Harlem Renaissance

The Harlem Renaissance was the description given to the cultural, social and artistic boom that
happed in Harlem during world I and 1930s. This culture was also described as a New Negro
Movement, a name originating from the Alaine Locke Anthology of 1925 (Wilman). At this
time, Harlem received an increased number of black immigrants, which led to the spread of
black culture across major United States cities. This made Harlem rich in black artists,
musicians, poets, scholars, photographers, and writers. Most of the black immigrants came from
the southern part of the United States due to oppression. Therefore, they were looking for a place
they could use to express themselves easily, without persecution from others.
The major people in the Harlem renaissance included Louis Armstrong, Claude McKay, Paul
Robinson, Florence Mills, Phillip Rudolph, Madam Walker, Arna Bontemps, Langston Hughes
and many others. Louise Armstrong was the greatest artist of the time. Armstrong’s fame grew
enormously over five decades.
Louis Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901 he was a multi-talented African American
individual with the ability to sing and play the trumpet. He was an influential person in Jazz
music between 1920 and 1960 (Wilman). Armstrong also helped in shifting the music from
collective or group singing to solo. Besides that Armstrong contributed widely in the music
revolution especially through his unique way of singing characterized by bending lyrics and
improvising techniques. He was also good at imitating musical instruments. Therefore, his
singing sometimes did not involve words but purely imitation. This is called scat singing. This
automatically influenced and created a new kind of jazz music that was not available previously.
Armstrong showed that despite racism blacks could win support from their oppressors. This was
possible since by 1960 at the height of his career Louis was able to win masses even from the
white population (History.com). This was attributed to his diverse talent in music, which made
him loved across the United States of America. Armstrong received race discrimination daily,
but he never gave up. He pressed on to pursue his ambition of being the best musician in the
world. Through racial hardship Louis experienced, he showed that it does not matter how the
world looks at you; one can be able to achieve (History.com). This acted as motivation for other
black Americans, who used to feel that America was hopeless for the minority.
Armstrong also preached the message of equality and freedom in his songs. For example in his
song “What Did I Do To Be Black or Blue?” he turned out to be bold and outspoken in
addressing the matters concerning racism. He suggested that there was nothing wrong with being
either black or white and thus would not be the basis of judgment and discrimination. Armstrong
also preached about peace in the world in his song Beautiful World. Louis aimed to demonstrate
the importance of peace in the world and why it should be maintained.
Through his music, Louis encouraged Negros to pursue wherever they like and in good wil,l
without focusing on many different obstacles,. they could be able to achieve what they admire.
Besides that, Louis also encourages the need for peace through his music
(Thefamouspeople.com). Tolerance was also a major theme in Louis music. Louis viewed
oppression as something that needed not to be promoted since no one chooses to be what he is.
The Harlem philosophy was black pride. This musician promoted that by improving the value of
the place at times when blacks suffered extensive racial discrimination. Equality in the United
States would enable blacks to live better lives. Therefore, advocacy of Louise for peace and
equality reflected the philosophy of the group since there can never be sense of pride if people
are frequently hurt.
Impact of Harlem renaissance
It helped American’s and the world to be able to appreciate the value of the black community
(inforplease.com). It also helped American’s to redefine how it views the black community. This
lead to the integration of black and white culture in United States and ushered in the start of
urban black community. Therefore, this was not a pure art movement but a movement that aimed
to raise the pride of the African community in America. To obtain that this movement also
designed to facilitate struggle for political rights.
The Harlem Renaissance promoted 1950 to 1960s civil rights movements in the United States
(Zurcher). Such movement aimed to ensure that blacks received fair treatment just like other
people in America. This was the greatest achievement of the movment as such rights would
enable blacks to extend their wealth and live without fear of being attacked or arrested. This
facilitated the culture of equality and tolerance in America.
Besides that, this movement introduced a new culture of singing prominent in the black
community. It brought about the culture of writing and art that is unusual for the black
community (inforplease.com). Such art was enshrined with themes like poverty and racism since
they were the dominant factors in the black community at that time. The writings and songs also
carried the message of peace, equality, and tolerance among the people. Another culture that was
introduced was music love in the midst of racism (Zurcher). This was possible since many whites
loved black music but still did not appreciate their existence in America.
The Harlem Renaissance did not influence only Americans It also affect African writers in the
Caribbean artist, particularly in Paris (History.com). This shows the extensive nature of the
movement in the black community. This was possible since it was viewed as an agent of change.
Something that will finally improve the life of the black community by giving them an identity
through art. The act of foreign African artist of embracing this movement ideology showed
solidarity in the African community, since regardless of where they have needed freedom and
better live.
Harlem Reminiscence movement was a great start toward black identity in the United States at a
time when racism from whites against black was at its peak. Discrimination in the community
did not stop Louis Armstrong and other great artists. Instead, they focused on preaching peace,
equality, and tolerance in their arts. Armstrong used his diverse musical talent to speak boldly
about discrimination and encourage fellow Negros never to lose hope. Late in his career
Armstrong’s acts, and those of others, enabled the start of civil rights movement that would
finally enable the black community to enjoy equaltty and freedom like other citizens of USA.

Work cited
History.com, "Harlem Renaissance - Black History - HISTORY.Com." HISTORY.com. N.p.,
2016. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.
Wilman, Robert. "The Harlem Renaissance And Black Freethinkers’ Philosophy Of Art (Guest
Post By Christopher Cameron) | S-Usih.Org." S-usih.org. N.p., 2015. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.
Zurcher, Maddie. "Louis Armstrong And The Harlem Renaissance." prezi.com. N.p., 2016. Web.
20 Apr. 2016.
inforplease.com,. "The Birth Of The Harlem Renaissance: History & Timeline". Infoplease.com.
N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
Thefamouspeople.com,. "Louis Armstrong Biography". Thefamouspeople.com. N.p., 2016. Web.
21 Apr. 2016.