The Harlem Renaissance

Think about this… “I, Too, Sing America”

The Origins of Harlem Harlem is in New York Harlem was built in the 1800s as a suburb for white middle and upper classes The influx of European immigrants caused the upper classes to abandon Harlem The early 1900s and WWI brought southern blacks to the North

Expansion in Black communities The Great industrial migration brought Blacks into the North and into big cities Whites in these areas became fascinated by Black culture The Great Migration expanded Black culture, communities, arts, music, and literary traditions

What is the Harlem Renaissance? The Harlem Renaissance is a reaction to slavery, abolition, and Reconstruction A reaction to Jim Crow Laws and Segregation in the South An affirmation and embrace of the American Dream Experimentation in Black culture, expression, economic freedom, and the arts

Cont… The Harlem Renaissance time period is debated The movement lasted from the 1910s to the mid-1930s The Great Depression brought the end to the movement

Music Genre: Jazz and Blues Jazz was primarily a Southern “poor” Black genre The new Jazz merged the sounds of poor Blacks with the instruments of elite blacks Jazz is deeply rooted in the slave spirituals and southern music

Continuation… Jazz and the Blues gained popularity with Whites The music industry provided a new financial avenue for Blacks Louis Armstrong – “Hello Dolly”

Arts and Literature The Harlem Renaissance brought various Black Artists and Writers to light The artists focused on telling stories from a Black perspective The works debated racism, empowerment, gender, economics, and issues within the Black Communities.