Free sample paper on Harlem Renaissance

Introduction

Harlem Renaissance was basically an intellectual, literary and artistic movement that occurred in 1920’s to mid-1930. Harlem Renaissance was also referred to as New Negro Movement and it gave the African Americans a new cultural identity (Gates Jr, Smith & Benston, 2014). Through literacy, music, visual arts and theatricals the members of the group sought to change the perception of ‘the Negro’ from what the white stereotypes have made the black people believe about their heritage and how they feel about each other. They expressed themselves using art as a way of breaking free of Victorian moral values as well as the staid shame concerning some of the aspects of their lives that might be perceived by the white people to reinforce racist believe. Harlem Renaissance is not subjugated by any precise school of thought and is characterized by passionate debate. The movement served as a basis in which all subsequent African American works and had a huge impact on consequent African literature and cognizance all over the world (Baker Jr, 2013). It is imperative to note that Harlem Renaissance movement began in Harlem district of New York but eventually spread to other parts. However, Harlem appealed to a notable number of intellects and talent and the district served as the emblematic district of the new cultural emergent.

The Background

Be as it may, the Harlem Renaissance was a portion of a larger ‘New Negro Movement’ that came into existence at the beginning of the 20th century. To some extend, the Harlem Renaissance also paved the way to the ‘Civil Rights Movement’ that occurred in the between late 1940 as well as early 1950 (Sherrard-Johnson, 2015). Before the end of the Civil war, most of the African Americans were slaves who lived in the south. However, the African Americans who were aggravated began to strive for equality, civil participation, cultural self-determination and political equality during the reconstruction era. The enactment of Ku Klux Klan Act in gave African American opportunities to be elected as congressmen giving them opportunities to air their thoughts through speeches. However, it gave rise to white supremacy where African Americans were denied their civil rights through segregation, violence and other brutal forms of corporate punishment. This made life in the south unbearable giving rise to the great migration where African Americans began to move to the north from south.

The social background for the Harlem Renaissance is attributed to ‘The Great Migration’ where black Americans living in rural areas of the south to the north of America. This migration dramatically increased the levels of literacy in black American population, the creation of nationwide organizations that fought for the civil rights of African Americans. This aspect uplifted the African American race, helped to open social and economic opportunities. On the same note, the migration enabled Africans living in America during that period to develop race pride encompassing pan-African sensibilities and well as programs. After the World War 1, Black people from African and the Caribbean moved to metropolitan areas such as Paris and New York City and interacted with each other revitalizing influence that gave the far-reaching ‘Negro Renaissance’ a greatly imperative international (Sherrard-Johnson, 2015).

The Development of Harlem Renaissance

In early 20th century, New York’s Harlem district was the desired endpoint for migrants from different parts of Africa. The district attracted people from the south who were seeking jobs, educated class and Africans from Africa and the Caribbean searching for a better life. These movements made Harlem an African-American neighborhood. Some African-American realtors in partnership with a church group purchased a large block in Harlem in the year 1910. The great migration resulted in an influx of black Americans to metropolises such as Philadelphia, Chicago, New York and Detroit (Hutchinson, 2016).

The African culture began to flourish. However, virulent white racism continued to affect African Americans even those who have migrated to the north. The end of the World War 1 brought in African American soldiers came home and find citizens who did not respect their accomplishments. In early 1919, civil uprisings and race riots throughout the United States broke out showing the enormous competition for jobs, housing, and tensions created by social differences.

Mainstream acknowledgment of Harlem culture

Harlem renaissance was born in late 1910. In 1917 Ridgely Torrence wrote ‘Three Plays for a Negro Theatre’ featuring Black actors passing complex yearnings and human emotions. In 1919 ‘If We Must Die’ a militant sonnet was published by Claude McKay. Despite the fact that this literacy piece never alluded to race the readers were able to pinpoint its note of rebelliousness in the wake of racial discrimination, race riots and lynching’s that were happening. The sonnet added the aspect of politics to African cultural inheritance. His other two poems “invocation’ and the “Harlem Dancer” contained the elements of the modern urban experience (Wall, 2016). By the time the World War 1 has ended, these pieces of literacy were able to describe the reality of the life African Americans.

Another great contributor of Harlem Renaissance is Hubert Harrison who is perceived to be the forefather of Harlem fanaticism. He started the ‘Liberty League’ which was the first association of new African American movement. He also started ‘The Voice’ which was the first newsprint of the new movement (Wall, 2016). The main theme discussed in the organization and via the newspaper was politics though they also emphasized on arts. For instance, the newspaper had a poetry and a book review section.

The growth of the Harlem Renaissance is attributed to the changes that were taking place in the black American group of people after the eradication of slavery and the growth of African communities in the North. The end of the World War 1 and the subsequent changes in culture and social life in the early 20-th century accelerated the Harlem Renaissance. Industrialization demanded more workers in the cities resulting in new mass culture. The great migration concentrated Africans in residences where they could relate together and inspire each other, industrial opportunities and the end of World War 1 led to mass migration to the north.

