Langston Hughes: The Impact Of The Harlem Renaissance

Fifty-five years after the abolishment of slavery, descendants of former slaves move their families up north, attracted by the industrial economy and new cities. This great movement of people is most commonly known as The Great Migration. African Americans who move to the north no longer have to live the lives of poor agriculturalist, but can now move up in social stature. The concept of moving up in social ranks amongst black people introduces the statuses of the folk, the bourgeois, and the proletarians, to African American society and literature. The writers of the Harlem Renaissance produce work that focuses on ideas like race, class, marriage, and identity.

Hip Hop also plays a very important role in modern culture and society of African-Americans. After the abolition of slavery, African-Americans

Racism is a prominent issue or a serious problem in the American society since the beginning and the Americans are still struggling to eradicate this problem from their land. American soil has witnessed civil rights movements concerning this issue in the past. However in 1920, a movement got initiated to promote black identity known as Harlem Renaissance. It was also a fine arts movement that led to an increase in black confidence, literacy rate, and black culture. Writers wrote about their roots and the current society.

Accessed 18 Mar. 2018. “Langston Hughes” by Carl Brucker attempts to explain the accomplishments Langston Hughes has had and who inspired his famous poem, “Mother to Son.” Langston Hughes won an Opportunity poetry prize, leading him to the publications of his other writings. Brucker justifies Hughes as not only a successful writer, but he also “used grant money to establish African American theatrical groups in Harlem and Chicago that produced several of his plays.” (5) After overcoming much criticism by blacks and whites, Langston Hughes influenced several generations of African American authors, and that is widely acknowledged.

Urban cities became populated and rural towns became desolate. This was called The Great Migration, it was partially caused by racial violence and economic discrimination against blacks in the south, however many white folks moved into urban cities due to “new money”. Blacks who traveled, and even those who didn’t, saw this as a period to finally express themselves through literature and art. The Harlem Renaissance was created by a bunch of African American men and women who felt the need to express themselves through whatever they could, and everyone appreciated their art. The Harlem Renaissance produced many outstanding poets.

The most influential movement in African American literary history, which contributed the phase of the “New Negro”, is known as The Harlem Renaissance. This movement played a pivotal role in creating a different identity for the black culture (History.com). Emerging in the 1920s, The Harlem Renaissance allowed black writers, artists, photographers, scholars, poets, and musicians to express their talents Part of the foundations of the movement was the Great Migration of African Americans from South to North, drastically expanding their knowledge and socioeconomic opportunities. Certainly the movement was more than literary, for having such a proximate relation to civil rights, the “New Negro” demanded civil and political privileges. Additionally, it had a revitalizing influence for African Americans to develop race pride; giving such a prestige to their work affected African Americans in a manner of desiring to reconnect with their unwanted African heritage.

The Harlem Renaissance Era took place during the 1920’s and 1930’s bring with it an explosive new genre of jazz and blues, art ,poetry and many other creative outlets thus creating many great changes. This was an era for expressing the African-American culture in American; documenting everything from our countries dark past to the optimistic hope of a brighter future for African Americans. The primary and most important factors that contributed to the up rise of the Harlem Renaissance were World War I and the Great Migration. For it was the relocation to Harlem during The Great Migration of African-American people from the egregious oppression of South to the North, that was the cause of this phenomenon. Harlem became one of the largest African- American communities in The United States, and during the Harlem Renaissance and soon became a center for art and literature.

Martin Luther King Jr was a revolutionary figure for his time. As leader of the Civil Rights Movement along with many others, he campaigned to bring about racial equality and desegregation in the deep-south of America. The history of the struggle for human rights dates back thousands of years, all for different reasons; whether it was for women’s rights, gay rights or Black rights. The most notable call for equality in the twentieth century was led by Martin Luther King Jr. and focused on civil rights for African Americans in the south. His role in achieving civil rights was greatly significant due to his technique of bringing people together and his signature non-violent protests.

Immersed in passion for art, growing acceptance of the black community, and a booming economy, Harlem, New York was enduring the 1920’s era what is now known be the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance is not only responsible for the roots of black culture in the United States, but it stood as an advocate for African American rights. Every artistic media was flourishing with ideas of equality among the races; things such as poetry, songs, and stories flooded the minds of the American people and paved the way for change. By expressing tones of sorrow and imprisonment, poets such as Paul Laurence Dunbar were able to inspire their readers by promoting the dire need for a revolution in the minds of the American people.

The Harlem Renaissance The 1920’s was a historic time period in which many things changed from beliefs to technology in the U.S.. One of the most important events in this time period was The Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance was an important period in the U.S.’s history in which African American culture was finally appreciated because of their achievements in the arts , literature, and music. Like every other story , they all have a beginning , someplace where everything started. It began with many African Americans moving from the south to the north of the U.S. to avoid racism.

This was a time where many African Americans migrated north to be a part of a more civic, industrialized society. The African American people migrated so far north that they made it to the streets of Harlem, New York, earning this new Negro movement its name. Aaron Douglas is one of many black artists from the Harlem Renaissance and was the “first modern Black artist to use traditional African roots” in his artwork (1). Douglas was also the first president of the Harlem Artist Guild. He worked to help other African American artists find employment, as it was difficult to do so considering that “with this rebirth of traditional African culture, the number of African American artists rapidly increased” (1).

One of the most important literary figure was Langston Hughes. When the “Harlem Renaissance” became popular, Langston Hughes’ influences, style of writing, and themes made him different than the others. Langston Hughes was influenced by people and events. The people that influenced him were Paul Lawrence Dunbar, Carl Sandburg, and Walt Whitman.

Langston Hughes was first recognized as an important literary figure during the 1920s, a period known as the "Harlem Renaissance", because of the number of black writers that was coming up. Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. He was one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form called jazz poetry. Hughes was best known for describing the black life from the 20s to the 50s, in novels, short-stories, plays, and poems. He was also known for the influence jazz had on all of his creative writings.

Throughout 1920 and 1940, the Harlem Renaissance flourished. Also known as the “Roaring Twenties” and the “Jazz age,” the Harlem Renaissance's roots came from African American’s culture spreading throughout America, teaching everyone their fun filled life of singing, dancing, and writing. The Jazz industry exploded, introducing performers and writers like Louis Armstrong, Langston Hughes, and Aaron Douglas to the world (History.com Staff). Women were searching for the more rights and they finally received the gift of a lifetime, the right to vote. In addition, inventions like the airplane were improving exponentially.

"Well, son, I’ll tell you: Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.” - Langston Hughes. And that's just it, plain and simple. For an African American in the 1900s, life was no walk in the park.