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Harlem Renaissance
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Harlem Renaissance
Harlem Renaissance is a cultural movement in the United States during the period of 1920-1930 led by prominent African-American writers, artists and actors. The essence of this movement consists in the era of spiritual and cultural prosperity – the Renaissance, which symbolizes the transition from the Middle Ages to the Early Modern Period.
Harlem Renaissance cultural movement received its name due to the couple of reasons. Firstly, the center of this movement was Harlem, one of the boroughs of New York, the population of which was mainly represented by African Americans. Secondly, it was the time when African-American culture reached its heyday and has given the world many truly talented and prominent writers as Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, Zora Neale Hurston etc. and the great artists, such as Louis Armstrong and others. Harlem Renaissance had a profound impact on the culture of the United States as a whole. It was the time when a new image of an African American was formed: an educated, talented and gifted person. Harlem Renaissance also paved the way for the further struggle of African Americans for their rights.
The Harlem Renaissance was a consequence of many changes in the life of African-American community. These changes have been occurring since the abolition of slavery and up to the early 20th century, including the mass migration of black people to the North, their participation in the First World War, industrialization etc. In turn, the factors contributing to decline in the activities of the Harlem Renaissance were the Great Depression and the difficult economic situation in the country.
The positive effect of the Harlem Renaissance was, in the fact, that art and activities of writers, artists and musicians helped to decrease racial prejudice and stereotypes, to achieve relative social and political equality, to prove that African Americans are the people at the same stage of development as white population, that they can be hard-working, creative and highly educated.
The period of Harlem Renaissance opened many new opportunities for African-American writers, artists, musicians, and the entire African-American population in general. If the earlier works of African-American writers almost never have been published, their literary works were more widely used in the time of Harlem Renaissance. Many of the African-American writers have become known, among them are Jean Toomer, Richard Wright, James Weldon Johnson, Alain Locke, and previously mentioned Langston Hughes, Claude McKay and Zora Neale Hurston. Such painters as Johnson and Palmer Hayden have created unique works that reflect African-American themes.
Harlem Renaissance changed not only cultural, but also social and political status of African Americans. Mass migration to the North changed the image of African Americans from the rural, illiterate “peasants” to the urban and educated middle-class. It is this period during which African Americans first entered the American and later the global cultural and intellectual elite. Representatives of the Harlem Renaissance believed in the democratic reforms, in art and literature as a means of change and the impact on the white population, in themselves and their own bright future.
During the Harlem Renaissance, African-American culture has gained wide recognition. The time of the Harlem Renaissance is the time of not only cultural, but also political involvement of African Americans into the country’s life. Harlem Renaissance can surely be called a turning point in the history of the African-American community. It is a time of cultural expression and racial pride of black people. Despite the fact that Harlem Renaissance era ended in the late 20s of the 20th century, its achievements continued to exert the influence on the subsequent cultural and political development of African Americans.
The article was written by professional writer Olivia Adamson, more her papers you can find at fresh essays writing platfrom.
