The Harlem Renaissance

1. The Harlem Renaissance 1920-1930 A Cultural Explosion in the North

2. Push Racism/Jim Crow Unemployment Boll Weevil Pull WWI Equality City life “The Great Migration”

3. “The Great Migration” • One of two “Great Migrations” • 1910-1920=300,000 to 1 million migrated • Outbreak of WWI in 1914 • 90% of African-Americans lived in the South • 75% of them lived in rural areas • Not an easy transition • Red Summer 1919 • Race riots erupted in 22 American cities • Tulsa 1921

5. The Harlem Renaissance • What was it? • From 1920 until about 1930 an unprecedented outburst of creative activity among African-Americans occurred in all fields of art. • Painting, dancing, literature, poetry, music, singing, etc… • African-Americans were encouraged to celebrate their heritage through self expression

6. Schools of Thought • Not one universal school of thought for African-Americans • Locke’s “New Negro” • Marcus Garvey “Back to Africa” • DuBois “Talented 10th”

7. Famous Historical Figures • Louie Armstrong • Jelly Roll Morton • Duke Ellington • Dizzy Gillespie • Billie Holliday • Langston Hughes • Zora Neal Hurston

16. Outcomes • Racial identity • Mass organizing techniques • Safety in numbers • Jazz/Blues • Black culture was on center stage

17. One last Quote • “Harlem was not so much a place as a state of mind, the cultural metaphor for black America itself." –Langston Hughes

18. Resources • http://www.nku.edu/~diesmanj/harlem.html • http://www.fatherryan.org/harlemrenaissance/ • http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap9/9intro.html • http://www.pbs.org/newshour/forum/february98/harlem_2-20.html • http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/h/harlemrenaissance.html