Significance of the Harlem Renaissance - 817 Words

The Harlem Renaissance was a pivotal point in history. While it did not break down the racial barriers associated with Jim Crow laws, the attitudes toward race did change. Most importantly, black pride became paramount as African Americans sought to express themselves artistically through art and literature, in an effort to create an identity for themselves equal to that of the white Americans. Many writers influenced this period with their works, and African Americans gained their rightful place in American Literary history (Gates Jr. and McKay). The Harlem Renaissance was the period of time between the end of World War I and the middle 1930s depression. Also called the New Negro Renaissance, it was a period in history when talented African American writers produced volumes of literary works. Larry Neal described this movement in his aesthetic manifesto, â€Å"The Black Arts Movement,† : â€Å"The Black Arts Movement represents the flowering of a cultural nationalism that has been suppressed since the 1920s. I mean the â€Å"Harlem Renaissance† – which was essentially a failure. It did not address itself to the mythology and the lifestyle of the Black Community. It failed to take roots, to link itself concretely to the struggles of the community, to become its voice and spirit. Implicit in the Black Arts Movement is the idea that Black people, however dispersed, constitute a nation within the belly of White America.† (Yost) Larry Neal saw the Harlem Renaissance as a failure, because manyShow MoreRelatedEssay on The Harlem Renaissance and Its Societal Effects 1133 Words   |  5 PagesWhat Is the Harlem Renaissance, and What Effects Did It Have On Society? Harlem was like a great magnet for the Negro intellectual, pulling him from everywhere. Or perhaps the magnet was New York, but once in New York, he had to live in Harlem(Langston Hughes, The Big Sea). When one is describing a â€Å"fresh and brilliant portrait of African American art and culture in the 1920s (Rampersad, Arnold),† the Harlem Renaissance would be the most accurate assumption. The Harlem Renaissance proved to AmericaRead MoreThe Harlem Renaissance1586 Words   |  7 PagesTHE HARLEM RENAISSANCE: ITS HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE ON BLACK CULTURE AND SOCIETY IN AMERICA Written by * Dr. William Mulligan History 522 Read MoreThe New Negro Movement, By Zora Neale Hurston1720 Words   |  7 PagesThe Harlem Renaissance was a time of cultural endeavors of intellectual and artistic African American leaders during the 1920s. It was a manifestation of embracing poetry, literature, music, art, film, fashion and all things synonymous with creativity. It begun during the end of World War 1, in a relatively small section in New York City and ended during the aftermath of The Great Depression. This was by far one of the most influential movements in African American culture. African Americans tookRead MoreHarlem And The Sun By Langston Hughes1091 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?† This poem, Harlem, created a whole play based on one line (Hughes, 1055-1056). Langston Hughes wrote the poem Harlem due to his major role in the Harlem Renaissance. A Ra isin in the Sun was concocted by Hughes one line, this play tells the story of an African American family living in the slums during a time when racial dilemmas were at an all time high. The family receives money from Mama’s husband passing away, but theRead MoreHarlem Renaissance Essay1106 Words   |  5 Pagesthe Harlem Renaissance being one of the pre-eminent writers on the twentieth century in African American literature. Her famous novel â€Å"Their Eyes Were Watching God† was especially influential to the movement on racial equality at the time. Her Novel both reflects and departs from the ideas on the Harlem Renaissance in several ways. In order to understand the significance of Author Zora Neale Hurston’s novel â€Å"Their Eyes Are Watching God† we must first understand the importance of the Harlem RenaissanceRead MoreThe Harlem Renaissance: Creation of a New Nation Essays1535 Words   |  7 PagesThe Harlem Renaissance created a new racial identity for African-Americans living in the United States, after the First World War. This new racial identity caused the African-Americans to become a nation within the United States. A nation is defined as a group of people that share common language, ethnicity, history, and culture. A nation of people may or may not have sovereignty. Harlem, a neighbourhood in Manhattan, New York City, emerged as the â€Å"race capital†1 for African-Americans living in theRead MoreThe Harlem Renaissance : The Rebirth Of African American Arts1708 Words   |  7 PagesHarlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural, social, and artistic movement that took place in Harlem, New York. This mainly took place starting from the end of the First World War until the mid-1930s. Harlem, at this time, was the center of the African-American culture, and Harlem appealed lot of black artists, writers, scholars, musicians, poets, and photographers. Lots of these artists had fled from the South because they needed to get away from their oppressive caste system so thatRead MoreThe Harlem Renaissance : The New Negro Movement843 Words   |  4 Pages The Harlem Renaissance, also known as the New Negro Movement, was an important time period for African American culture in the United States. It was an innovating period where many unknown artists became prominent for their talent and ethnic heritage, and brought upon many new connections between races. As a cultural movement, the Harlem Renaissance brought changes to America that would have long term effects on how art is crea ted, viewed, and accepted. â€Å"The Renaissance was more than a literaryRead MoreShort Essay On Langston Hughes738 Words   |  3 PagesLangston Hughes The Harlem Renaissance mounted an early 20th Century movement in which authors and artists of color discovered what it means to be an artist, what it means to be black, and what it means to be American, and what it means to be all of these things at the same time. The Harlem Renaissance began just after the first World War and lasted into the early years of the Great Depression. Like the European Renaissance, the Harlem Renaissance was a social and political movement, but also anRead MoreOverview Of The Harlem Renaissance827 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Harlem Renaissance was the development of the Harlem neighborhood in New York City as a black cultural mecca in the early 20th Century and the subsequent social and artistic explosion that resulted.† (Historycom, 2017). The movement allowed African Americans to receive exposure for their art, Moreover, it lasted for over 20 years. The African American Art provided a distinct perspective of creativity from the artists. The Ha rlem Renaissance was the focal point of African American Music, as a