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What Are The Ethical Effects Of The Harlem Renaissance

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Even through discrimination and hardships, black artists have overcome obstacles of racial hate by writing poems, songs, and creating art pieces such as sculptures and paintings to lay down a foundation of civil rights and draw attention to the bitter tradition of racism and slavery thrown at African Americans. During the 1920s to the 1930s in the northern states of America, particularly in New York, the Harlem Renaissance was a literary time period in American history that celebrated the unique cultural roots of African Americans. The Harlem Renaissance sprouted notably credible historical authors and poets who developed important pieces of literature that created movements that immensely affected America by acknowledging the unethical effects …show more content…

New York was one of the most popular places to live during the Harlem Renaissance. African Americans were moving into New York from Washington, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and other southern states, to build and inspire African American culture and religion (Britannica). During these short ten years, black artists came together to create music, poems, books, sculptures, paintings, and more to create important characteristics such as self-expression, celebration, humanity, equality, freedom, oppression, and more. Some strong leaders of the Harlem Renaissance were Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Countee Cullen, Claude McKay, and others that helped shape the Harlem Renaissance and the people engaging in it (History). American literacy, music, and art had changed during the early 1900s. With these high-profile and memorable poets, authors, musicians, and artists, the future within America was bright. Although the Harlem Renaissance ended in the 1930s and only lasted 10 years, this was the beginning of a powerful historical change and soon other protests would be held to escape …show more content…

The morals Hughes made along with other black creators created important American History that was the beginning of the Civil Rights Movements in 1954 that are still taught in schools. The Civil Rights Movements have been taught in American schools to show the end of segregation and new life and freedom for all people of color. However, the Harlem Renaissance had a huge impact on the Civil Rights Movements and should have received more recognition. This powerful movement has influenced other known artists such as James Weldon Johnson who was a composer who wrote “Lift Every Voice and Sing” also known as the black national anthem and Nina Simone who was a well-renowned singer during the civil rights movement. These art pieces were made with passion and anger due to the abusive and insulting outputs on African Americans during this time. While the Harlem Renaissance was focused on black voices, the Harlem Renaissance focused on gaining recognition not only from fellow African Americans but people of other colors and ethnicities as well. The “American Dream” has been a popular, controversial topic in America for a while, but to achieve the “real American Dream” unification and consolidation of each person can create a balance of humanity. Some may argue that these black artists of the time were urged to create an “appropriate” image of

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The cultural impact of the Harlem Renaissance was paramount in creating a collective shift of consciousness in America. This shift was the byproduct of the Great Migration forcing a environment for art, philosophy and religion to proliferate. Furthermore, these driving factors provided an abundance of exposure of African American culture to the rest of America particularly white America. Moreover, this environment was teeming with creativity producing great music, poetry and actors. In addition, the environment also was intellectually driven from philosophers, writers and bloomed progressive sects of religion.

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The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that took place in Harlem between the end of World War I and the middle of the 1930s. It was a very cultural, social, and artistic movement where African American jazz performers, authors, poets, musicians, entertainers, and actors all gave themselves a name. But during the time it was known as the “New Negro Movement” named after Alain Locke. This was a time where new cultural expressions were coming about the urban areas in the Northeast of the United States. But this whole “new negro movement” didn’t just happen out of nowhere, there is a cause of how this happened.

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The Harlem Renaissance was a period in American history, which occurred in the 1920s in Harlem, New York. The cultural movement was an opportunity for African Americans to celebrate their heritage through intellectual and artistic works. Langston Hughes, a famous poet, was a product of the Harlem Renaissance. One notable piece of literature by Hughes is “Dream Deferred”. However, the discussion of African American culture isn’t limited to the 1920s.

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The artists of the Harlem Renaissance undoubtedly transformed African American culture. But the impact on all American culture was equally strong. For the first time, white America could not look away” (“The Harlem Renaissance”). As blacks advanced in history with their art forms, various diverse cultures and races took notice of their talents. For several years, African Americans were under the tyranny of the white race, but as they obtained their opportunities, they showcased their talents and potential.

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The Harlem Renaissance took place during the 1930s ,where artists such as poets, writers, musicians and many other types of artist’s talents blossomed in Harlem, New York. Their work represented the time period of segregation ,but also change in the community. Countee Cullen was poet that wrote about racial issues in the time period ,but also love and faith. “Cullen was not afraid to break down racial barriers ,but hated being pigeonholed for it,” Holt McDougal. “Langston Hughes was a leading poet in the Harlem Renaissance,who mainly based his work of the poor and the working-class,” Holt McDougal.

