THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE

1
THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE

• American Literature
• Mr. Hrga

2
BRIEF HISTORY

• Harlem once the site of a Native American village
• Actually settled in 1658 by Dutch
• Named New Haarlem after the city of Haarlem in
  Holland
• 1672 - African-American slaves came into the area
  - built wagon road in New York
• Sparse population until 19th Century
• Opened up with the building of the New York
  Harlem Railroad

3
(No Transcript)
4
MOVING NORTH

• The Great Migration
• Close to a million African-Americans left the
  South, Midwest and West Indies
• Left for three reasons
• 1. Leave poverty
• 2. Growing racial violence
• 3. Personal and economic freedom

5
DIFFICULT TIMES

• Red Summer of 1919
• Bloody anti-black riots in 26 cities
• 76 people lynched, many killed and thousands
  injured
• KKK (Klu Klux Klan) - 4 million members
  nationwide (15 of eligible population)

6
THE DRAW OF HARLEM

• Harlem drew not only blacks, but whites as well -
  especially due to night life
• Cotton Club, Jazz - major influences (Louis
  Armstrong, Duke Ellington, etc)
• Writers, patrons of the arts, etc. developed
  interest in people and culture of Harlem

7
THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE

• From 1920 - 1929
• Unprecedented period of literary, musical, and
  artistic production among African-Americans
• Centered in Harlem borough of Manhattan, NYC

8
NEW TIME FOR AFRICAN-AMERICANS

• Time of cultural identity
• Time of the New Negro - Alain Locke
  (philosopher)
• Claimed right to define and defend
• Pride in race
• Asserted contribution to American history and
  culture
• International consciousness (blacks all over the
  world)

9
IMPORTANT FIGURES

• W.E.B. Du BOIS
• Creator of Harlem Renaissance
• Brought together black and white money to invest
  in Harlem

• MARCUS GARVEY
• Jamaican immigrant
• Back-to-Africa movement
• Leave America and form own nation

10
LANGSTON HUGHES

• 1920-1967
• Most original and important writer
• Praised blackness
• Embraced common people
• Blended elements of jazz and blues into writing

11
ZORA NEALE HURSTON

• 1891-1960
• From Florida
• Writing reflects love of black language and
  manners
• First to present African-American as complete,
  multifaceted human beings

12
THE GREAT DEPRESSION - 1930

• Ended the Harlem Renaissance
• Forced writers, artists, etc. to leave Harlem
• Forced to take other jobs to support themselves
• Planted seeds for future generations to continue
  with important writing about the African-American
  experience

13
MAJOR INFLUENCED WRITERS
JAMES BADLWIN Novelist Short story
TONI MORRISON Novelist Nobel Prize
GWENDOLYN BROOKS Poet Pulitzer Prize
AUGUST WILSON Playwright Pulitzer Prize
14
HARLEM TODAY
15
THE END