The New Negro and the Harlem Renaissance

Document Project 21

The New Negro and the Harlem Renaissance

Brianna Partain

HIS 202

In the United States, the years between 1920-1929 are well known as the “roaring twenties” and even sometimes the “transitional twenties”.  This was a time when American culture and the economy flourished; citizens were buying automobiles and other household appliances.  The twenties also became the years in which America slowly made the transition from a rural farming society to an urban, industrial society.  Throughout this same time period, African American history was also impacted. The primary sources in this chapter relate to the Harlem Renaissance and the beginning of the “New Negro” and consist of: an article by A. Phillip Randolph and Chandler Owen “The New Negro—What is He?”, an excerpt from Claude McKay’s poem “If We Must Die”, Langston Hughes’s “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”, An illustration by Aaron Douglas “The New Negro”, and a song by Bessie Smith “Down-Hearted Blues”. These documents depict the trials and triumphs of being a black man or woman during the twenties and how they were to be treated more like people in society.  For example, the first line of McKay’s poem says “If we must die, let it not be like hogs” and to me, this says that he realized everyone will die but they should not die and be treated as animals.  In 1925, editors of Survey Graphic made a special issue of the magazine dedicated to Harlem.  The Harlem Renaissance is defined as a time of social, cultural, and artistic rebirth of African American society.  However followers of Marcus Garvey did not express themselves artistically, they endorsed black pride and practiced separatism.  From this selection of documents, it is evident that black men and women were legally granted civil rights and feel safe to use them even though they still experienced some oppression and backlash from white southerners.

In document 21.5 “The New Negro--What is He?”, the similarities and differences of the “old” and “new” negro are portrayed.  This excerpt states that the new negro will not be satisfied with false promises of job security and a better life like the old negro.  He will be more selective and demand to be treated equally.  This means equal pay for all his hours worked.  Document 21.6 is the poem written by Claude McKay “If We Must Die” is a powerful poem that was written in reaction to the violence against African Americans in the summer of 1919.  The poem itself describes the death of the African Americans as symbolic.  That those lives lost were important and did matter and that the blood shed should not have been in vain.

Document 21.7 is Langston Hughes’s “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”.  His poems became very well-known during this time and still are today.  This particular poem is about a man’s journey back to Africa. This poem says that the man will finally be able to feel safe and free back in Africa near the things that he knows.  The character in the poem, compares the rivers to his soul, even though the rives are old they have seen a lot and are forever changing.

Document 21.8 is an illustration by Aaron Douglas “The New Negro”.  This illustration depicts themes of race and justice during the Harlem Renaissance. This picture displays a sunset and women dancing. To me this picture displays happiness and is a symbol of moving forward which I believe the Harlem Renaissance as a whole could be symbolic of as well.

Bessie Smith sung “Down-Hearted Blues” a song in which a woman loves a man who does not love her back.  This is document 21.9. The lyrics demonstrate idea about relationships and gender.  It is not clear whether this song is about a mistress to a man because they cannot have an intermarriage. An intermarriage is a marriage between people of different races. Although these type marriages were legal during the Harlem Renaissance, people frowned upon them. They were not as common as there are today and definitely were not welcomed as part of society back then.   The line in the song “It seems that trouble’s going to follow me to my grave—“has an underlying meaning of some sort. I believe that is a secret of a relationship that cannot be told. Or the song could be about a woman who was abused during her relationship with a man;” Once I was crazy about a man, he mistreated me all the time, “. Many women were abused by their husbands and could not say anything because 1) no one would believe them and 2) divorce was frowned upon. It was hard for women to get out of abusive relationships and away from the man that abused her. Bessie Smith performed many songs that were about loss in a relationship and being sad over a break up.  Her songs often implied that the woman in the song was a fool for loving the man that she loved, and that she should someday find a man that will love her and only her.