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It’s Showtime: The Harlem Renaissance 1915-1945. Jan Smith Travelers Rest High School December 10 2002. What is a Renaissance?. Blossoming of culture Usually an emulation of previous artistic movements; thus, a rebirth of those movements
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It’s Showtime: The Harlem Renaissance1915-1945 Jan Smith Travelers Rest High School December 10 2002
What is a Renaissance? • Blossoming of culture • Usually an emulation of previous artistic movements; thus, a rebirth of those movements • Affects areas of arts, sports, science, literature, politics
Characteristics of the Harlem Renaissance • Celebration of African American culture in novels, poetry, paintings, sculpture, and music • Harlem: due to the “Great Migration” and many publishing opportunities, center of black creative work • Renaissance: more of a birth than a rebirth, since previous efforts were primarily solitary
Influences of the Harlem Renaissance • Death of Booker T. Washington in 1915 promoted survival through compromise little change in race relations and the economic status of black people
More Influences of the Harlem Renaissance • The Great Migration of 1915-1920: influx of black population into Harlem from the south and West Indies • Increasing confidence due to involvement of the NAACP, National Urban League, and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History
Themes of the Harlem Renaissance • 1915-1930: “racial affirmation” • 1930-1945: “radical racial protest”
Important Literary Figures • Federal Writer’s Project: ~Margaret Walker ~Ralph Ellison ~Zora Neale Hurston • James Weldon Johnson • Countee Cullen • Langston Hughes
Zora Neale Hurston • Author of Their Eyes Were Watching God • Writer employed by the Federal Writer’s project • Researched folklore of the Floridas for the WPA • Writing is mostly “apolitical” and focuses on women’s concerns
The Apollo Theater: One Showcase of African American Talent • Located in Harlem • Showcase of talent • Legend of the tree stump
The Lafayette Theater • Home to Orson Wells production of the “Voodoo Macbeth” • Part of Federal Theaters Project • Set in Caribbean and featured Haitian Witch doctors instead of witches • African American Actors and Actresses
Bill “Bojangles” Robinson • Tap dancer • Vaudeville • Movies Shirley Temple Stormy Weather Hot Mikado
Jazz Music • Out of the Harlem Renaissance grew the popularity of jazz music • Harlem Rent parties: used to raise rent money ~featured jazz artists as entertainment • Jazz greats such as Duke Ellington, got their start in these rent parties
Despite all of the advancements… • Racism was a continuing problem ~Theme continued throughout literature and music • Patronizing of black artists
But it was only the Beginning… • allowed greater exposure of black culture and artistic ability • Further increased artistic and political confidence
Sources • All photographs are from the American Memory Collection of the Library of Congress memory.loc.gov • “Renaissance and Radicalisim:1915-1945.” Black Writers of America. Richard Barksdale and Kenneth Kinnamon, eds. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1972. 467-479.