As I Am

The big "Banging" Harlem Renaissance

The Roaring twenties was a time economic, social and political growth for the entire nation as a whole. Although varies political figures and restrictions of specifically the Harlem Renaissance made if difficult to obtain success, by looking at the African American's vast development in the liberal arts, and the music industry, it is apparent that the black culture relies on the success of the Harlem Renaissance.

"Harlem Renaissance was a step stone for black writers and artist who followed, more sophisticated and cynical but proclaiming loudly and clearly that Africans Americans must be free to be themselves." The Harlem Renaissance was the era that changed African Americans lives. There were some setbacks that blacks had to get through to continue on the journey to success like the Ku Klux Klan. This empire of white supremacy was all about targeting and lynching successful African Americans. "The Klan flowed comfortably in the mainstream of cultural prejudices and racial attitudes." Not only were there political figures that were trying to conserve the black inferiority way, there were laws passed to restricted African Americans from doing daily things. There were laws like the Jim Crow, and there were vicious mob attacks. This were accidents and milestones that African Americans had to walk over to get to the straight narrow path to major success. Without encountering this issues African American wouldn't have a true real reason on developing a black culture, because what they already have is fine.

There were organizations and people who believed that there should be a level of equality between the whites and blacks. W.E.B. Dubois was among those people. He believed in "Shaking of the rest of slavery" (Jessica 1).He was a full influential advocate of full social equality for blacks. He believed that the Harlem Renaissance was a period for black culture to develop. He argued that this was the time period where they set themselves apart from the old European traditional ways. Dubois was the trend setter for African Americans. African Americans stood by him because of his devotion to make Africans Americans have equality in an economic, social, and political way. He felt that the time for all of this to happen was now.

The "New Negro" was a term used years before the actual Harlem Renaissance period that meant the new evolved African American man. This term was popularized during the Harlem renaissance because of the new social freedoms blacks were allowed to do. African Americans were able to write, and get there works published for the public, create music to perform and they were able to get paid for the musical performances, and works of literature. "Known mostly for the emergence of great music and literature by black authors and artist, the Harlem Renaissance, also known as the New Negro Movement, was a result of several factors"(Jessica).

During the Harlem Renaissance blacks used music to express themselves. Black music became a major success in the Harlem Renaissance. It was liked by all different kinds of mixed audiences. Black music provided the pulse of the Harlem Renaissance and of the Jazz age. Music was a major social aspect of black culture. "The Harlem Renaissance emerged amid social