Tin Pan Alley” also meant a style of music that tended initially toward ethnic novelty songs and later, in the “classic” period (from the mid-1920s on), toward 32-bar love songs that relied heavily on internal rhymes and punning in the use of language. Such songs fed, and became the basis for, the burgeoning musical revues on Broadway. Tin Pan Alley is the “actual location where popular location publishers had their offices in New York City.” Some are in First Union Square and West 28th Street and then further uptown. Tin Pan Alley meant “a style of music that tended initially toward ethnic novelty songs and later in the “Classic Period.” Most scholars of the blues believe it was born in the Mississippi Delta shortly before 1900. The blues had its roots in other forms of black music that included African rhythms.

Most scholars of the blues believe it was born in the Mississippi Delta shortly before 1900. The blues had its roots in other forms of black music that included African rhythms, field hollers, jump-ups, spirituals, and church music, but it became a distinct form by the turn of the century. It grew out of the hard lives of poor black workers and sharecroppers. J. C. Handy, who would popularize the blues, pointed out, "The blues did not come from books. Suffering and hard luck were the midwives that birthed these songs. The blues were conceived in aching hearts."

“The blues, like spirituals, were prayers. One was praying to God and he other was praying to man." Bessie Smith The “rise of Tin Pan Alley” depended upon the “mass immigration of East European Jews to New York in the early 1880.” African Americans began leaving the South. What we now call Tin Pan Alley depended on a meeting of Jews and African Americans in the modern American city, where the two cultures interacted informally in neighborhoods, music halls and businesses. The “rise of Tin Pan Alley” depended upon the “mass immigration of East European Jews to New York in the early 1880.” African Americans began leaving the South. What we now call Tin Pan Alley depended on a meeting of Jews and African Americans in the modern American city, where the two cultures interacted informally in neighborhoods, music halls and businesses.

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Harlem Renaissance

...Harlem Renaissance Poets Martha Harris Strayer University World Cultures Stephen Ripley May 27, 2013 The Harlem Renaissance was a period in history of the United States in which a group of individuals such as, poets, authors, and artists came together to express themselves. Two of the poets that I would be talking about are W.E.B Du Bois, and Claude McKay, and how they contributed to the Harlem Renaissance era. In the social roots of the Harlem Renaissance can be tracked back to the Great Migration during the First World War, the philosophical roots reach back to the turn of the century and the work of black historian and sociologist W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963), whose The Philadelphia Negro (1899) was the first sociological text on a black community published in the United States. In 1903, in his book The Souls of Black Folk, Du Bois had proposed that the identity of African Americans was fraught with ambiguity. (Sayre, 2012, pg. 1174) When in 1909 the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded to advance the rights of black, Du Bois became editor of its magazine, The Crisis. Du Bois sense of the double-consciousness informing African American experience (a double-consciousness that informs the very term “African American”) was often expressed in the magazine’s pages. In this role he wielded an unequaled influence among middle-class black and progressive whites as the propagandist for the black protest from 1910 until 1934. (Rudwick...

Words: 1232 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Harlem Renaissance

...The Harlem Renaissance, also known as the New Negro Movement started at the end of World War I, but only began to get recognized around 1924. The Harlem Renaissance was made up of chiefly writers and was considered a phenomenon. This movement started at a time when racism was still at large. African Americans had to deal with the KKK and other racial prejudices in society. The Harlem Renaissance was significant because it was the first time African Americans expressed their views on racism and their self-love for one another, using lyrical styles that was never seen before in African American writing. Two of the most prominent poets of the time were Arna Bontemps and Langston Hughes. The Harlem Renaissance happened fifty seven years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Previously, African Americans didn’t have much education or a chance to make their mark in the literary world. They didn’t have much of a chance because they were still looked upon as inferior. They were also thought not to have a distinct cultural heritage. The United States got involved in World War I in the year 1917. At that time, race riots were happening and lynchings were frequent. After World War I ended in 1918, African Americans started coming to the North hoping to escape the racist treatment in the South. Unfortunately, life in the North wasn’t that much greater. In the South, more and more race riots occurred and many black people were beaten and killed-- this was known as “Red Summer” (Anderson...

