Harlem Renaissance

Definition

The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural, social, and artistic movement that flourished in the African American community of Harlem, New York, during the 1920s. It was a period of unprecedented creativity, intellectual growth, and racial pride, which had a profound impact on the African American experience and the broader American culture.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The Harlem Renaissance was a response to the African American 'Great Migration' from the rural South to the urban North, which led to a concentration of African Americans in Harlem.
2. The movement embraced a wide range of artistic and intellectual expression, including literature, poetry, music, dance, visual arts, and theater.
3. Key figures of the Harlem Renaissance included writers such as Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and Claude McKay, as well as artists like Aaron Douglas and musicians like Duke Ellington.
4. The Harlem Renaissance coincided with the 'Transformation and Backlash' period in American history, as the 1920s saw both social progress and a resurgence of racism and intolerance.
5. The Harlem Renaissance helped to shape a new generation of African Americans who were empowered, confident, and determined to assert their cultural and political identity.

Review Questions

• Explain how the Harlem Renaissance was connected to the African American 'Great Migration' and the influx of new European immigrants in the early 20th century.
  • The Harlem Renaissance was a direct response to the 'Great Migration' of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North, which led to a concentration of African Americans in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. This influx of African Americans, combined with the arrival of new European immigrants, created a dynamic cultural environment that fostered the artistic, intellectual, and social expression of the Harlem Renaissance. The movement was a celebration of African American identity and a rejection of the racial discrimination and oppression that had driven the Great Migration in the first place.
• Analyze how the Harlem Renaissance was both a transformation and a backlash in the context of American society during the 1920s.
  • The Harlem Renaissance represented a transformative period of cultural and intellectual expression for African Americans, as they asserted their identity, challenged racial stereotypes, and gained a newfound sense of pride and empowerment. However, the movement also faced significant backlash, as the 1920s saw a resurgence of racism, intolerance, and efforts to maintain the existing social and political order. The Harlem Renaissance was a response to this backlash, as African American artists, writers, and intellectuals used their work to promote racial equality and challenge the status quo. This tension between transformation and backlash was a defining characteristic of the Harlem Renaissance and the broader social and political climate of the 1920s.
• Evaluate the lasting impact of the Harlem Renaissance on the subsequent generation of African Americans and its influence on the civil rights movement.
  • The Harlem Renaissance had a profound and lasting impact on the subsequent generation of African Americans, laying the groundwork for the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. By empowering and inspiring a new generation of African Americans, the Harlem Renaissance cultivated a sense of racial pride, self-determination, and political activism. The literary, artistic, and intellectual achievements of the Harlem Renaissance demonstrated the richness and diversity of African American culture, challenging the prevailing stereotypes and paving the way for greater social and political equality. The Harlem Renaissance also served as a catalyst for the continued fight for civil rights, as the movement's emphasis on racial consciousness and the assertion of African American identity would become central to the strategies and goals of the civil rights movement in the decades that followed.

Related terms

Racial Consciousness: The heightened awareness and pride in one's racial identity that was a driving force behind the Harlem Renaissance.

Negritude: A literary and ideological movement that celebrated African and African-American culture, history, and identity, which influenced the Harlem Renaissance.

Jazz:

A musical genre that originated in African American communities and played a central role in the cultural expression of the Harlem Renaissance.