Harlem Renaissance

Superior Essays
“Call them from their houses, and teach them to dream.” - Jean Toomer. The Harlem Renaissance is a period of time spanning from the Roaring Twenties through the Great Depression, but it is more than a period of time, it was way of life. During this renaissance, black culture evolved, and broke the mold of blacks being less than whites intellectually, musically, and socially. The Harlem Renaissance is undoubtedly the most important era in Black arts, literature, society, and science. Rebirth of art and music, and the growth of black theater, jazz, and science.
The Harlem Renaissance was the rebirth of many Black practices, most notably in the arts. The art produced during the Harlem Renaissance was extremely stylized and colorful, and had repercussions
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Jazz music, as well as similar styles, integrated themselves into white culture:”Black musicians began to merge with white musicians[...] As time progressed, black music became more acceptable in white culture.Most blacks were a big part of jazz, however, some were a little slow, as Laban Hill writes, “[...]wealthy blacks felt that jazz music was more acceptable[than it was previously]”. Music and dance are the gateways to the soul, and Hill expresses that in his writing. Music and dance is something that everyone can relate to, and Hill describes how: “[...] distinctly African American music and dancing had a greater on the majority white population than [...] literary or artistic creations”(Hill 56).Music is a way to the heart of humans, we are drawn to melodies and beats.Black music made its way into white culture in speakeasies and radio …show more content…
Because of Shuffle Along, many black dominate shows sprang up: “[...] nine African American musicals opened between 1921 and 1924”(Tanner 2). After Shuffle Along, many black composers, directors, and playwrights gained the confidence to pursue the torch of black theater. The normalization of blacks being successful was new, but becoming more and more common.Where there is progression and innovation, there are bound to be those who are not happy or able to deal with how fast life is moving: “[...] some African Americans complained that the musical did not reflect black life realistically”(Tanner 2) Although there was some moving forward of black morale, many were upset with the contemporaries of the time. Although, those who were unwilling to move forward with the beating drum, life was becoming more bearable for blacks in

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