Harlem Renaissance

• The Harlem Renaissance was an African American Cultural movement in the 1920s and 1930s.
• It was centered in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City.
• The Harlem Renaissance is also known as the New Negro movement, the New Negro Renaissance, and the Negro Renaissance.
• The movement emerged toward the end of World War 1.
• It marked the first time that mainstream  publishers took African American writing seriously.

• It was also closely related to developments in African American music, theater, art, and politics.
• The Renaissance began to decline in the mid 1930s because of the Great Depression.
• Organizations that supported the Renaissance began to change their focus to economic issues.
• The Renaissance changed the dynamics of African American art and literature in the United States forever.

Claude McKay

• He was known for his poems and novels of black life.

• McKay was also an editor to the left-wing periodicals.
• His first novel, Home to Harlem, is a picture of a black soldier's life in New York.
• His poetry was notable for  his use of traditional forms to express different ideas.

• He was one of the first black writers to attract a largely white audience. 

Langston Hughes

• He was known for using the rhythms of jazz.
• Hughes also  used everyday black speech in his poetry.
• Hughes wrote in many genres, but he is best known for his poetry.

• He was referred to as the Poet Laureate of Harlem.

• Hughes also write the play Mulatto, which was performed on Broadway 373 times.

Countee Cullen

 

• He was an American poet, novelist, playwright, and educator.
• Cullen was one of the best-known black poets of the 1st half of the 20th century.

• He earned a master's degree from Harvard in 1926.

• His carefully crafted poems were widely admired by both whites and blacks.
• Cullen's poetry remained very traditional.

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

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

"Claude McKay." Microsoft® Student 2009 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2008.

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

"Countee Cullen." Microsoft® Student 2009 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2008.

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

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

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