Question

The Harlem Renaissance
by Jessica McBirney

The Harlem Renaissance was an artistic and cultural explosion among African Americans living in Harlem in the 1920s. It produced some of the greatest artists, musicians, and writers in American history, and expanded the shared cultural identity of people who have been marginalized for hundreds of years.
WHY HARLEM?
After the Civil War ended and slavery was abolished2in 1865, many African Americans remained in Southern states, where plantations on which their families had once been enslaved still stood. Many people found jobs as farm laborers, doing essentially the same work as before the abolishment of slavery but now for a meager wage. Over the next few decades, the federal government made some attempts to secure the rights and better the welfare of African Americans but to little impact. Particularly in the South, segregation,3racist attitudes, and violence prevented African Americans from improving their circumstances. The governing bodies of Southern states often worsened the hardships that African Americans faced by passing racially discriminatory 4laws.
In the early 1900s, African Americans began moving to the North in the hopes of finding better paying jobs in city factories instead of on farms. This movement was known as The Great Migration. Black neighborhoods formed in cities all over the North, including New York City. Harlem, a neighborhood originally built for a white, upper-middle class population, was one of these. In 1910, a group of African American realtors purchased several blocks in the area and opened the neighborhood to Black migrants from the South. Not only did African Americans settle there but Caribbean immigrants seeking a better life did, as well. These immigrants, some of whom were former slaves, also faced discrimination and oppression5in their home countries.
ART CONFRONTING RACISM
African Americans still faced hostility and institutionalized6 racism after migrating to the North. Labor and housing discrimination made it difficult for African Americans to settle in Northern cities. Violence from white people who resented the presence of Black migrants new to the cities occurred frequently.
African Americans encountered many harmful stereotypes7 throughout American society. An early major cultural event of the Harlem Renaissance was a 1917 theater production called Three Plays for a Negro Theater that rejected many of these stereotypes. It was one of the first mainstream productions about African American to actually cast Black actors portraying complex emotions. Two years later, poet Claude McKay published the sonnet “If We Must Die.” Although the poem never addressed race directly, African American readers found its message of defiance inspiring as violence toward Black people continued throughout the country. Literature created during the Harlem Renaissance provided insight9 into the everyday life of African Americans and emphasized their humanity and brilliance. This went against the stereotypical depictions10 of African Americans in popular culture.
The Harlem Renaissance did not promote a specific political viewpoint or artistic style. Rather, it was a chance for African American artists to use their art to express pride in their identities and share their experiences. Artists held the belief that through intellect, literature, art, and music, their work could challenge racism and shift American society to embrace, protect, and celebrate Black people and their contributions.
LITERATURE AND MUSIC
Literature was one of the most powerful tools African American artists used during the Harlem Renaissance. Writers at the time popularized the idea of the “New Negro.” This was an identity they hoped all African Americans would embrace, one of assertiveness11 and a refusal to submit to the racial prejudice12 and segregation that had plagued them for so long.
The most famous writer to emerge from this period was Langston Hughes. He was a poet who decided to ignore many of the conventional13 rules for poetry in favor of a more rhythmic approach, drawn from African American music like traditional spirituals and the blues. He wrote about the many struggles African Americans faced, but a theme of hope and overcoming hardship ran through much of his work.
Music was another central component14 of the Harlem Renaissance. As jazz continued to grow in popularity during the 1920s, musicians in Harlem put their own spin on the music; one such style was known as the Harlem Stride. Musicians added piano to the brass instruments of jazz. Many famous jazz musicians rose to stardom during this period, including Duke Ellington. Like poetry, music in Harlem also included elements from Black spiritual songs and the blues.
A DEEP AND LASTING IMPACT
Not only did the Harlem Renaissance produce new and exciting art, literature, and music, it also helped to shape and express what it meant to be Black in America. For hundreds of years, Black people had been enslaved and oppressed in the Americas, denied their history and identity. Thus, it was important to foster a collective15 cultural heritage in which to take pride. It also made larger American society more aware of the gifts, perspectives, and struggles of African Americans. Finally, it laid important groundwork for the Civil Rights Movement several decades later.
"The Harlem Renaissance" by Jessica McBirney. Copyright © 2017 by CommonLit, Inc. This text is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.
8 Complex (adjective): not easy to understand or explain; not simple
9 understanding
10 Depiction (noun): a representation of someone or something, especially in words or images 11 Assertive (adjective): bold or confident
12 Prejudice (noun): an unfair feeling of dislike for a person or group because of race, sex, religion, etc. 13 Conventional (adjective): usual or traditional
14 Component (noun): a part of something
15 Collective (noun): shared by a group


After reading "The Harlem Renaissance," you are going to respond with the following information:
- One connection you made
- One piece of new information that you learned
- Two sentences explaining a specific purpose of the text. One sentence should identify the purpose. The other sentence should use a connection or a piece of new evidence that supports the purpose that you identified.

please make it sound 8th grade and human

Answer 1

**Connection:** One connection I made is how the impact of the Harlem Renaissance is still felt today. Just like artists and writers during that time used their talents to express their identities and challenge racial stereotypes, modern artists also use their work to highlight social issues and celebrate their cultures.

**New Information:** I learned that the Harlem Renaissance was not just about art and music; it was also about creating a new identity for African Americans called the “New Negro.” This identity encouraged Black people to be assertive and stand up against racial prejudice and segregation.

**Purpose of the Text:** The purpose of the text is to inform readers about the significance of the Harlem Renaissance in American history. This is supported by the explanation of how it helped shape and express what it meant to be Black in America, fostering a collective cultural heritage that people could take pride in.