The Harlem Renaissance wasn’t just an artistic movement: It was a cultural revolution that redefined Black identity in America. In the 1920s, Harlem became the epicenter of a creative explosion in literature, music, and art, as Black Americans sought new opportunities and self-expression. The movement gave rise to legendary figures like Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and Duke Ellington whose influence still shapes American culture today.
But what sparked this extraordinary era of innovation? What led to its decline? And how did it transform Harlem and beyond? Below, we explore the forces that fueled the Harlem Renaissance and the lasting impact it left on the world.
By the 1920s, the American economy was booming. American youth rebelled against pre-war cultural conventions and rigid traditions with the rise of speakeasies, short hairstyles, and, of course, jazz—a genre deeply rooted in African American musical traditions. Created through a fusion of ragtime and blues, jazz was more than just music: It was an expression of freedom and cultural defiance.
While Harlem was originally intended as an upper-class white neighborhood, excess housing left many buildings empty. This opportunity appealed to Black New Yorkers and those fleeing oppression in the South.
As Harlem filled with musicians, poets, and artists, it became the heartbeat of the Jazz Age. Legendary venues like the Cotton Club and the Savoy Ballroom hosted performers such as Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Bessie Smith, shaping the sound of a generation. Harlem had become the center of a movement that redefined American culture, bringing African American artistry to the mainstream while challenging racial barriers.
The flourishing new music, art, fashion, and theater scene quickly translated to the literary world. Alain Locke published his famous work “The New Negro” in Harlem in 1925, which featured a collection of stories by African Americans that detailed their lives and struggles after the Civil War. His work coined the term the “New Negro Movement,” which became synonymous with the Harlem Renaissance.
In 1921, poet Langston Hughes arrived in Harlem and pioneered “jazz poetry”: an infusion of jazz beats into lyrical written works, seen in some of his poetry, including:
He would become one of the most defining poets of the movement.
Hughes joined other Harlem Renaissance writers like Wallace Thurman and Zora Neale Hurston to create the controversial and influential journal Fire!! in 1926. Zora Neale Hurston would eventually publish the classic “Their Eyes Were Watching God,” which was greatly influenced by her time in New York.
In 1935, a race riot forced the closure of the bustling Cotton Club. That event, in addition to the looming Great Depression, marked the end of the Harlem Renaissance. However, its influence on American culture was indelible.
African American life was brought to the forefront and acted as a challenge to the Jim Crow-era laws of the age, prompting a rising spirit, pride, and commitment to change and, eventually giving rise to the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. The literature and the arts born in the Harlem Renaissance inspired many other contemporaneous writers across the world, especially in France and the Caribbean, and served as a vessel to change the face of American culture.
“The best of humanity’s recorded history is a creative balance between horrors endured and victories achieved, and so it was during the Harlem Renaissance.”
–Aberjhani, historian, columnist, novelist, poet
If you’re interested to learn more about literary movements like the Harlem Renaissance, consider exploring our course “American Literature Since 1865” (ENGL 2328), part of our online BA in English program. As part of the General Requirements for the BA in English, students will also learn about the Jazz Age with our course “Jazz, Pop & Rock” (MUSI 1301).
A BA in English can help you develop the key skills needed to become a better writer and researcher—and hone your critical thinking and problem-solving skills as well. Our BA in English is affordable, convenient, flexible, and completely online, making it easy to study from anywhere in the world.
UT Permian Basin is home to some of the “Best Online Bachelor’s Programs” according to U.S. News & World Report. And as a future graduate with a BA in English, you can go on to pursue your professional or academic journey in fields such as:
Ready to delve into history’s defining movements through the eyes of influential writers while developing your own writing skills? Join our online BA in English program today!
Sources:
https://www.nyhistory.org/blogs/the-aristocrat-of-harlem-the-cotton-club
https://www.ipl.org/essay/Impact-On-The-Harlem-Renaissance-PKBEYCNNPC48R
https://www.britannica.com/event/Harlem-Renaissance-American-literature-and-art
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/collections/145704/an-introduction-to-the-harlem-renaissance
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