Essay on the Harlem Renaissance: A Literary and Artistic Movement

This essay delves into the Harlem Renaissance, a significant cultural and artistic movement that emerged in the African American community during the 1920s and 1930s. The essay's thesis centers on how African American writers, artists, and musicians of this era championed social, economic, and political justice, thereby laying the groundwork for the civil rights movement. It explores the diverse artistic expressions of the Harlem Renaissance, including dance, jazz, blues, and musical theater, along with the movement's roots in immigration, societal trends, and intellectual radicalism. The essay highlights the contributions of key figures like Langston Hughes and Aaron Douglas, examining how their work reshaped perceptions of African Americans and fostered a sense of racial pride and cultural identity. Furthermore, it discusses the movement's influence on future generations of artists and its role in challenging racial discrimination, advocating for social integration, and re-emphasizing African heritage. The essay references various scholars and their works to support its arguments, providing a comprehensive overview of the Harlem Renaissance's lasting impact on American culture and history.

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Essay 1
Thesis statement- The African American writers, artists and musicians of the Harlem
Renaissance began to pave the way for the civil rights movement by encouraging and identifying
the ordinary people for social, economic and political justice.
Harlem Renaissance has brought various effective changes. The African-American culture was
expressed which included the dance, jazz and blues, and musical theatre. The activities have
included the art spheres and demonstrates the culture of African Americans. The Harlem
Renaissance is the awakening of culture, the rebirth, and the increase of intellectuals and great
artists. In other artistic and literary activities, the movement is closely related to reform groups
and civil rights and is therefore unique. Immigration, coupled with American society trends and
the activities of radical intellectuals. The Harlem Renaissance appeared in African American
society and thought in the twentieth century (Bernard, 2012). There are various factors which
contributed to the movement. By the turn of the century, a large black middle class had
developed. This is the result of increased education and employment opportunities after the
American Civil War.
The Harlem Renaissance period was mainly a literary movement that later influenced the
creative art of all African Americans. These artists are designed to showcase African-American
experiences and believe in racial equality, but they do not share a common artistic style, political
or social beliefs. There is no general declaration of this movement. The Harlem Renaissance was
the first time that critics and publishers took African-American literature seriously, and it was the
first time that it attracted widespread public attention (Jarrett, 2012). The Harlem Renaissance
helped in changing the view of whites and the whole world towards blacks. The movement gave
the opportunity to African Americans in participating actively in developing the nation of
America by involving in economic, social and political issues.
Harlem Renaissance included the golden age of black art. Cultural production levels and artists
were not overestimated. Harlem Renaissance has influenced the writers, artists, and musicians of
the future generation. The Harlem Renaissance was a period of African-American art
development and an opportunity for them to express their ability to be white. It also achieved the
purpose of social integration and cohesion within the black community, which in turn led to the
social integration of white and African Americans (Nash, 2017). Another common theme of
Harlem Renaissance art is to re-emphasize the mainland Africa which is the root of African

Essay 2
American culture. Jungle and tribal scenes often appear in Idealized images are a way of
beautifying African American heritage. Aaron Douglas hired has successfully presented the
image. The image of the African tribe is also related to Modern art which has produced
innovative ideas that link African traditions with society's progress (Garvey, 2012).
Langston Hughes was the most popular writer in the movement. He has written the blues and
jazz rhythm. He had considered the Children's value for which he had written the poems. James
Langston Hughes was always be called a great poet, he has made great contributions to making
his race equal. He wrote many inspirational poems. He wants to attract the younger generation
and show them that they can succeed. He hoped that the children would be proud of their identity
and perform well in literature. He is part of something great in the Harlem Renaissance
(Thaggert, 2010). Claude Mckey asked African Americans to defend their rights. The drama and
poetry created by Leon Toomer prove his spirit of the times. No aspect of the Renaissance could
shape America like jazz. The citizens visit the concert every night to see the same performers.
The Cotton Club in Harlem was a popular place for impromptu performances and is loved by
city residents. Blues and jazz vocals were popularized by the talented singers like Billie Holiday
and Bessie Smith (Baker Jr, 2013).
Before the period of the Harlem Renaissance, discrimination has been done by the whites against
the African Americans and they were not associated. They had looked down and considered
blacks as poor and low class. The Harlem Renaissance movement not only awakened the artistic
talent of black Americans but also played a sociological role by creating new dimensions of the
American race. During the end of movement, the activities varied from one artist to another.
Musicians and black performers in musical theatre performed till World War II. Some have
written and published after the movement but there was no feeling (Scruggs, 2019).

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Reference
Baker Jr, H. A. (2013). Modernism and the Harlem renaissance. University of Chicago Press.
Bernard, E. (2012). Carl Van Vechten and the Harlem Renaissance: A Portrait in Black and
White. Yale University Press.
Garvey, E. G. (2012). Writing with scissors: American scrapbooks from the Civil War to the
Harlem Renaissance. Oxford University Press.
Jarrett, G. A. (2012). The Harlem Renaissance and Its Indignant Aftermath: Rethinking Literary
History and Political Action after Black Studies. American Literary History, 24(4), 775-
795.
Nash, W. R. (2017). Harlem Renaissance. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Literature.
Scruggs, C. (2019). The Sage in Harlem: HL Mencken and the Black Writers of the 1920s. JHU
Press.
Thaggert, M. (2010). Images of Black Modernism: Verbal and Visual Strategies of the Harlem
Renaissance. University of Massachusetts Press.