How Did Langston Hughes Influence The Harlem Renaissance

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The Harlem Renaissance was a period in which black intellectuals, artists, and writers explored their cultural identity. In the 1920s, racism was very prevalent in America and limited the opportunities for African Americans. It was originally called the “New Negro Movement”, when large amounts of African Americans migrated to north in search for jobs in the urban and industrialized cities. Harlem had the largest cultural effect. Harlem was originally a Dutch white middle class suburb in the 19th century. Harlem started becoming a black neighborhood in the early 1900s. More and more African Americans arrived during the first world war. The lack of Europeans opened up a lot of job opportunities in unskilled industrial labor. Harlem became one of the largest African American communities in the United States, and during the Harlem Renaissance became a center for art and literature. All forms of creativity were being expressed, old and new. African American literature was slowly starting to influence our culture. Jazz musicians flocked to Harlem. It was a black art mecca. HArlem became so famous in pop culture that white people would go and be a part of it. They were intrigued by the new forms of art and dance that they couldn’t see anywhere else. There were important venues such as; The Cotton Club, The Apollo,…show more content…
One of the most important writers was Langston Hughes. Hughes was born in 1902 with the name James Langston Hughes and unfortunately passed in 1967. He lived most of his adult life in Harlem, which influenced his writing. He grew up with an unstable family environment which led him to express himself through literature. He not only wrote about his pains, but the pains of his people and race as a whole. He was one of the early innovators of a new form of literature called “jazz poetry”. He was a positive influence on the youth, and wrote some very powerful poems that are still famous

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