The New Negro term included “violent resistance to oppression and the conservative anti-protest orientation of Booker T. Washington.” (Ferguson, 3) Writers had a big influence on the community throughout newspapers, magazines, etc; and most writers believe d that the New Negro should exemplify creativity, independence, strength, power, equality, and improvement. Creativity was more so a huge part of the Harlem Renaissance all together but the New Negro was all a part of that. Being creative and artistic became more common in the African American community, and was more widely accepted. Black people were not as “shy” or “scared” to show their talent and artistic self expression. Alain Locke said in his foreword to the New Negro (1925) America seeking a new spiritual expansion and artistic maturity, trying to find an American literature, a natural art, and natural music implies a Negro-American culture seeking the same satisfactions and objectives.
In his early life, Langston Hughes quickly became an important figure in the black society and was known for taking part in the shaping of the, "Negro Renaissance" (Smiles). Writing his first known poem when he was only 17, Hughes quickly dove into the arts. Growing up, most of his time was spent in Lawrence, Kansas, where Hughes first started to discover racism and the community of blacks versus white (Low). Hughes did notice the lack of motivation in the young black community, so he himself began to help to set an example and to motivate others. In Hughes' work involving the black race, he challanged the stereotypes by expressing not only the "nitty-gritty" reality, but the hard working blacks as well.
Intro to US 2 27 March 2012 The Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance was a time in American history when African American culture could finally intermingle with the culture already established in America. Starting after World War 1, the HR was “about creating art that could be shared with others—both whites and blacks” (Rau 5). The influx of African Americans moving to Harlem was caused by the increasing hostility towards African Americans in the South. Around the start of the Great Migration, which was the movement of six million African Americans from the South to the North, there was a surge in Klu Klux Klan activity. Even thought there was not much more opportunity in the North, at least there was racial tolerance, something the African Americans of the South were craving.
Most of his writings describe the troubles and drama of being a black person in America. A lot of his work also had deep religious undertones, and dealt with topics such as Homosexuality, Racism, Classism and Religion. To this very day James Baldwin is revered as one of America’s greatest writers, and essayists. He is and will always be an American Icon, and Hero. Discussion James Arthur Baldwin, was born Out-Of-Wedlock in Harlem Hospital on the 2nd of August 1924.
In “Harlem” by Langston Hughes and “Fredrick Douglass” by Robert Hayden, it becomes obvious that Hughes and Hayden sensed an upcoming change in the civil-rights movement of the mid-twentieth century. By analyzing their current situations and understanding their wisdom and open-mindedness, it is clearly obvious why Hughes and Hayden must have felt strongly about their claims or implications of a great change to come. During the mid- twentieth century, blacks were on the mist of successfully obtaining their civil rights after being misled with false promises for so many years. Harlem is a very short poem, yet it manages to say so much about the many different feelings that the Negro culture had during this time. “What happen to a dream deferred” is how the poem opens (Hughes line 1).
“The Souls of Black Folk” Review Written by the popular civil rights activist W.E.B Du Bois, The Souls of Black Folk is a series of essays and sketches that proposes the "the problem of the Twentieth Century as the problem of the color-line” and describes “double consciousness”, that is, seeing oneself not only through his or her own eyes but from the perspective of others as well. Throughout the writing, Du Bois is constantly addressing the progression of blacks since the abolishment of slavery, the future of blacks, and the obstacles that must be overcome in order to obtain that future. When compared to the lives of other African Americans during this time period, Du Bois had an advantage in that he was born in the free northern community of Great Barrington, Massachusetts in 1868, where he was treated as an equal and encouraged to pursue his intellectual interests. As a result, he was able to achieve a high level of education, this being a doctorate at Harvard College, which he was was the first African American to receive. His experience with academic studies led him to believe that he could use his knowledge to empower African Americans, and in 1897, he became a professor of history, sociology, and economics at Atlanta University.
“AMERICA” by Claude McKay Amanda Zacek 2-21-2012 Claude McKay is trying to show America that he as well as all other African Americans are just as capable to do great things as white people ,if given the chance to prove themselves, In the poem “America” by Claude McKay, he tries to describe the difficultly for most African Americans to live in a country filled with racism. While Claude loves America he believes that time is being wasted because many black people can do great things for this country. That this culture does not allow African Americans to prosper, Claude wrote this poem during the Harlem Renaissance, it was how he experienced racism. Harlem was the largest black community in the 1930’s in America. His whole goal of writing the poem was to destroy race prejudice.
In the decades immediately following World War I, huge numbers of African Americans migrated to the industrial North from the economically depressed and agrarian South. In cities such as Chicago, Washington, DC, and New York City, the recently migrated sought and found (to some degree) new opportunities, both economic and artistic. African Americans were encouraged to celebrate their heritage and to become "The New Negro," a term coined in 1925 by sociologist and critic Alain LeRoy Locke in his influential book of the same name. Countee Cullen thought long and hard in his poems about his own and collective African-American identity. Some of his strongest poems question the benevolence of a Creator who has bestowed a race with such mixed blessings.
Segregation was a complicated issue for domestic peace throughout the United States during the 1950's, 1960's. This separation of races led to ordinary, yet extraordinary, people stepping up to change society as a whole by initiating the Civil Rights Movement. The Civil Rights Movement not only had a profound role in the lives of black Americans, but also in roles of women and other minorities. This Movement changed the status of black Americans and redefined their lives. Two of the most influential black civil rights leaders, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Park brought their cause to the national stage.
African American poets made a great impact on the literature world. Two poets who made a great mark in literature are Paul Laurence Dunbar and Langston Hughes. Dunbar began his writing career before Hughes was born and was also one of Hughes’s influences. While Dunbar broke barriers during his time and influenced future writers Hughes, following in his footsteps, broke a few of his own. Both poets set the bar higher and opened more closed doors for African American writers to come.