The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s

What is it? The Harlem Renaissance was a flowering of African American social thought which was expressed through Paintings -Literature Music -Theater Dance When black identity was reborn in Harlem, N.Y., and found expression in music, literature, art, theater and politics between 1900s-1930s.

Definition The Harlem Renaissance was a literary, artistic, cultural, and intellectual movement that began in Harlem, New York after World War I and ended during the Great Depression. (1918-1935). Renaissance: A rebirth or revival

The island of Manhattan Where is Harlem? Neighborhoods The island of Manhattan New York City is on Manhattan island

Where was the Harlem Renaissance centered? Centered in the Harlem district of New York City, the New Negro Movement (as it was called at the time) had a major influence across the Unites States and even the world.

Moving North: Home Sweet Home The economic opportunities of the era triggered a widespread migration of black Americans from the rural south to the industrial centers of the north - and especially to New York City. In New York and other cities, black Americans explored new opportunities for intellectual and social freedom.

Moving North: Home Sweet Home Black American artists, writers, and musicians began to use their talents to work for civil rights and obtain equality. Of the almost 750,000 African Americans who moved North, nearly 175,000 moved to Harlem. Harlem is a section of Manhattan, which covers three square miles; therefore, Harlem became the largest concentration of black people in the world.

Today’s Essential Question What factors led to the emergence of the Harlem Renaissance?

The Rise of Radical African-American Intellectuals 1st Cause The Rise of Radical African-American Intellectuals The Talented Tenth The Niagara Movement Ten percent of the African American population were educated and affluent. The Talented Tenth, as they were called, developed a political agenda to demand equal rights and came together in court to fight Jim Crow Laws and for African American rights. From 1905-1909, the group rallied for school integration, voting rights, and election of black officers to office.

2nd Cause Literary Recognition The Crisis Literary Recognition The NAACP published The Crisis, a journal used to share the literary works of African Americans. Charles Johnson, a sociologist, invited influential editors, publishers, and writers to what he thought would be a literary “party” where black writers could gain recognition. The Civic Club dinner, as it came to be called was successful and led to support for black writers and new publications celebrating black literature.

3rd Cause The Great Migration The South was a place of racial tension and unequal rights for African Africans. The promise of a better life led thousands to migrate from the rural South to suburban areas in the North.

How did the Harlem Renaissance impact history? The Harlem Renaissance helped to redefine how Americans and the world understood African American culture. It integrated black and white cultures, and marked the beginning of a black urban society. The Harlem Renaissance set the stage for the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s.

How did the Harlem Renaissance impact history? Two important Civil Rights groups started in Harlem: the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) and the National Urban League, founded in 1911 to help new arrivals from the rural south. Harlem became the magnet for writers, musicians, artists, political activists, and ordinary people who just wanted to have a good time.

Who do we associate with the Harlem Renaissance? Authors such as Langston Hughes Musicians such as Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, and Louis Armstrong.

Langston Hughes Hughes is known for his insightful, colorful, realistic portrayals of black life in America. He wrote poetry, short stories, novels, and plays, and is known for his involvement with the world of jazz and the influence it had on his writing. His life and work were enormously important in shaping the artistic contributions of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s. He wanted to tell the stories of his people in ways that reflected their actual culture, including both their suffering and their love of music, laughter, and language itself.

Duke Ellington Ellington was a jazz composer, conductor, and performer during the Harlem Renaissance. During the formative Cotton Club years, he experimented with and developed the style that would quickly bring him worldwide success. Ellington would be among the first to focus on musical form and composition in jazz. Ellington wrote over 2000 pieces in his lifetime.

The Cotton Club The Duke Ellington Orchestra was the "house" orchestra for a number of years at the Cotton Club. The revues featured glamorous dancing girls, acclaimed tap dancers, vaudeville performers, and comics. All the white world came to Harlem to see the show. The first Cotton Club revue was in 1923. There were two new fast paced revues produced a year for at least 16 years.

Notable Musicians

Notable Writers Langston Hughes Countee Cullen Zora Neale Hurston