Alison 1 Alison Scott Christie Cooke English II Section 5 January 20th, 2012 Revolution The Harlem Renaissance was

a period of great social change for the negro community; it spanned years, influenced culture, and spurred the educational limits of the black community to new heights. The website devoted to the different pieces that made up the Harlem Renaissance is comprised of seven main topics: education, performers, french connection, literature, political issues, religion, and philosophy. Education during the 1920's and 1930's was expansive on an originally weak foundation. It gained strength under the movements of thought brought on by Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Dubois. Booker T. Washington was of the belief that African American education should be industrial, like technical schooling, where blacks would learn to be mechanics and such, domestic servants that didn't rub the southern white people the wrong way. His views were opposed by W. E. B. Dubois who believed that black people deserved and should get a well rounded and higher education equal to that offered to the white community. Both views had their supporting factions, but it was both -rather than one more than the other- that gave education of African Americans a way to escalate. Performers of the renaissance were varied but held largely to music, which went through a range of styles and popularity. What started with the big band moved to music hall, rag time, blues gospel, stride piano, hot jazz, pre-swing, and swing. During this age, the music scene came

Alison 2 forth with future legends like Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, Ethel Waters, Louis Armstrong, and Fletcher Henderson. These styles of music defined the Harlem Renaissance and are remembered today as valuable pieces of black history. The French Connection was the time of expanding black consciousness in Paris, France. A note worthy event of this period were Batouala, the first novel written by a black man, Rene Maran, about a black man, which gave the point of view from the black man's perspective on French colonization of Africa which was pivotal in the future collapse of said French colonization. During this period the word 'negritude' was coined and came to stand as a concept that celebrates black is beautiful. Literature was akin to an explosion of creativity. Through the writing of this era the African American populace matured from the old Negro to new Negro; from lesser and ignorant to racially confidant and sure of their work. Writers from this time that facilitated change were people like Langston Hughes, Helene Johnson, Nella Larson and Jean Toomer to name a few. Political issues were addressed as well; Marcus Garvey favored a Black Nationalist Party and migration back to Africa while others like W. E. B. Dubois favored integration. Social conditions were also addressed at this time, as slavery was still a recent event in many minds. The Scottsboro Boys trial was a landmark event in how blacks were tried and how the system had to address the unfairness of the southern courts regardless people of color. Religion in America, predominantly Christian, was also being changed to fit with the people of the times. Neo-orthodox became popular and gave rise to the mega-churches, cultesque styles, and high energy 'storefront' churches. There were even those who claimed to be

Alison 3 divine made flesh like Daddy Grace and Father Divine who followers said is God. Philosophy during the renaissance, black philosophy, was geared toward finding ones roots and taking pride in their heritage and the sense of self. To give up your race and the memories attached to it was like giving up purpose. In Race and Study, Edward Wilmot Blyden stated that the personality was necessary, the individual was a special duty meant for a person to carry out and to abandon that duty was akin to suicide. The Harlem Renaissance was a time of great change. Artistic, creative, intellectually; people of African American descent were growing and maturing into a newer, better group. In these things, education, performance, black french culture, literature, political issues, religion, and philosophy, the black people found renewal and revolution.