The Harlem Renaissance
Marcus Garvey(1887-1940)
Marcus Garvey, was a Jamaican political leader, publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator. Garvey is known as a leading political figure because of his determination to fight for the unity of African Americans by creating the "Universal Negro Improvement Association" and rallying to gather supporters to fight. With this group he talked about education, the economy and independence. An important aspect of his career was his thoughts on communism. Garvey felt that communism would be more beneficial for Whites by solving their own political and economic problems, but would limit the success of African Americans rising together. In 1928, Garvey traveled to Geneva to present the Petition of the Negro Race. This petition outlined the worldwide abuse of Africans to the League of Nations. Louis Armstrong(1901-1971)
Louis Armstrong, aka "Satchmo", was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana. Armstrong performed during the jazz age. He had a very recognizable voice. He demonstrated great dexterity as an improviser, changing the lyrics and melody of a song for expressive purposes. Armstrong was largely accepted into white society, both on stage and off, a privilege reserved for very few African-American public figures. As his fame grew, so did his access to the finer things in life usually denied to a black man. He represented the time of change in the 1920's, by doing things a black man couldn't normally do during that time, Armstrong died of a heart attack in his sleep on July 6, 1971 at the age of 69. |
Duke Ellington(1899-1974)
Duke Ellington was an American composer, pianist and bandleader of jazz orchestras. His career spanned over 50 years, leading his orchestra from 1923 until death. He was an important figure in the history of jazz. He referred his music to the more general category of "American Music," rather than to a musical genre such as "jazz." He was born in Washington, D.C., but later moved to New York City in the mid-1920's, and gained a national profile through his orchestra's appearances at the Cotton Club. The Cotton Club's all white and wealthy clientele poured in nightly to see them. At the Cotton Club, Ellington's group performed all the music for the revues, which mixed comedy, dance numbers, vaudeville, burlesque, music, and illegal alcohol.
(1902-1967)
Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, and playwright. He was an innovator of the literary art form called "jazz poetry". Hughes is best known for being the leader of the Harlem Renaissance. Hughes had different goals than the black middle class. Hughes tried to depict the "low-life" in their art, that is, the real lives of blacks in the lower social-economic class. They criticized the divisions and prejudices based on skin color within the black community. On May 22, 1967, Hughes died from complications after abdominal surgery, related to prostate cancer, at the age of 65. |