Words: 1333 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Harlem And The Harlem Renaissance

...During the 1920’s there was a great rise in popularity of African American Culture. As African Americans participated in the Great Migration, they set goals for themselves as they entered a new country and culture. Harlem was the town that the African Americans all migrated to, there they felt safe because it was the world's largest black urban community. Soon Harlem became overcrowded and began suffering from poverty. This was the cause of the Harlem Renaissance, which was a literary and artistic movement celebrating African-American Culture. There were multiple associations such as the NAACP and the UNIA created during the Harlem Renaissance to help protect and prevent violence from breaking out. The NAACP or the National Association...

Words: 375 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Harlem Renaissance

...The Harlem Renaissance's Impact on American Literature The Harlem Renaissance also known as the "New Negro Movement," was a cultural movement that spanned in the 1920's to the mid 1930's. It was a time in history that displayed the unique culture of African American expression, through literature, art, music, and dance. This African American culture grew out of Harlem, New York and symbolized freedom from the oppression of slavery. It was described as the spiritual coming of age in which African Americans had a chance to express their creativity. The Harlem Renaissance is noted as being a literary movement were African Americans could celebrate their heritage and reveal the truth about their life and the first time their literature was taken seriously by critics and publishers. The birth of the Harlem Renaissance came out of Harlem, New York in the early 1920's, "it was a time for a cultural celebration. African Americans had endured centuries of slavery and the struggle for abolition." (U.S History, 2008) It is described as racial pride and an intense desire for equality. It represented a time by the end of the war in 1919 where African Americans was going to be much more aggressive than their prewar brothers. Harlem was considered the capital of the black world, because it attracted thousands of blacks from the South and the West indies. It provided economic and education for African American artist. In Harlem, people demanded respect from those who continued to keep racist...

Words: 1061 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

The Harlem Renaissance

...June 6, 2011 The Harlem Renaissance – An Era of Great Change The music, clubs, sports, fashions, and people all together with change, composed together created a movement of power and control for blacks in the northern Manhattan neighborhood of Harlem. Life in Harlem wasn’t your average Southern hospitality. It was filled with excitement and fun. Any two A.M. morning was a simple 12 P.M. afternoon. The streets were blazing with jazz, dance, and people on their way to dance clubs, jobs, or simply roaming the streets to enjoy what Harlem had to offer. Clubs were the main attraction. That went for both blacks and whites. Young whites were entertained with the new style of music rather than the traditional music they listened to with parents who disapproved of “Harlem Music.” Two of the most famous black clubs in Harlem were the Cotton Club and Renaissance Casino and Ballroom. The Cotton Club was a place of great entertainment, featuring three stage shows nightly with anyone from Billie Holiday to Cab Calloway, all the way to Duke Ellington. The club was originally owned by a black icon, then sold to Jack Johnson, a famous black heavyweight champion. He later sold the club to Owney Madden- a mobster of Harlem. A major part of its’ popularity was because many white patrons wanted to see the infamous Owney Madden and Al Capone. Another reason for its’ popularity was when CBS began broadcasting in the Cotton Club in 1927(Npr). Although the Renaissance Casino is unknown...

Words: 1479 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Harlem Renaissance: As Harlem

...Harlem Renaissance: As Harlem were given a by cultural, social and artistic is it has took places in between Harlem end of world. During in middle he was in cultural center of by drawing by a black writers, article, poets and scholars by many years. Is has came during in south fleeing and caste of system couldn’t express in their own talents they have. The among of this article and hard works of by this people are Langston Hughes and Claude McKay, Countee Cullen and Arna Bontemps, Zora Neale Hurston and Jean Toomer, Walter White and James Weldon Johnson. They all have that talents that that would able to work hard and make through all the way as black and white people couldn’t say about it because as you see they has them own work as leaving...

Words: 287 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

The Harlem Renaissance

...| Poetry & The Harlem Renaissance | Hum 112: Professor Jocelyn Thornton | | Tara Umstead | 8/24/2014 | | The dictionary defines Renaissance as A rebirth or revival. The Harlem Renaissance was started in the mid 1920’s. It was a time of renewal and revival for African Americans. The Harlem Renaissance ushered slavery from the minds of African Americans alike. Their spirit was renewed culturally through art, music, and poetry. Hundreds of thousands of African Americans migrated North during World War I, because of the shortage of laborers. This migration brought a very diverse mix of cultures from all around. Harlem was full of life 24hrs a day. Jazz clubs and dancing even alcohol was secretly being served. The city was filled with African Americans looking to release all the troubles from the many years of slavery. The nightlife was also enjoyed immensely by upper class white people. New forms of music were born during the Harlem Renaissance. Blues was introduced and the love of Jazz was heightened. Life and living greatly inspired the literature works of this time. As Black Americans, started rebuilding their lives, they still portrayed a sense of self consciousness, self-doubt and didn’t value themselves as true Americans. Before the Harlem Renaissance W. E. B. Du Bois, wrote The Souls of Black Folk. This literary work of art explained the double-consciousness of African Americans. Double-consciousness is the sense of always looking at one’s...