Religion in the Harlem Renaissance

Religion played an important role in shaping the Harlem Renaissance. Christianity was one of the main religion believed by African Americans. Social critics, writers, and artists discussed the role that Christianity played in the lives of African Americans. Madam and the Minister a poem written by Langston Hughes, for instance, reflects the mood and temperature of religion in the Harlem Renaissance (Trotman, 2014). The Crisis publication’s main story in May 1936 elucidates the importance of Christianity to the anticipated union of the three biggest Methodist ministries of the year 1936. The feature in The Crisis highlighted the contentious question regarding the creation of a union for these three churches. The Crisis also published “The Catholic Church and the Negro Priest” an article highlighting the challenges that African American priest face at their work (Trotman, 2014). The article exposes some of the policies that are prejudiced against African Americans.

Apart from Christianity, there were other forms of religions that existed during the intellectual reawakening of the African American People. The African Americans supported religious practices that are more inclusive and tried to reject religion with racist attitudes such as Abrahamic religious arenas. Africans also practiced spiritualism, religions, and philosophies whose roots are African ancestry.

Islam religion was also practiced during the Harlem renaissance. Islam originated from Africans who migrated during the Tran Saharan trade. For instance, adherents of Moorish Science Temple of America migrated and settled in New Jersey in the year 1913. On the same note, Judaism was also practiced during the intellectual reawakening fo the African Americans. Some of the Judaism forms practice include Orthodox, Reform Judaism and Conservative. Other traditional forms of religion were also practiced during this era.

People used art, poetry, and literature to critique some of the aspects of religion. During the Harlem Renaissance, analytic dialog including open critic and changing some of the current religious notions was encouraged. Aaron Douglas among the main contributors to the conversation of the African American Culture during the renaissance. Aron used artwork to reflect some of the revisions in the Christian doctrine made by African Americans. Aron used biblical imagery as a backbone of his artwork but added a defiant twist of an African influence. On the same note, Countee Culleen wrote “Heritage” a poem that elicits the inner struggles posed by Christian new culture and past African heritage on African American. Langston Hughes also criticized Christian religion using his sonnet “Merry Christmas” where he reveals the satire of religion which is a representation of good but used as a tool for subjugation and injustice (Trotman, 2014).

Music

Music was one of the instruments the African Americans used to express themselves during the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Stride style, a fresh technique people played the piano was shaped during the Harlem Renaissance (Trotman, 2014). This aided to reduce the difference amid the socially elite Blacks and the poor Blacks. The piano was seen as an instrument of the affluent in the society.

The traditional jazz band was also prevalent in the Harlem Renaissance. The Jazz band encompassed of primarily brass chords and was perceived to be a representation of the Africans from the south. The modification of jazz blended the different genres attracting the wealthy African Americans. The popularity of jazz began to spread to different parts of the country and became popular in all African American communities. Novelty and vivacity were the most significant aspect of actors during the birth of jazz. Some of the most notable jazz musicians during the Harlem Renaissance comprise Jelly Roll Morton, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, and Willie Smith “The Lion”. These musicians were extremely creative, talented and competitive (Trotman, 2014). They were considered to be the founding fathers of this new type of genre.

During the Harlem Renaissance, the African American music style began to attract their white counterparts. Composers, dramatists, and novelists of the white race began to exploit some of the black’s musical aspects and themes. Artists utilized some of the popular poems created by African Americans by incorporating to their songs. They also utilized African American rhythms, melodies, and harmonies such as jazz, blues and spirituals into their white performance pieces. This made it possible for African Americans to blend with the white counterparts and produced a classical world of musical composition (Trotman, 2014). Roland Hayes is one of the first African men to become popular as a concert artist to both races in the United States as well as internationally.

Fashion

The Harlem Renaissance also impacted dramatically on the mode of dressing. Young women began to prefer extreme versions of fashions of their white counterparts such as short skirts, drop-waisted dresses, silk stocking and cloth hats. One of the most popular trendsetter during the Harlem Renaissance was Josephine Baker, a successful dancer that influence the way black and white women dressed. People copied her stage costumes. The Vogue magazine described her clothes as “startling”. On the other hand, men preferred loose suits that eventually evolved to a “Zoot” which encompassed of peg-top trousers that were wide-legged (Trotman, 2014). And a lengthy coat having eclectic lapels and embellished shoulders. Men also donned themselves in wide-brimmed hats, white gloves, colored socks and chesterfield coats. However, African Americans still valued their heritage and expressed respect by putting on leopard-skin coats.

Influence of Harlem Renaissance on African Americans

The Harlem Renaissance gave African Americans a novel black identity. According to Wall (2016), Harlem Renaissance was a success as it fetched the black identity into the limelight in the American cultural history. The Harlem Renaissance enabled African Americans to show their culture and the sociological aspect of the African living in America after World War 1. It also redefined how the people living in America and all over the world regarded African Americans. The relocation of the Blacks from the south to the north altered people perception of African Americans from undereducated rural farmers to one of the sophisticated urban individuals. This new personality acted as a vessel to even more superior social cognizance and enabled black people living in America to be participants on the global stage, expand their intelligence and make social contacts on a global basis.

