During the 1920s and into the 1930s, African American literature flourished during the Harlem Renaissance. Known mostly for the emergence of great literature by black authors, the Harlem Renaissance, also known as the New ***** Movement, was a result of several factors. Before the Renaissance, thousands of blacks migrated from the South to the Northern industrial cities as more employment opportunities became available during World War I. In addition, the black middle class was increasing and more educational opportunities were available to blacks.
Furthermore, a new radicalism among blacks emerged prior to the Harlem Renaissance. With the publication of black magazines, such as A. Philip Randolph’s The Messenger and the NAACP’s The Crisis (edited by W.E.B. Du Bois), the development of what was referred to as a “new consciousness” about racial identity occurred. Along with these publications, Marcus Garvey’s radical ideas of an independent black economy, racial purity, and the creation of societies in Africa were also influential.
These publications and ideas brought attention to the need for economic and social equality and brought a new sense of pride in being black. It was the combination of these developments, along with the settlement of blacks in New York’s Harlem neighborhood, the cultural center of the Renaissance movement, which paved the way for the Harlem Renaissance.
Early Renaissance authors Charles W. Chesnutt, Claude McKay, and James Weldon Johnson paved the way for other authors with their literary works about black life and racial identity. Johnson published his first book, Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man anonymously in 1912 and McKay broke the color barrier in the publishing industry with the publication of his collected works of poetry, Harlem Shadows (1922). Other early works by black writers included Cane (1923) by Jean Toomer and There is Confusion (1924) by Jessie Fauset Redmon.
The Harlem Renaissance movement received a decisive boost with the publication of the special issue Harlem (1925) published by Survey Graphic magazine. The issue highlighted work by black writers. Alain Locke, editor of that issue, furthered the movement in 1926 when he summed up the Harlem Renaissance in his book The New *****. Suddenly, there was an increased interest in black life and publishers began looking for literature by black writers.
Black literary writers covered such issues as black life in the South and the North, racial identity, racial issues, and equality. Theses popular themes were a part of poetry, prose, novels, and fiction. Some of the more popular writers tackling these issues included Countee Cullen, Langston Hughes, Jessie Redmon Fauset, Rudolf Fisher, Sterling A. Brown, Zora Neale Hurston, Nella Larsen, Claude McKay, and Jean Toomer.
The Harlem Renaissance ended in the 1930s after the effects of the Great Depression set in. The economic downturn led to the departure of Harlem’s prominent writers.
Although the Harlem Renaissance lasted a brief time, it had an enduring influence on later black writers and helped to ease the way for the publication of works by black authors. Sorry It's A Lot . Hope This Helps :)
