Harlem+Renaissance

toc =The Harlem Renaissance= The Harlem Renaissance was an African American cultural movement that took place in the 1920s and early 1930s. It is called the Harlem Renaissance because it was centered in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, New York. This time period marked the first time that African American literature was taken seriously by publishers and critics. One person who was an example of this happening is Langston Hughes. He is considered one of the greatest poets of all time, and shows why the African American population of America, was getting more attention in society.

The Beginning
The Harlem Renaissance rose out of the ashes of World War I in the middle of a disturbance of the African American community in both social and intellectual terms during the early 20th century. During the Great Migration, thousands of African Americans moved from the rural south to the northern cities so to take advantage of the job opportunities which were created by World War I. This is when many more educated blacks settled in Harlem, New York City, New York. It became the cultural, political, and intellectual center of the African American population of America. The middle class of the black population was especially growing. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP, was in the front of this growth leading the charge, by advancing the rights of blacks.

A Hero is Born
Langston Hughes was an African-American poet during the Harlem Renaissance. He is still today known as one of the greatest American poets of all time. He was born as James Langston Hughes in Joplin Missouri, on February 1, 1902. He was born into an abolitionist family, and his great-great-great uncle was John Mercer Langston, the first African-American elected to public office.

Glimpse of the Future
Langston went to Central High in Cleveland, and started writing poetry in the eighth grade, which led to him being selected as Class Poet. His dad then paid for him to go to Columbia University to study engineering, because he didn't believe his son could make a living out of poetry. After a small period of time, Langston dropped out and continued to write poetry. He had his first work of poetry published in Brownie's Book. It was called "The Negro Speaks of Rivers".

A Legacy
Hughes devoted the rest of his life to writing, and received many awards. Langston Hughes wrote many poems including "Let America Be America Again", "I, Too, Sing America", "The Negro Mother", and "Justice". He was an American hero until he died on May 22, 1967.

The End
The beginning of the end of the Harlem Renaissance started in the mid-1930s. This decline was caused by the great depression. Organizations that had been a big part of the Harlem Renaissance started diverting their focus to economic issues. A lot of writers that were inspirational during the Renaissance left New York City, including Langston Hughes. It was finally brought to a complete halt by a riot in Harlem, which was commenced by the hard economic times of the Depression and the escalating strain between the African-American community and the white shop owners. Even though it was over, the Harlem Renaissance increased forever the influence African-American people had on literature and art.