The Harlem Renaissance (Essay Sample)

Name
The Harlem Renaissance
The years right after the first world war, many african americans moved to the industrialized northern states from south, which at the time was economically down and heavily agrarian. after centuries of slavery and struggle for abolition, the end of slavery in had not brought about the good that had been anticipated. white supremacy had been legally and violently restored in the heavily rural south. this is what spurred the migration of thousand blacks to the nothern states. however, african americans were not fully welcome to the north. prejudice was rampant and white labourers often complained that afrrican americans were flooding the market and lowering the wages (Hutchison, 2015). this prejudice resulted in many african americans living in segregated slums in the urban areas. harlem was the biggest of such slums. here, many blacks realized that they shared many experiences where they came from and they also shared a lot in the unpredictability of their current predicament. however, instead of reeling in self pity, they started a cultural pride movement. this was the birth of the harlem renaissance. african american musicians, writers, artists, and actors glorified their traditions, and also shaped new ones.
Musicians
Jazz, is one of the aspects of the harlem renaissance that shaped the american and world music landscape. this genre was characterized by improvised instrumental solos and syncopated rhythms. city dwellers would flock clubs every night to watch and listen to the same performers. the aspect of improvization resulted in a state where no two performances would ever be the same. well known jazz bands included the harlem's cotton club which composed of well renowned musicians like duke ellington. singers like bessie smith and billie holiday made blues and jazz popular through their great vocals. jazz came about with many great musicians who drew large cross-racial audiences. such musicians include jelly roll morton and louis armstrong.
the impact of the harlem rennaisance on the african american culture was significant. besides the transformation of this culture, the general american culture was also transformed. even white america got sucked into this transformation (Hutchison, 2015).
Writers
A well known writer during the rennaisance was Langston Hughes. He used a new writing model that utilized the rhythmic flow of blues and jazz. Another one, Claude mckay urged African Americans to fight up for their rights in his authoritative verses. Jean Toomer on the other hand captured the spirit of those times through wrote poems, plays and short stories. Many writers became darlings of book publishers. Zora Neale Hurston made an instant hit with her touching novel, their eyes were watching god. Music met prose and through this fusion actors would play great musical comedies. For instance, Paul Robeson excited audiences with his great stage acts ("A Brief Guide to the Harlem Renaissance”, 2014).
Another writer, Countee Cullen spurred deep though...