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The acclaimed ‘father of the Harlem Renaissance’ philosopher Alain Leroy Locke wrote on a lot of different topics, but one of the topics he wrote on was the Harlem Renaissance, which spoke on Harlem culture and its the potential. “Locke has made a world of difference, including the change to a more self-assured and politically assertive comprehension of identity and racial pride led to the creation of the ‘New Negro’ concept conceived by Locke”. When speaking of the ‘New Negro’, Locke was talking about a resuming intellectual curiosity in the study of the of black culture and history among the African-American population. In other words, Locke wanted people to spend more time connecting to their roots and focusing on both black culture and history; which required an honest representation of the black experience and the adoption of serious portrayal of black American life in art was an important step to take in the development of the ideals of the Harlem Renaissance. “ In Locke's’ mind the black artist’s goal was to “repair a damaged group psychology and reshape a warper social perspective”.

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American culture today is extremely diverse, reflecting the creative explosion of African American arts in the 1920s. This expressive transformation of culture was called The Harlem Renaissance, which America could not cast away or ignore. This social, cultural, and artistic outburst impacted the lives of many African Americans like Louis Armstrong and Langston Hughes and their culture with revolutionary art, literature, and music, and this movement made blacks more acceptable to America, as they embraced their own culture and heritage. During the 1920s, the Harlem Renaissance flourished because of the achievements and culture of African Americans’ literary, musical, theatrical, and visual arts.

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The Harlem Renaissance was a period of great cultural growth in the black community. It is accepted that it started in 1918 and lasted throughout the 1930s. Though named the ‘Harlem’ Renaissance, it was a country-wide phenomenon of pride and development among black Americans, the likes of which had never existed in such grand scale. Among the varying political actions and movements for equality, a surge of new art appeared: musical, visual, and even theatre. With said surge, many of the most well-known black authors, poets, musicians and actors rose to prevalence including Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Louis Armstrong, and Eulalie Spence.

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African Americans lived in a world of racial injustices and cultural restrictions until the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance was a time where there is an African American literary and art movement in the uptown Manhattan neighborhood. It is the turning point in African American culture, as well as their place in America. The African Americans were starting to become equal in American society. While the Renaissance built on earlier traditions of African American culture, it was greatly affected by the trends of the Europeans and white Americans.

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Langston Hughes once said, “Perhaps the mission of an artist is to interpret the beauty to people- the beauty within themselves.” However, the truth is often ugly, racism, slavery, lynching and discrimination is not pretty, and if we sugarcoat everything by shoving the bad thoughts to the back of our head then we have failed as artists, creators, and intellectuals. The Harlem renaissance was an African American literary and artistic movement and through the creation of literature, art, and music blacks could challenge the pervading racism and stereotypes to promote racial and social integration and the improvement of society by reform. The production of art and literature would serve to elevate the race. Music had the biggest impact of all because it could speak what could not be expressed and many musicians created protest songs to convey the experience of being black.

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The Harlem Renaissances’ roots began in the roaring twenties, a time when entertainment was booming (Hayes 1). This was a time when people of all races could bond over art. White people respected Black artists and their talent, along with the message it portrayed. They conveyed a sense of pride in their culture and realization of the inequality and racism in their society. Art helped African Americans express themselves during a time where they were just coming out of slavery.

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The fascination with Harlem was accompanied by the new objectification of the Negro as an exotic icon” (Watson, p.105). Although there was so much attention brought to the Harlem Renaissance from many, there wasn’t any changes on the need for economic equality nor racial inequality (Watson, p.

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The Harlem Renaissance was a movement that reflected the culture of African Americans in an artistic way during the 1920’s and the 30’s. Many African Americans who participated in this movement showed a different side of the “Negro Life,” and rejected the stereotypes that were forced on themselves. The Harlem Renaissance was full of artists, musicians, and writers who wrote about their thoughts, especially on discrimination towards blacks, such as Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and Langston Hughes. The Harlem Renaissance was an influential and exciting movement, and influenced others to fight for what they want and believed in. The Harlem Renaissance was the start of the Civil Rights Movement.

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Racism is a prominent issue or a serious problem in the American society since the beginning and the Americans are still struggling to eradicate this problem from their land. American soil has witnessed civil rights movements concerning this issue in the past. However in 1920, a movement got initiated to promote black identity known as Harlem Renaissance. It was also a fine arts movement that led to an increase in black confidence, literacy rate, and black culture. Writers wrote about their roots and the current society.

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If they before were disregarded, in the 1920s their works were widespread. Harlem Renaissance has changed not only cultural but social and political position of African-Americans in American society. The mass migration to the North changed the image of the African-American person, he was not an ignorant and illiterate peasant anymore, he turned into a smart and educated representative of the Middle class. Thanks to this changes, African-Americans became the part of the American and then the world cultural and intellectual elite.

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