Words: 875 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

The Harlem Renaissance

...Analyzing the Harlem Renaissance Spahne J. Jenkins Prof. Bryant August 3, 2010 Comp 1302 The Harlem Renaissance, (1920’s – mid 1930’s) was a movement that created black cultural acknowledgement for artist. In Harlem, a neighborhood in the city of New York, Alain Locke became the center of this movement for black artist. Locke transformed the way of thinking for black artists during The Harlem Renaissance, not only opened the doors for other black writers, it made away for blacks in the now generation, in comparison with the civil rights movement. The Harlem Renaissance started the beginning of the post World War II part of the Civil Rights movement. These transitions created forward movement for black artist literature. In studying the African American culture, the 1920’s was a time when blacks and white Americans discovered the uniqueness of black art, music and literature. Many people that spoke French were black writers from African and Caribbean colonies. Also they lived in Paris and were influenced by the Renaissance, so they built they’re confidence and continued working harder on their gift. Contributing factors before the Harlem Renaissance was The Great Migration of African Americans to the northern parts of the U. S. These cities included: Chicago, Cleveland, New York, and Philadelphia, which this movement forced employers to create jobs for lots of people. The breakthrough of the Harlem Renaissance actually began in the late 1917. Plays written by white...

Words: 430 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Harlem Renaissance

...called the Harlem Renaissance? What makes it significant to African –American culture? What was the “common source” that inspired black artists during this period? The Harlem Renaissance was first named the movement. It was named Harlem because of its location (Harlem, New York). It was the hub of were black people could express their creativity involving the arts. Blues, Jazz, poetry and art were the main focus during that period. In addition, they also was allowed to express their social views about race or taboo without repercussion from white society. This time period is where the great poets such as Langston Hughes and author Zora Hurston could freely express themselves. Their common ground was to boldly create expressive art without boundaries exemplyfing their social conditions with dignity and humility despite their struggles. What is your favorite poem by Langton Hughes? My favorite poem is called I, Too. Langston sends a strong message to white America. He is saying, I laugh at you for separating yourself from me because of the color of my skin. I too am an American. How dare you send me to the back because of my skin tone, I will not go. I will stand strong were you can see me. I am beautiful and I will stand her and not be moveable so you can see just how beautiful my blackness is. You see, I am an American just like you. This poem is powerful. Langston Hughes was a power poet that was not afraid to express himself. Do you believe the Harlem Renaissance...

Words: 281 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Harlem Renaissance

...Harlem Renaissance Strayer University Humanities 112 Professor Renee Pistone November 30, 2014 Harlem renaissance poetry comprises of poems composed in the 1920s by poets such as Countee Cullen, Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, and Sterling Brown. All these poets had different items illustrated in their poems, though they all pointed the oppression of the minority race in America, and their fight to achieve freedom. The focus of this essay is to analyze poems by two different poets during the Harlem Renaissance period, describing the role played by each author in this period. The poems to be analyzed are If We Must Die by Claude McKay and Let America be America Again by Langston Hughes. These two poems pass different messages and show the different wishes of the two poets. McKay and Hughes each contributed to the Harlem Renaissance poetry in varying ways. Hughes was a well-known artist who wrote essays, short stories, poems, and children’s books. He used his poetry to celebrate the African American community and tried to capture the life of the African Americans in his work. His major focus is on dreams, and he gives suggestions of what happens when dreams are ignored and postponed. He, therefore, played a role in airing the dreams of the black Americans who lived in Harlem, and how these dreams were shattered (Bloom, 2004). His poetry is a way of showing that the black Americans had dreams, which if they did not come true would lead...

Words: 980 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

The Harlem Renaissance

...The name “Harlem Renaissance” established in Harlem, New York was introduced to as the inventive, creative, artsy combination of both social and cultural gathering. This crusade gave African Americans the opportunity to express themselves through art within urban areas in the Northeast and Midwest of the United States specifically rooting from the streets of Harlem. Along with Harlem, this gathering of African Americans also thrived in other places such as Chicago and Washing DC. Expanding from a time frame starting from the 1920’s up till the mid 1930’s, this intellectual, literacy movement ignited a new black cultural identity. The Harlem Renaissance not only produced influential legends, rhymesters, and sweet melodies, this movement allowed...

