Harlem Renaissance
By:
Jesse Yoder and
Corey Houck
What was the Harlem Renaissance
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The Harlem Renaissance was a movement of AfricanAmerican population in New York City (mainly the
Harlem area), in which there was an awakening and
revival of African-American arts.
“It was one of the most colorful and culturally
productive eras in African-American history.”
When did the Harlem Renaissance occur?
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The Harlem Renaissance took place generally in the
decades of the 1920’s and 1930’s.
It emerged out of World War I, and ended as the Great
Depression began.
It was a time when the arts and literature flourished.
Attitude towards the Harlem Renaissance
- Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins observed that art
was "of great value to any people as a
preserver of manners and customs—religious,
political, and social. It is a record of growth
and development from generation to
generation. No one will do this for us; we must
ourselves develop the men and women who
will faithfully portray the inmost thoughts and
feelings of the Negro with all the fire and
romance which lie dormant in our history. . . ."
The Harlem Renaissance in the
Eyes of Pauline Hopkins
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This quote seems to imply that the AfricanAmerican were tired of being oppressed and
they weren’t going to be in silence anymore,
they wanted the world to know what they went
through and how it had impacted their lives
Also, it seems like no one was going to stick
up for the African-Americans, so they took it
in their own hands, and decided to change the
image of the African-American
Who were influential to the Harlem Renaissance?
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Sutton Griggs was a writer who’s most famous work
was Pointing the Way, written in 1908.
W.E.B Dubois was a writer who’s most famous works
include The Quest of the Silver Fleece, written in
1911, and Darkwater, written in 1918.
Who were influential to the Harlem Renaissance?
Continued
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Another writer was James Weldon Johnson, who
wrote The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man,
which was written in 1912.
Claude McKay wrote Harlem Shadows, in 1922.
Jean Toomer wrote Cane in 1923.
Origins
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“The Harlem Renaissance began as a series of literary
discussions in the Greenwich Village and Harlem
sections of New York City”
This seems to indicate that the Harlem Renaissance
was not by accident and that the collaboration of the
African-Americans was inevitable
Origins in the Words of Ossie
Davis
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“The Harlem Renaissance" is one of those fancy
terms that white folks use when they want to look at a
certain aspect of black folks. I don't think any of us
went around say, "Well, we gonna have us a
renaissance," or anything like that. It was just a
holiday of the spirit”
Thoughts on the Quote by Ossie
Davis
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This seems to agree, but also disagree with the
thoughts of the origins of the Harlem Renaissance by
other people
It agrees in the aspect that the Renaissance was not
preplanned, and somewhat spontaneous
But others disagree in the sense that it doesn’t seem
to be a “holiday of the spirit”, it was more of a feeling
felt by the African-American population and had been
felt for a long time, not just for a couple of months or
years
More than just the Outside
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Howard University Professor Alain Locke
stated that “Negro life is not only founding
new centers, but finding a new soul.”
When the African-Americans where enslaved,
they always had a religious connection and a
culture, which they were able to preserve and
eventually it blossomed in the Harlem
Renaissance.
Harlem’s Got Pride
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Cary Wintz said that “The Harlem Renaissance
brought about a strong sense of racial pride
and desire for social and political equality.”
The Harlem Renaissance was one of the
catalyst’s for Civil Rights and it gave the
African-American’s the pride that they have
for their ancestry and heritage.
Langston Hughes
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Langston Hughes was
the leading poet of the
Harlem Renaissance
Movement
Langston Hughes had
several excellent poems
including “The Negro
Speaks of Rivers”,
“The Weary Blues” and
“Negro Dancer”.
Zora Neale Hurston
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Zora Neale Hurston was
the leading female
author of the Harlem
Renaissance.
Her most famous works
include Their Eyes Were
Watching God and
Mules and Men.
She was dubbed the
“Queen of the
Renaissance.”
W.E.B. Du Bois
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W.E.B Du Bois was the founder of the
National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People (NAACP) in 1909.
The NAACP was geared towards advancing
the rights of the black people.
This instituted the racial pride among blacks
and ultimately jump started the Harlem
Renaissance.
Claude McKay
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Claude McKay was a young
poet and author who was
influential to the Harlem
Renaissance.
His works include If We
Must Die, Home to Harlem,
and Banjo.
Known as Jamaica’s Poet
Laureate, all of his other
works failed once the
Harlem Renaissance was
over.
Marcus Garvey
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Marcus Garvey was a
Jamaican-born, black
separatist.
He sparked pride and
brought new interest to
African Roots with his
“Back to Africa”
movement.
His movements set the
structure for the Harlem
Renaissance to occur.
Global Effects
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One effect that the Harlem Renaissance had
globally was that it paved the way for the Civil
Rights Movement.
It also changed the idea of blacks being quiet
and obedient, to the idea that they had a voice,
and a very strong voice, and they expressed
this through art and literature
The Effect of the Authors
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With a wide array of authors and types of
literature, the authors were able to convey the
message that they would be silent no longer
The authors were representing the black
population in their works, and it sparked other
blacks to join the cause too
Summary in the words of Nathan Huggins
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“The experience of Harlem in the 1920s was
not for naught. It left its mark as a symbol and
a point of reference for everyone to recall…
The very name continued to connote a special
spirit, new vitality, black urbanity, and black
militancy. Through the activities of the
writings, the promotion of Negroes in the
1920s, Harlem had become a radical focal
point for knowledgeable black men the world
over.”
Observations of the Harlem Renaissance
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Even though the Harlem Renaissance is overlooked,
it was a very important step for the African-American
It had huge implications such as the Civil Rights
Movement, and black writers being exposed to a
world that had always thought of them as unequal
The Harlem Renaissance also sent out a wake up call
to the rest of the world that blacks were highly
educated and intellectual people, which before was
unheard of
Works Cited
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http://www.fofweb.com/NuHistory/default.asp?ItemID=WE01
&NewItemID=True
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http://www.jcu.edu/harlem/Literature/Page_1.htm
http://www.journalofantiques.com/Mar03/featuremar03.htm
http://www.vintageperiods.com/harlem.php
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http://www.42explore2.com/harlem.htm
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http://www.infoplease.com/spot/bhmharlem1.html
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