The Harlem Renaissance movement was a movement that reached its’ peak in the 1920’d and continued until the 1940’s. After a time of slavery when hope was bleak and happiness meant knowing freedom, a right which every American should be born with, came an African American cultural movement that soon flourished in Harlem. This movement was essentially an awakening of African American culture, society, and artistic achievements in the United States. It was not widely accepted throughout the United States and while it was not confined to only Harlem, this neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan was considered the symbolic capital of the renaissance. This point in history was an immensely defining moment of progress for people of color everywhere albeit oppression and racism were still thriving in the country. …show more content…
Although they used this time period to celebrate their individuality and talents, many white Americans disagreed with the ideas and the achievements that were happening during the Harlem Renaissance. People of color were not unfamiliar with obstacles in America but throughout a time which was meant to bring a fresh start and a new sense of pride, “Even the best of the poems of the Harlem Renaissance carried the burden of self-consciousness of oppression” (Huggins 65). Despite their good intentions and positive results black people felt the limitations that were being put on them not only by many whites in society but by the government’s hands as well. The Jim Crow laws were created to segregate white and black people and while this did slow down the progress of African Americans, like any other struggle it did not deter them from