The Harlem Renaissance Essay - 2291 Words

The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and literary period of growth promoting a new African American cultural identity in the United States. The years of 1920 and 1990 and â€Å"were clear peak periods of African American cultural production.† During these years blacks were able to come together and form a united group that expressed a desire for enlightenment. â€Å"It is difficult not to recognize the signs that African Americans are in the midst of a cultural renaissance† (English 807). This renaissance allowed Blacks to have a uniform voice in a society based upon intellectual growth. The front-runners of this revival were extremely focused on cultural growth through means of intellect, literature, art and music. By using these means†¦show more content†¦Each part of the United States had their different standpoints towards blacks and the leaders of the Harlem Renaissance were devoted to crushing the negative attitudes placed upon the Afro-Americ ans. During this time race was a social construct. Everyday lives were affected by skin color whether people were aware or not. For years African Americans were shunned into a classification that viewed their society as less than human. Toomer’s novel shows the ability race has to affect and intersect different aspects and domains of society and life, as well as dismantle it. Jean Toomer created this piece of art for a reason. Cane suggests that the social construct created upon race should be avoided, for people of all different social classes have equal potential for success. Jean Toomer was born Nathnan Eugene Pinchback Toomer, on December 26, 1894 in Washington, D.C. His father was Nathan Toomer, a light skinned man who could pass for white, and his mother, Nina Pinchback was of African descent, but was also light skinned. Her father was the governor of Louisiana at the time and he was the first African American to assume the position of governor. As a boy, where ver Jean moved to, he would live in all white neighborhoods. The schools he attended varied with each move. For the majority of his childhood he was in all black schools, but there is record that Toomer attended two all white schools also. JeanShow MoreRelatedHarlem And The Harlem Renaissance Essay2269 Words   |  10 Pagessouthern African Americans migrated to a city called Harlem in New York. They relocated due to dogmatism and intolerance of melanin diverging out the of pores of many white southerners. The African Americans who migrated found new opportunities both economic and artistic that resulted to the creation of a stable middle class Black –Americans (Dover, 2006). This was the Harlem Renaissance a cultural, social, and artistic explosion. The core of Harlem expressed by Alain Locke is that through art, â€Å"negroRead MoreHarlem And The Harlem Renaissance1430 Words   |  6 Pagesmoved in to urban cities such as Chicago, Detroit, and Harlem. Out of these no rthern metropolises, the most popular was Harlem; â€Å"here in Manhattan (Harlem) is not merely the largest Negro community in the world, but the first concentration in history of so many diverse element of Negro life†(1050). Harlem became the mecca of black people, and between the years of 1920 and the late 1930s it was known as the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance, brought artiest, poets, writers, musicians, and intelligentRead MoreThe Harlem Renaissance850 Words   |  4 Pages Giselle Villanueva History IB Mr. Flores February 7, 2016 Period 4 Word Count: 693 Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance was the first period in the history of the United States in which a group of black poets, authors, and essayist seized the opportunity to express themselves. The Great Migration was the movement of six million African Americans from the rural South to the cities of the North during 1916 to 1970. Driven from their homes by unsatisfactory economic opportunities and harsh segregationistRead MoreThe Harlem Renaissance1154 Words   |  5 PagesIV AP 16 November 2015 The Harlem Renaissance The early 1900s was a time marked with tragedy in America. Started and ended with the Great Depression in between, it was not America s finest moment. Prohibition was in place, the Klu Klux Klan was still marching, and the Lost Generation was leaving for Paris. But despite the troubling times, people still found beauty and meaning in the world around them. They still created art and celebrated life. The Harlem Renaissance was an artistic and literaryRead MoreThe Harlem Renaissance941 Words   |  4 PagesThe Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement, in the early 1920’s, that involved vibrancies of new life, ideas, and perceptions. The large migration of African Americans northward, after World War I, allowed people of color the opportunity to collaborate in the New York City neighborhood, known as Harlem. This renaissance allowed the city to thrive on a refined understanding and appreciation of the arts. Many individuals were involved in this movement including doctors, s tudents, shopkeepers,Read MoreThe Harlem Renaissance1317 Words   |  6 Pagesday is the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance is the cultural movement of the 1920’s. The movement essentially kindled a new black cultural identity through art, literature and intellect. The Harlem Renaissance started during the Roaring Twenties. It took place in Harlem, New York. It became most prominent in the mid to late 1920’s and it diminished toward the early 1930’s (Henderson). The Harlem Renaissance was initially called the New Negro Movement or the New Negro Renaissance. It was theRead More The Harlem Renaissance Essay1513 Words   |  7 PagesThe Harlem Renaissance      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Chapter 1 Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Harlem Renaissance, an African American cultural movement of the 1920s and early 1930s that was centered in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. According to Wintz: The Harlem Renaissance was â€Å"variously known as the New Negro movement, the New Negro Renaissance, and the Negro Renaissance, the movement emerged toward the end of World War I in 1918, blossomed in the mid- to late 1920s, and then withered in the mid-1930sRead MoreHarlem Renaissance Essay1069 Words   |  5 PagesHARLEM RENAISSANCE Throughout the history of African Americans, there have been important historical figures as well as times. Revered and inspirational leaders and eras like, Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement, Nat Turner and the slave revolt, or Huey Newton and the Black Panther Party. One such period that will always remain a significant part of black art and culture is the Harlem Renaissance. It changed the meaning of art and poetry, as it was known then. Furthermore, theRead More The Harlem Renaissance Essay1031 Words   |  5 PagesHARLEM RENAISSANCE Throughout the history of African Americans, there have been important historical figures as well as times. Revered and inspirational leaders and eras like, Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement, Nat Turner and the slave revolt, or Huey Newton and the Black Panther Party. One such period that will always remain a significant part of black art and culture is the Harlem Renaissance. It changed the meaning of art and poetry, as it was known then. Furthermore, theRead More The Harlem Renaissance Essay524 Words   |  3 Pages Harlem Renaissance nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The Harlem Renaissance was a time of racism, injustice, and importance. Somewhere in between the 1920s and 1930s an African American movement occurred in Harlem, New York City. The Harlem Renaissance exalted the unique culture of African-Americans and redefined African-American expression. It was the result of Blacks migrating in the North, mostly Chicago and New York. There were many significant figures, both male and female, that had taken part