1. The Harlem Renaissance

2. Harlem Renaissance Began around end of WWI (1918)
Some scholars mark 1925 publishing of the New Negro as the beginning
The New Negro – anthology featuring writings about the creativity and vitality of African American Culture
Ended around stock market crash of 1929 and Great Depression of 1930s
Funded by wealthy patrons of the arts

3. WWI (1914-1918) Risked lives for freedom and democracy in Europe
Meanwhile, no equitable treatment in the U.S.
Black soldiers returned home and fought for civil rights

4. The Great Migration
Plessy v. Ferguson – separate but equal constitutional
Racism in South; less brutal in North
South had reduced labor need due to boll weevils infesting the cotton crop
North had greater job opportunities due to WWI and industrial revolution

5. Harlem: The Black Mecca
Harlem – overambitious developers created neighborhoods for white workers to commute to the city
Abandoned by white middle-class
White landlords started selling properties to black real estate agents and renting directly to black tenants
Gentrification (redevelopment, renovation, restoration) – pushed blacks out of Metropolitan area

6. The Black Mecca (cont.)
Many writers, artists, etc not originally from Harlem came to live there because it was the scene of artistic and cultural life and the center of the publishing world
Some of the best black advocates, artists, entrepreneurs and intellectuals settled in Harlem
Brought with them institutions and businesses to support themselves

7. An Artistic Renaissance
Writers such as Zora Neale Hurston, Dorothy West and Claude McKay emphasized:
Self-sufficiency
Education
Black pride
A sense of African American History
Cultural advancement

8. The New Negro
Anthology of fiction and nonfiction African American writings
Highlighted concerns of black intellectuals (social and political rights)
Edited by Alain Locke – African American Harvard University professor

9. The Jazz Age Jazz and Blues music gained popularity in 1920s and 30s
Harlem nightclubs became popular among blacks and whites
Showcased talents of black dancers, musicians and poets
Langston Hughes – poet who incorporated blues and jazz rhythms as well as black vernacular expressions into his poems

10. The Cotton Club
Harlem speakeasy designed to look like a southern plantation
Boasted only African-American entertainers and white clientele
Allowed whites to indulge in taboos of drinking and mingling with blacks
Exposed whites to African-American music and culture

11. Political Renaissance
W.E.B. Du Bois – Black historian and Harvard scholar at forefront of civil rights movement
Formed National Association for Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) with African-American political activists and white civil rights workers
Marcus Garvey – “Back to Africa Movement”
Founded Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL)
Wanted reuniting of people of African ancestry under one absolute government
Wanted to increase pride in heritage and race

12. The Great Depression
Ended indulgence that fueled the patronage of Harlem artists
Depression hit African-Americans hard
Increased economic tension caused leaders to shift focus from arts and culture to financial and social issues
Strained the relationships between black community and the white shop-owners in Harlem
Harlem Riot of 1935 – Nation’s first modern race riot