Words: 836 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Harlem Renaissance

...Harlem Renaissance Poets Hum 112 June 4, 2013 Harlem Renaissance Poets The Harlem Renaissance was the time period that immediately followed the First World War. During the great migration a vast number of African Americans left the southern states to relocate to northern states such as Chicago, New York, and Washington DC. They were in search of new employment and artistic opportunities. This was the beginning of the Harlem Renaissance era where African American artist (musicians and poets) called themselves the “New Negro”. The two Poets I chose to discuss throughout this essay are Langston Hughes and Claude McKay. I will be discussing their roles during the Harlem Renaissance, The elements of double consciousness within their poetry, and the primary themes seen in poetry during this time period. Langston Hughes Langston Hughes was one of the most influential writers during the Harlem Renaissance. His unique style of writing incorporated Jazz and Blues music into poetry. Langston Hughes played a significant role during the Harlem Renaissance period, his work became the voice for the average African American struggling to deal with the stress / pressures of being racially discriminated against. His poems encouraged them to love their brown skin and accept who they are and not how they are seen by their white counterparts. Instead of African Americans sacrificing their identity (culture) to blend into the white society he encouraged Negroes to have a sense of pride in...

Words: 1561 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Harlem Renaissance

...Harlem Renaissance. Why the period of American history from is 1919-1940 called the Harlem Renaissance? What makes it significant to African –American culture? What was the “common source” that inspired black artists during this period? The Harlem Renaissance was first named the movement. It was named Harlem because of its location (Harlem, New York). It was the hub of were black people could express their creativity involving the arts. Blues, Jazz, poetry and art were the main focus during that period. In addition, they also was allowed to express their social views about race or taboo without repercussion from white society. This time period is where the great poets such as Langston Hughes and author Zora Hurston could freely express themselves. Their common ground was to boldly create expressive art without boundaries exemplyfing their social conditions with dignity and humility despite their struggles. What is your favorite poem by Langton Hughes? My favorite poem is called I, Too. Langston sends a strong message to white America. He is saying, I laugh at you for separating yourself from me because of the color of my skin. I too am an American. How dare you send me to the back because of my skin tone, I will not go. I will stand strong were you can see me. I am beautiful and I will stand her and not be moveable so you can see just how beautiful my blackness is. You see, I am an American just like you. This poem is powerful. Langston Hughes...

Words: 283 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Harlem Renaissance

...A B Aaron Douglas provided connected the black man and his heritage and individualism with a form of art even the most uneducated man can feel. C Langston Hughes spoke for the black community of America and a laureate, while usually government appointed, is a great description of Langston’s influence in a tight knit social circle. Hughes’ poetry was best described as prideful and individualized but describing it as “nationalism” is not the best description due to the idea that they simply wanted to fit in with a world where people were proud of where they were from rather than where they were going. D Fire!! Was significant in many ways including the ironic naming of it in reference to a court case where judges said in basic that freedom of speech was limited (I.E. yelling Fire! In a crowded theatre causing panic) also it was also one of the first to ever address promiscuity and sexual relations in the black community that many blacks did want expressed in the media. E Jazz clubs were one of the first places where blacks and whites met on level ground. Both were there for the similar interest of jazz music and they mixed cultures with their whiskey and in between notes of a violently purple saxophone player they traded names and polite conversation. After a long time and realizing that many of the black men were just like the white men that populated the jazz clubs equality seemed almost obvious. They also learned a lot about one another’s pains, plights...

Words: 279 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Harlem Renaissance Essay

...The Harlem Renaissance, a cultural movement that began in the 1920s, brought an excitement and a new found freedom and voice to African-Americans who had been silent and oppressed for a long time. In Harlem between the 1920s to 1930s the African American culture flourished especially in arts and music. The Harlem Renaissance helped lay the foundation for the post-World War II protest movement of the Civil Rights Movement. During this period, Harlem was a cultural center, drawing black writers, artists, musicians, photographers, poets, and scholars. Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, and Bessie Smith were a few of the new, up and coming, artists during the Renaissance period. Louis Armstrong, nicknamed "Pops" emerged in the 1920s and became an...

Words: 452 - Pages: 2