A New Beginning For African Americans Essay - 1291 Words

Marisa Pope EH-232 American Literature II Professor Alan Brown November 19, 2016 A New Beginning for African Americans From the 1920’s to the mid 1930’s a literary, intellectual, and artistic movement occurred that kindled the African Americans a new cultural identity. This movement became known as the Harlem Renaissance, which is also known as the â€Å"New Negro Movement†. With this movement, African Americans sought out to challenge the â€Å"Negro† stereotype that they had received from others while developing innovation and great cultural activity. The Harlem Renaissance became an artistic explosion in the creative arts. Thus, many African Americans turned to writing, art, music, and theatrics to express their selves. The Harlem Renaissance opened doors to the African American people who traveled from the south. This huge movement was known was the Great Migration, where over six million African Americans were driven from their homes by insufficient economic opportunities and punitive segregationist laws, many blacks headed north, where they took advantage of the need for industrial workers that first arose during the First World War. A teacher and critic by the name of Alan Locke coined the name â€Å"Harlem Renaissance† because of its essence. Locke states â€Å"Negro life is seizing its first chances for group expression and self-determination† (Staff). With this name Harlem became the center of a divine coming of age in which Locke’s â€Å"New Negro† altered â€Å"social [discouragement] intoShow MoreRelatedThe Evolution of African American Identity1514 Words   |  7 Pageshas been a major concern of African and African American authors from the beginning. In fa ct African American identity underwent drastic transformations between the eighteenth century and twentieth century. As Amistad, Federalist No. 54, The New Negro and The Souls of Black Folks shows, African American identity has shifted from an early tribal identity, to a dehumanized identity based in slavery, and finally to a ‘new type of Negro identity based in art and African origins. These transformationsRead MoreAfrican American And The Civil War876 Words   |  4 Pageswhen the civil war ended in America and slavery was abolished, the African American population in the South faced many challenges related to their new found freedom. Following the post-Civil War Reconstruction period, white supremacy resurfaced in the South (AE Television, 2015). Beginning in the early 1900s through 1970 there was a mass exodus of African American s from South to North America. Although some African American s were known to have moved from the South as early as 1850, thereRead MoreAfrica n Americans During The Civil War1170 Words   |  5 Pagesthe civil war ended in America and slavery was abolished, the African American population in the South faced many challenges related to their new found freedom. Following the post-Civil War Reconstruction period, white supremacy resurfaced in the South (AE Television, 2015). Beginning in the early 1900s through 1970 there was a mass exodus of African American s from the South to the North in America. Although some African American s were known to have moved from the South as early as 1850, thereRead MoreAnalysis Of Hansberry s The Sun And Local Business Owners 898 Words   |  4 PagesSuper bowl MVP’s, or local business owners, African Americans today are among the most influential and successful people. Yet the terms poor, dependent of whites, unstable, and family struggles come to mind after reading the beginning of A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. The way Hansberry’s portrayal changed thro ughout the play is very much similar to how the public view African Americans today. Hansberry’s beginning portrayal of African Americans is that they are poor, dependent of whiteRead MoreThe New Jim Crow?919 Words   |  4 PagesAlexander, the author of The New Jim Crow, did not see the prison systems as racially motivated until doing further research. After researching the issue, Alexander found the prison system was a way to oppress African Americans and wrote the novel The New Jim Crow. The New Jim Crow follows the history of the racial caste system and in the novel Alexander comes to the conclusion that the mass incarceration of African American is the New Jim Crow, or in other words a new system of black oppression.Read MoreThe Origin Of African American Music1462 Words   |  6 Pages The origin of African-American music Nowadays, the United States has the largest music market in the world. Inheriting from the European tradition music from the European immigrants, American music has been deeply influenced by African-American music in both rhythmic and lyrical styles. African-American music includes a diverse range of music genres, such as blues, hip hop, jazz which are developed by African Americans. although these forms of African-American music may different a lot in musicRead MoreAfrican Americans Need To Understand â€Å"The Necessity, As1562 Words   |  7 PagesAfrican Americans need to understand â€Å"the necessity, as well as the propriety, of behaving themselves inoffensively and with civility at all times and upon all occasions; taking care, as they pass along the streets, or assemble together, not to be obtrusive† in order to not â€Å"provoke† further violence. Those were the recommendations of the citizens’ committee that investigated the causes that had led to the Philadelphia race riot in 1834, during which a mob of Whites viciously attacked African AmericansRead MoreAfrican Americans Participation During The Civil War1509 Words   |  7 Pages Beginning in 1861, the civil war was fought over many political questions regarding slavery, yet was barely focused on the actual freedom of the slaves themselves. It is often taught that the Union fought for the freedom of slaves at the beginning of the war. However, it is more accurate to say that Abraham Lincoln’s primary goal at the beginning of the war was to reunite the Union after the majority of the slave-owning states seceded to protect their way of life: slavery. Yet, by the end of theRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem September Cotton Flower By Jean Toomer1586 Words   |  7 PagesNew beginnings are often disguised as painful endings†¦Ã¢â‚¬  – Lao Tzu Whenever a scene of a movie approaches where a debacle unravels or innocent lives are jeopardized, audiences grip their chairs in anticipation for help to come or for a hero to spring into action and save lives. Similarly, in many circumstances, no matter how dire an event might seem, there is always a beacon of hope amongst doleful situations. From every ending comes a new beginning. The poem, â€Å"November Cotton Flower†, written byRead MoreThe Harlem Renaissance And Marcus Garvey s Universal Negro Improvement Association ( Unia )854 Words   |  4 Pages1920’s were a time of change for African Americans. They were beginning to retain a sense of pride in their background and culture, were becoming more independent socially and economically, and were becoming more militant. Part of this was because of the Great Migration, in which a proliferation of African Americans moved from the Southern states to the Northern states, and the excessive levels of racism and prejudi ce they faced during the process. African Americans were really starting to make their