Harlem Renaissance: African American History

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Mario J. Banos English 96x Professor Isles 1 November 2012 An Unknown History There have been several important historical dates and figures throughout African American history. One such period that will always remain a significant part of African American history is the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance took place in the 1920’s and eventually led to the Civil Rights Movements. Articles such as The Great Days in Harlem by Beth Rowen & Borgna Brunne, The Crisis Magazine written by W.E.B. Dubois and Racism in The Great Gatsby by Tulle address the racism, intolerance and segregation throughout the Harlem Renaissance. Because of the racism during The Harlem Renaissance, African Americans seized the opportunity to their advantage…show more content…
During The Harlem Renaissance there were other obscure events taking place in the 1920’s in the United States. The Victory of World War I had the country divided into two groups. On one side you have the whites enjoying the victory and on the other side there’s the African American culture embracing The Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s. In the article “racism in The Great Gatsby.” published by Tulle on Yahoo voices, he describes that in this period the country “enjoyed a great period of prosperity and economic expansion.” for the victory of the war had brought prosperity for the United States. However, during this period, tension arose in America. Tulle writes that no one in the country welcomed different ethnicities, they believed “the American way of life was under threat from the Negroes, Catholics, Jews and all immigrants who came to America” America believed in separating away from these “pest” because they were inferior to whites and therefore they should not mix. Segregation called for inequality forcing African Americans into oppression because, people like Gatsby were becoming more powerful; African Americans were dealing with segregation and prejudice. What a person can learn about the great Gatsby is the hidden events that take place in the book. From the books perspective we learn about gangs, but more…show more content…
Despite The 14th and 15th constitutional amendments which guaranteed citizenship and voting right regardless of race and religion, southern states, in practice, denied African Americans the right to vote by setting up literacy tests and charging a poll tax that was designed only to disqualify them as voters in 1900’s. In today’s world we remember what the Harlem Renaissance and W.E.B. Dubois did for us, they opened our eyes to reality. The world has been spoiled with hatred and prejudice, many of our eyes were opened but many remain closed. To make sure everyone understands racism, organizations have taken matters into their hands. A significant organization known as school districts throughout the United States have begun enforcing the anti-Racism policy in which schools must offer African American history classes. In the article “Philadelphia mandates African American studies for graduation” author Michael Janofsky mentions that after 40 years, “students entering city high schools as ninth graders will be required to take a course in African-American history” finally a huge leap has been made under the anti-racism policy. Because by taking an African American literature class, it will help us see a different side of the United States history as Janofsky writes “School officials here say the course carries huge benefits for all students
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