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The Harlem Renaissance: The New Negro Movement

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What is the Harlem Renaissance? The Harlem Renaissance took place during the period of, the “Roaring 20’s.” The Harlem Renaissance was a time for African Americans to flourish and move from the southern slums to the “Big Cities,” were there was opportunities at reach. Renaissance means, “rebirth” another name for the “Harlem Renaissance”, is the New Negro Movement. Harlem is located in one of the biggest where cultural advancements New York City. During this time, Harlem became a cultural center buzzing with new ideas and attracting …show more content…
Jazz was one of the styles of music that spread tremendously from the streets of Harlem to all over the nation. This time was known as the “jazz age”, a time when innovative ideas and modernism with rapid cultural and social changes took place (Achlin). Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Bessie Smith had a huge impact on Jazz and swing music from the blues and gospel slave (“The Harlem Renaissance”). Duke Ellington, a renowned jazz artist, began to reflect the "New Negro" in his music, particularly in the jazz suite Black, Brown, and Beige (Oppenheim). Through applying the concept of the "New Negro," the depiction of African-Americans in American art music shifted from a misrepresentative stereotype to a depiction of people of African descent as significant contributors to the American cultural landscape (Oppenheim). William Grant Still, the most prominent African-American art music composer of the time, was greatly influenced by the concept of the "New Negro," a theme frequently evident in his concert works. Music during this time expanded quickly through the nation with the help of many valued and originative …show more content…
Spanning through the 1920’s to the 30’s the Harlem renaissance was a period when literary, artistic, and intellectual movements took place. During WWII factories had a shortage of workers many African Americans saw this as a time to make better of themselves and create a better life. Thousands of African Americans migrated to the north in the search of jobs, this movement was known as, the “Great Migration” (“The Harlem Renaissance”). Many African Americans saw this as an outlet to achieve quality as a means of civil rights (“The Harlem Renaissance”). The Harlem renaissance had very lite impact on the breaking down of Jim Crow Laws (Wormser). Not only did civil rights movements take place so did intellectual and literacy movements. Any benefit from the bourgeoning black contribution might have defray racial prejudice (“The Harlem Renaissance”). Harlem expanded its boundaries and opened a space for engaging in the literary movement by mapping it in a way that scholars did not recognize (JIMOH). The Harlem Renaissance was not only just about literary, and civil movements, Marcus Garvey led a back to Africa movement (“The Harlem Renaissance, and more African Americans sought education. After a while, more whites and blacks started to push for racial integration (“The Harlem

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