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The Harlem Renaissance. End of WW I through the mid 1930’s. Harlem, 1920’s. Causes:. The great Migration of hundreds of thousands of African Americans from rural areas in the south to urban areas in both the north and the south. Causes:.
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The Harlem Renaissance End of WW I through the mid 1930’s
Causes: The great Migration of hundreds of thousands of African Americans from rural areas in the south to urban areas in both the north and the south.
Causes: The growth of a new African American middle class as a result of improved education and employment opportunities.
Causes: • There were 25 race riots, and at least 85 lynchings during this summer. The Red Summer of 1919. In response to gains made by African Americans, many whites sought revenge.
Characteristics: “Two-ness” The souls of Black Folks “One ever feels his two-ness-an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled stirrings: two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder.” • W.E.B. DuBois introduced this concept, a divided awareness of one’s identity.
Alienation • Still Here • I Been scared and battered.My hopes the wind done scattered.Snow has froze me,Sun has baked me, • Looks like between 'em they doneTried to make me • Stop laughin', stop lovin', stop livin'--But I don't care!I'm still here! A common theme in writing from the Harlem renaissance is Alienation and Marginality.
Blues Tradition • Thump, thump, thump, went his foot on the floor. He played a few chords then he sang some more-- "I got the Weary Blues And I can't be satisfied. Got the Weary Blues And can't be satisfied-- I ain't happy no mo' And I wish that I had died." And far into the night he crooned that tune. The stars went out and so did the moon. The singer stopped playing and went to bed While the Weary Blues echoed through his head. He slept like a rock or a man that's dead. Langston Hughes: “The Weary Blues”
Elite Audience • Claude McKay: • Oh when I think of my long-suffering race,For weary centuries despised, oppressed,Enslaved and lynched, denied a human placeIn the great life line of the Christian West;And in the Black Land disinherited,Robbed in the ancient country of its birth,My heart grows sick with hate, becomes as lead,For this my race that has no home on earth.Then from the dark depths of my soul I cryTo the avenging angel to consumeThe white man's world of wonders utterly:Let it be swallowed up in earth's vast womb,Or upward roll as sacrificial smokeTo liberate my people from its yoke! One of the problems these writers faced was that they were writing for the very people they were rebelling against.
The Intellectuals • Alain Leroy Locke: He is unofficially called the "Father of the Harlem Renaissance". His philosophy served as a strong motivating force in keeping the energy and passion of the Movement at the forefront.
W.E.B. Dubois • Dubois was a leading civil rights activist, sociologist, historian, author, and editor. He attempted to find many solutions to 20th Century racism.
The Harlem Renaissance was more than just a literary movement. It included racial consciousness, the “back to Africa” movement, racial integration, music, painting, and dramatic revues.
The Apollo Theatre • The Apollo theatre has been the most lasting physical legacy of the Harlem Renaissance. It was responsible for launching the careers of many H.R. figures. To this day, it hosts a variety show to showcase new talent.
Music of the Harlem Renaissance: • Louis Armstrong
