Introduction to the Harlem Renaissance.

1. The Harlem Renaissance was a African American Cultural movement of the 1920's and early 1930's based out of the New York Neighborhood, Harlem.
2. This time marked the first time that mainstream publishers took African American Literature seriously.
3. It also marked the first time that the African American arts got a lot of national recognition. 
4. All the things that gained attention included African American arts, literature, music. theater, and politics. 
5. The Harlem renaissance emerged among social and intellectual upheavals in African American communities with better jobs and education.
6. There wasn't a certain literary style that defined the Harem Renaissance, instead it the pride of their race that united the African American Artists.
7. Some common themes within the writing were racial pride, the desire for social and political equality, and the life of the twentieth century African American living in Africa or the American South.
8. The literature in the Harlem Renaissance appealed to the African American middle class and the White book buying public.
9. Harlem music clubs also attracted the mix of Middle Class African Americans and the white people looking for some Harlem nightlife entertainment.
10. The Great depression, famous writers leaving the neighborhood, and tension between whites and blacks in the area led to the decline of the Harlem renaissance.

info from

Wintz, Cary DeCordova. "Harlem Renaissance." Microsoft® Student 2009 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2008.

Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Marcus Garvey

1. Marcus was a black nationalist leader who created a back to Africa movement in the United States.
2. He founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and the African Communities League.
3. He Started a paper in New York, The Negro World, and was a persuasive orator and author.
4. He urged African Americans to be proud of their race and preached their return to Africa.
5. He claimed about 2 million members for the UNIA.

Picture from http://www.africawithin.com/garvey/garvey_bio.htm

info from

"Marcus Garvey." Microsoft® Student 2009 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2008.

Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Paul Laurence Dunbar

1. He was a American poet who was the first African American writer to gain real recognition for his works. He also had slaves for parents.
2. He was the first black poet to express the lyrical qualities of black life and dialect.
3. He wrote mainly for a white audience and avoided racial issues in his poems. 
4. He worked at the library of congress at one point and also read his poems over in Britain.
5. He wrote many poems, novels, and short stories through his career. 

picture from http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/recon/jb_recon_dunbar_1.html

Info from

"Paul Laurence Dunbar." Microsoft® Student 2009 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2008.

Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Langston Hughes

1. He was an American writer who used jazz and black speech in his poetry and one of the first writers to display the urban black life in writing.
2. He strayed from conventional poem writing and wrote with musical rhythms and other things took from black culture.
3. He is known as the Poet Laureate of Harlem and inspired many poets with his different style of writing. 
4. He was active in political and social causes and used his poetry as a way to display this. 
5. He also wrote over 50 books and for many papers and magazines.

picture from http://hennessyhistory.wikispaces.com/Langston+Hughes-2

Info from

"Langston Hughes." Microsoft® Student 2009 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2008.

Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

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