The Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance was an era of cultural, social, and artistic expression. After the abolition of slavery, white supremacy rose in the South. As a result, many African Americans migrated to the North in what was known as the Great Migration. Rather than plunge in self-pity, they began a new movement of cultural pride. Centered in Harlem, New York City, this period drew black musicians, artists, writers, poets, and scholars to a place in which they could freely express their thoughts.
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MusicThe rise of jazz music was one of the biggest elements of the Harlem Renaissance. Thousands of people visited night clubs to see the same performers. The improvisational element of jazz meant that no two performances were alike. One of the most well known composers of the Harlem Renaissance, "Duke" Ellington lead his orchestra in Harlem's Cotton Club.
Louis Armstrong was considered one of the greatest jazz musicians, noted for his swift, spontaneous improvisation and ability. Born in New Orleans, he moved North to join a jazz band in Chicago. He brought with him his Southern style of music, and brought jazz fever to white and black Americans alike. |
LiteratureLangston Hughes is regarded as one of the most important figures of the Harlem Renaissance. After he explored the world on a freighter, he returned to Harlem in 1924. He discovered a new way of writing poetry, which used the rhythms of jazz and blues to support his words. His first book of poetry, The Weary Blues, gained the attention of the public and led to his immediate rise to fame.
Zora Neale Hurston was a noted writer from Howard University, who gained recognition when a story of her's was accepted by the New York magazine Opportunity. She moved to New York and took part in the Harlem Renaissance. Her most cited novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, tells the story of the life of a black woman in early twentieth century Florida. The novel tells of the survival of black women in a society of bad men. |
Performing ArtsThe 1921 musical Shuffle Along, a black musical comedy, was "the proper push... to that Negro vogue", Langston Hughes observed. After World War I racial tensions were rekindled, as there was an irrational fear that African Americans had learned to kill white men and could lash out at any time. Shuffle Along was the first successful African-American Broadway musical and paved the way for African-American arts: the musical is considered by many the beginning of the Renaissance era.
Paul Robeson, born to an escaped slave, was a famous actor, and one of the first black men to play a serious role in a white American theater. His critically acclaimed Othello was the longest running Shakespeare play in Broadway history. |