Defining Moments: The Harlem Renaissance

Detailing the emergence and development of the cultural movement known as the Harlem Renaissance, this factual account explores the factors that transformed Harlem into the Capital of Black America in the 1920s. It explains how civil rights activism of the early 20th century made the Renaissance possible and discusses the myriad ways in which African American literature, art, and music from the era illuminated black culture and changed the course of American race relations. Biographical information is provided on leading figures involved in the movement, including civil rights philosopher W. E. B. du Bois, controversial actor and singer Paul Robeson, jazz legend Duke Ellington, and Langston Hughes, the poet laureate of the Harlem Renaissance. A primary source section presents essential documents from the period such as Hughes's famous manifesto of artistic independence, "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain;" dancer Frankie Manning's recollections of the glamorous Savoy Ballroom; Alain Locke's influential essay "Enter the New Negro;" and a selection of poems written by some of the movement's leading literary voices.