The Harlem Renaissance: An Era Of Change
Jennifer Macy
American Literature II
12/07/2010
The Harlem Renaissance: An Era of Change
Throughout the history of man there has existed a need to define ourselves. Often this need has driven us to a point of creation that signifies our growth as humans and enhances our ability to better understand each other. During the early part of the twentieth century the African American populace entered into such an era. The Harlem Renaissance from its beginning to end was a time of literary creativity and social awakening that forever impacted the face of our culture.
After World War I there was a large migration of African Americans from the South to the North. This mass exodus helped lay the foundation for the Harlem Renaissance and set the …show more content…
Johnson, the editor of the NUL published magazine Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life, “encouraged black writing” which he said “shakes itself free of deliberate propaganda and protest” (Boyer). He managed to put together the first Civic Club dinner. This allowed a place for struggling black writers to come convene with affluent white benefactors. Many now famous writers such as Langston Hughes launched their careers through the forum.
Out of the plethora of writers from the Harlem Renaissance era there were several that stood out. Hughes by far was the most memorable. His writing was created from the desires of the black people to be a race equal to the world around them and expressed the “aesthetic sensibilities of the black working class” (“Harlem”). It was his blending of blues and poetry that made his work a true literary art. In the same vane as Hughes, Sterling Brown used his writing to eternally capture the folk tradition of African American roots through …show more content…
Being hit so hard by the economic downturn the African American populace was denied the American Dream that seemed to be in reach through the twenties. The Depression brought a closure to the fragile peace between races and ended “the decadence and indulgence that fueled the patronage of Harlem artists and their establishments” (“The”). With the Harlem Riot of 1935, the conclusion of the Harlem Renaissance was brought about. It was an end of an era of true development for the African American race. Though the Renaissance was over 90 years ago it is still influential today. It has become a staple in American music, art, and literary work and proved to be historical turning point in our nation. Without it the face of our way of life would be in a proverbial stone age of ignorance and intolerance towards our fellow African American
American Literature II
12/07/2010
The Harlem Renaissance: An Era of Change
Throughout the history of man there has existed a need to define ourselves. Often this need has driven us to a point of creation that signifies our growth as humans and enhances our ability to better understand each other. During the early part of the twentieth century the African American populace entered into such an era. The Harlem Renaissance from its beginning to end was a time of literary creativity and social awakening that forever impacted the face of our culture.
After World War I there was a large migration of African Americans from the South to the North. This mass exodus helped lay the foundation for the Harlem Renaissance and set the …show more content…
Johnson, the editor of the NUL published magazine Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life, “encouraged black writing” which he said “shakes itself free of deliberate propaganda and protest” (Boyer). He managed to put together the first Civic Club dinner. This allowed a place for struggling black writers to come convene with affluent white benefactors. Many now famous writers such as Langston Hughes launched their careers through the forum.
Out of the plethora of writers from the Harlem Renaissance era there were several that stood out. Hughes by far was the most memorable. His writing was created from the desires of the black people to be a race equal to the world around them and expressed the “aesthetic sensibilities of the black working class” (“Harlem”). It was his blending of blues and poetry that made his work a true literary art. In the same vane as Hughes, Sterling Brown used his writing to eternally capture the folk tradition of African American roots through …show more content…
Being hit so hard by the economic downturn the African American populace was denied the American Dream that seemed to be in reach through the twenties. The Depression brought a closure to the fragile peace between races and ended “the decadence and indulgence that fueled the patronage of Harlem artists and their establishments” (“The”). With the Harlem Riot of 1935, the conclusion of the Harlem Renaissance was brought about. It was an end of an era of true development for the African American race. Though the Renaissance was over 90 years ago it is still influential today. It has become a staple in American music, art, and literary work and proved to be historical turning point in our nation. Without it the face of our way of life would be in a proverbial stone age of ignorance and intolerance towards our fellow African American