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The Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance
The word Renaissance means "re-birth," or "new." It could be a new way of learning or looking at the world on in this case, a newfound appreciation for the contributions of African-Americans. The Harlem Renaissance was a period of African-American literature, art, and musical expression. It was centered in New York's Harlem Neighborhood located in uptown Manhattan. The major attraction to the Renaissance was the musical form of "Jazz." White citizens of the city flocked to places like the Cotton Club (a speakeasy) to hear musicians such as Bessie Smith or the famous jazz composer Duke Ellington.
The Harlem Renaissance allowed America to see the African-American community as something more than "former slaves." These are talented, intelligent citizens who can contribute to the uniqueness of America.
The "arts" in America
The "arts" in America
To this point, artistic expression in the United States was rather limited. There was Longfellow, Mark Twain, Walt Whitman, and Henry David Thoreau but America longed for period of musical, artistic, and literary expansion. This occurred in the 1920s. American art was discovered with the African-American poet Langston Hughes, the Jewish-American composer George Gershwin who wrote "Rhapsody in Blue," and the author F. Scott Fitzgerald (pictured) who authored The Great Gatsby, which is believed to be one of the most profound novels of the time. Gatsby longs to be someone who he is not so that he can marry the women who he loves. However, his quest to achieve his dreams ultimately becomes the cause of his demise: "be careful what you wish for, you may just get it."
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