Books like The Great Gatsby illustrate the extensive and over the top attitude during the 20's. Parties roared high and loud, drink were drank heavily and illegally, and the "American Dream" flourished for better or worse. The 20's provided a movement for women, who started to dress with more skin and more makeup. This revolution of women's rights also inspired and helped aid the 19th amendment, which provided Women the right to vote. The "roaring 20's" also provided a new light to be shined on America's african american community as well.
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However, what makes the "Harlem Renaissance" revolutionary, is the view of african americans. Whites, started to notice segregation (at least a little.) Protests celebrating black heritage started small, but started non-the less. Influential musicians like "Billy Holiday" even used their fame as a stage for political power. Her song "Strange Fruit" describes lynching and the horrific trend that had plagued some parts of america. This along with the rise of the KKK provided an interesting turning point in american history.
Links (photos) : https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/Billie_Holiday_0001_original.jpg/800px-Billie_Holiday_0001_original.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Louis_Armstrong_(1955).jpg
I like the topic that you chose because like you said, everyone focuses on the Roaring 20s aspect but does not necessarily know a lot about the Harlem Renaissance. I also like how you led to the topic by connecting it to women's rights movement because it shows an interesting parallel during this time period.
ReplyDeleteI like that your post explained concisely what the Harlem Renaissance was, as the term tends to get used without much explanation usually. I think the Harlem Renaissance shows a larger trend in American society in the 1920's, and is was somewhat inevitable given the new freedoms of African-Americans since the end of slavery yet the remaining segregation within society and the law. Combined with the relative economic prosperity and optimism of the 1920's, the Harlem Renaissance in my opinion was inevitable.
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