HISTORY OF THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE

1917-1935 

History Channel: Harlem Renaissance 

The Harlem Renaissance, also known as the New Negro Movement, was a cultural movement that began after the end of World War I and continued into the 1930s.  Harlem became a cultural hub filled with talented African American writers, artists, musicians and scholars.  The Harlem Renaissance was defined by a transition from the "Old Negro," or the implied inferiority and lack of expressive control in publishing and production, to the "New Negro" which is characterized by assertiveness, articulation, and the control of their artistic expression.  Racial consciousness, self determination, and group expression emerged during this time period and the movement affected literature, art, music, drama, and movies.

Although Harlem at the time was called the "Negro capital of the world," the location in New York City allowed for a collaboration between both white and black artists, as well as wealthy patrons and other previously establish professionals.

ORIGINS OF THE MOVEMENT

• The Great Migration- movement from South to North and from rural to urban
• Increased literacy
• Emergence of national African American civil rights organizations
• Growing pride in the race 

THREE PHASES:

1.  The Bohemian Renaissance  (1917-1923): black artists were overshadowed and influenced by bohemian white writers who were radicals andwere interested in the African American Struggle

2.  The Talented Tenth Renaissance (1924-1926): a collaboration between wealthy white patrons known as "Negrotarians" and black civil rights leaders of the NAACP and NUL known as the "talented tenth"

3.  The Negro Renaissance (1926-1935):  dominated by black artists, many of whom were younger



COMMON THEMES

• stereotypes/discrimination
• racial consciousness
• racial pride
• folk traditions
• slavery
• black identity 
• alienation and desperation
• twoness

**There was an ongoing debate throughout the Harlem Renaissance of whether to integrate into mainstream America or focus more on the uniqueness of the black experience. This debate between cultural integration or cultural separatism still exists today.**



End of the Renaissance and Legacy

The stock market crash and the Great Depression caused a decline in the Harlem Renaissance. African Americans were hit especially hard during the depression as Jim Crow laws and segregation continued into the 1950s.  Interest and financial support for mainstream art greatly declined, leaving virtually no support for African American art.  The Harlem Renaissance did, however, allow the national representation of over 25 artists in mainstream America and jazz music became a part of popular culture.  Black art was also recognized internationally during the Harlem Renaissance, especially in European countries such as France.  Although the development of black arts  stalled during the Great Depression, it was a turning point for black artists to have control over the representation of the black experience and black culture.  
 

References

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_events_harlem.html

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/255397/Harlem-Renaissance

http://www.jcu.edu/harlem/ 

http://www.ndhs.org/s/1012/images/editor_documents/library/harlem_renaissance.pdf 

http://classes.berklee.edu/llanday/jazzage/spring03/hr.htm