2. THE GREAT MIGRATION
• With the passage of the Jim Crow Laws, the
continuation of hate crimes, and the lack of
economic stability for African Americans in the
South, led them to seek better lives for
themselves.
• The booming industrial economy of the North
attracted many of the African Americans
seeking a better opportunity.
• Although the Northern legal system did not
obstruct the success of African Americans as it
did in the South, prejudice from white factory
workers still existed.
• The new migrants found themselves segregated
into urban slums. The largest of these slums
being Harlem.
• Harlem became the central location of old
African American traditions, as well as a
breeding ground for new ones.
Jim Crow Laws- laws that enforced racial segregation in the South
3. MOVERS AND SHAKERS
• Langston Hughes- Writer, novelist, poet of
the Harlem Renaissance. Promoted the
“real” black image and encouraged his
followers to not be ashamed of their African
roots. He criticized his counterparts for
being too “Eurocentric” in their struggle for
equality. He helped introduce the new idea
of Jazz Poetry in his work.
Eurocentric- focusing on European culture or history to the exclusion of a
wider view of the world; implicitly regarding European culture as preeminent
Jazz Poetry- poetry that is read to the accompaniment of jazz music
4. PAUSE FOR THOUGHT…
• Critical Thinking: How
does introducing new
traditions, such as jazz
poetry, help promote the
“real” black image?
5. MOVERS AND SHAKERS
• W. E. B. Du Bois- Graduated from
Harvard and was the first African
American to receive a Doctorate.
• DuBois cofounded the NAACP in 1909.
Their mission is to ensure the political,
educational, social, and economic equality
of rights of all persons and to eliminate
racial hatred and racial discrimination.
• During the Niagara Movement, DuBois
and other activists wrote a declaration
opposing the Atlanta Compromise. Not
able to publicize their ideals, Dubois
purchased his own printing press and
established the first African American
weekly circulation of Moon Illustrated
Weekly.
NAACP- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
Niagara Movement- a 1905
call for opposition to the
Atlanta Compromise.
Atlanta Compromise- An
agreement established between
African American spokesperson
Booker T. Washington and
white officials stating that
Southern blacks would submit
to discrimination, segregation,
lack of voting rights, and non-
unionized employment; that
Southern whites would permit
blacks to receive a basic
education, some economic
opportunities, and justice within
the legal system.
6. PAUSE FOR THOUGHT…
• Critical Thinking- Explain the
significance of the Niagara
Movement.
7. MOVERS AND SHAKERS
• Zora Neale Hurston- Was a
prominent writer of the Harlem
Renaissance. She was criticized
for her use of dialect fiction in her
writings, with objections being
aimed toward her use of African
American dialect. Most criticism
came from her later works where
African American critics argued
that her use of dialect opposed the
overall advancement of colored
people and catered to a white
audience.
Dialect fiction- the use of nonstandard spelling for speech to draw
attention to pronunciation
8. PAUSE FOR THOUGHT…
• “Love is lak de sea. It’s uh movin’ thing, but still and all, it takes its shape
from de shore it meets, and it’s different with every shore.”
― Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God
• Critical Thinking: How might the use of dialect
fiction be a positive influence in the advancement
of colored people?
9. THE JAZZ AGE
• Jazz Music- a type of American music with
lively rhythms and melodies that are often
made up by musicians as they play
• The Cotton Club- A nightclub in Harlem. The
club was a whites-only establishment, even
though it featured many of the best black
entertainers and jazz musicians
• Duke Ellington- Introduced the orchestra or
“big band” to jazz music. One of the most
notable jazz musicians of all time. Often played
at the Cotton Club.
10. PAUSE FOR THOUGHT…
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7atwjmPcxng
• After listening to the clip, are
there any elements of the music
that sound familiar to today’s
music? Discuss with a neighbor.
11. FINAL THOUGHT
• Using key vocabulary terms and figures
from the lecture presentation, how
would you define the Harlem
Renaissance? What aspects of the
Harlem Renaissance do you still see
present in our culture today? (Include
both traditions and politics)
