Harlem Renaissance (T1) Flashcards
Name 3 prominent black figures at this time
- Langston Hughes
- Claude McKay
- Georgia Douglas johnson
Who was Claude McKay?
A poet who used culturally European forms and melded these with a radical message
What did Langston Hughes do?
He merged his poetry with traditionally black cultural rhythms i.e. Jazz and blues
When did black Americans begin to migrate from the south to the north?
1914-1919
Why did black Americans begin to migrate north?
To flee the economic exploitation they were facing as well as violent and persuasive racism
How many African Americans settled in Harlem?
175,000
Where is the literary aspect of the Harlem renaissance said to have begun?
With a dinner at the Civic Club celebrating African American writers
Who attended the dinner at the Civic Club?
The likes of Countee Cullen and W.E.B. DuBois, they mingled with members of the white literary establishment
When was the dinner at the Civic Club?
21st March 1924
What happened to the Harlem renaissance when the WSC happened?
Lots of African Americans lost their jobs, they were “last hired, first fired”
What happened to the support for African American artists after the WSC?
Their support dwindled, as budgets and disposable incomes dwindled
How had the 1920s boom allowed African American artists to flourish?
People had more disposable incomes therefore they would go to bars like speakeasies to see Jazz
What transformed Harlem by the 1930s?
Unemployment and municipal neglect
What do some people believe ended the Harlem renaissance?
The Harlem race riot of 1935
What started the Harlem race riot?
Rumors circulated that police had murdered a black Puerto Rican teenager for stealing a ten-cent pocket knife from a local store, more than 10,000 people took to the streets in Harlem
What did the Harlem race riot end in?
Protests turned violent + resulted in 3 deaths, 125 arrests, and more than $2million in property damage
Why did many people move away from Harlem during the depression?
- Harlem race riot
- Economic factors
What was the Harlem renaissance?
The development of the Harlem neighborhood in New York City as a black cultural mecca in the early 20th Century + the subsequent social and artistic explosion that resulted
How long did the Harlem renaissance last?
From the 1910s through the mid-1930s
What is the Harlem renaissance considered for African Americans?
The golden age in African American culture, manifesting in literature, music, stage performance and art
What was Harlem like in the 1800s?
The northern Manhattan neighborhood of Harlem was meant to be an upper-class white neighborhood in the 1880s
Why did Harlem change so dramatically?
Rapid overdevelopment led to empty buildings and desperate landlords seeking to fill them
Where were the first African Americans from who moved to Harlem?
A few middle-class black families from another neighborhood known as Black Bohemia moved to Harlem
What was the reaction of white Americans in Harlem when African Americans began to move to the area?
Some white residents initially fought to keep African Americans out of the area, but failing that many whites eventually fled
What happened in 1915 and 1916 which forced African Americans to move elsewhere?
Natural disasters - it put black workers and sharecroppers out of work
By 1920, how many black Americans had moved from the south?
300,000