Harlem Renaissance resulted in great progress that became a basis from which Black people living in America gained the essence of self-determination that offered a growing sense of black militancy, urbanity, and foundation for the public to develop civil rights fights at later years.

The urban environment of the exponentially developing Harlem district provided a vessel where all Africans living in America appreciate the variety of African culture and life despite their background. The Harlem Renaissance provided an opportunity for African Americans to appreciate their culture and roots. For example, artists used folk constituents, cultural aspects and spirituals to develop artistic materials that inspired intellectual imaginations and freed Africans from their past suffering. By sharing the different cultural experiences, sociological consciousness enabled Africans to form a united racial identity.

Despite the positive aspects of Harlem Renaissance, it gave rise to queer culture. Some artists adopted the sentiments of the white race in a bid to be taken seriously by the mainstream (Wall, 2016). The outcome was a queer culture that was accepted in Harlem dark sides such as bars, nightclubs, and taverns. It was in these areas that blues music was nurtured. Artist used blues as a way to express their inner feelings honestly. Some of the people in the Renaissance accepted queer culture and lifestyles such as homosexuality. However, the majority were arrested for such behaviors. Authors such as Alice Dunbar, Gertrude “Ma” Rainey promoted such behaviors as they engaged in lesbianism acts despite having husbands. Ma Rainey dressed in male clothes and wrote lyrics that reflected her sexual inclinations from women despite the fact that such acts were extremely radical during that period.

Criticism of Harlem Renaissance

Critics pinpointed some of the aspects of Harlem Renaissance that in an attempt to create a new identity it could not escape its history and culture. The Harlem Renaissance picked some elements of the white European culture. The Harlem intellectuals copied their white counterparts clothing, manners, and etiquette (Wall, 2016). The Africans were gradually assimilated as they copied social construct of the white who were majority members. The Harlem Renaissance was not able to completely get away with the values of the White Americans, they picked some of the positive aspects of their culture and merged with the African culture to create a “New Negro”.

One of the main achievement of Harlem Renaissance was to provide an opportunity to conventional white publishing houses and periodicals. The relationship that existed between White publishers, Renaissance authors, and audiences also created controversies. For instance, Claude McKay’s book ‘Home to Harlem’ appealed the requirements of white audience and producers because it portrayed African decadence. Langston Hughes also explored critical topics such as homosexuality and homophobia (Trotman, 2014). He also used disruptive language to express himself and noted that African Artists did not care what the black or white public thought of their freestyle expression.

The aspects of Harlem Renaissance appealed to the different audience. The literary creations and music appealed to middle-class Africans living in America as well as the whites. Publications made by the Harlem writers were printed by the white publishing houses. The music created by African Americans were also played to mixed audiences. Clubs, bars, and cabarets in Harlem attracted not only the black Africans living in Harlem but also white people of New York. For instance, Cotton Club offered black entertainment to an exclusively white audience. Famous artists such as Duke Ellington performed in the club and attracted a huge audience. It is worth to note that successful black artist who appealed mainstream audience began to perform in downtown.

It is imperative to note that certain facets of Harlem Renaissance were acknowledged without criticism, for example, the destiny of the New Negro. Harlem Renaissance performers and intellects used their talent to express American progressivism terms of democratic reform, support for literature and art as a vessel for change and unwavering belief in the future of America (Gates Jr, Smith, & Benston, 2014). Their progressivism perception of the world made both White and Black intellectual to become unprepared in the wake of the severe economic depression as well as the abrupt ending of Harlem Renaissance as a result of their naïve conventions on the significance of culture which was not related to social and economic realities.

In conclusion, Harlem Renaissance is indeed a remarkable piece of African American History (Trotman, C. 2014). Harlem Renaissance shaped a new black cultural identity through literacy, music, visual arts and theatricals. African Americans used their talents to celebrate their heritage, fight injustices, and express themselves. Harlem Renaissance used music and poem to air their views and promote the blacks culture. Through Harlem Renaissance, African Americans were able to change their identity from poor peasant slaves to a sophisticated race that could actually match their white counterparts.

References

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Gates Jr, H. L., Smith, V. A., & Benston, K. W. (2014). The Norton Anthology of African-American Literature.

Baker Jr, H. A. (2013). Modernism and the Harlem renaissance. University of Chicago Press.

Sherrard-Johnson, C. (2015). A companion to the Harlem Renaissance. John Wiley & Sons.

Hutchinson, G. (2016). Harlem Renaissance: American Literature and Art. Encyclopaedia Britannica, http://www. britannica. com/event/Harlem-Renaissance-American-literature-andart.

Trotman, C. J. (2014). Langston Hughes: the man, his art, and his continuing influence (Vol. 29). Routledge.

Wall, C. A. (2016). The Harlem Renaissance: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press.