The Harlem Renaissance

African Americans came up North from the South. They felt that there were more opportunities in the cities. More job options and a new beginning. The Harlem Renaissance was a time where the African Americans expressed their feelings through music, art and poetry. (http://www.worldbookonline.com/advanced/article?id=ar246340&st=the+harlem+renaissance)

Express

Jazz was a good way to express the way you felt. You could play the music how you wanted and dance to the music they way you wished. If you wanted to voice your opinion you could write it down. This is what many of the African Americans did. Poetry was a good way to express your feelings. If you didn’t like music and you didn’t like writing you could make a picture.  Paintings had a lot of meaning behind them and they were very unique. (http://www.tcnj.edu/~messmer2/index.htm)

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Aaron Douglas, Crucifixion, 1927, oil on canvas.

This is just one of the many paintings that the African Americans made that expressed their feelings.

Clubs

Clubs were a big hit on Sundays. This is when everyone was in their “Sunday best”. People would go to clubs like “The Cotton Club,” “The Apollo Theater,” and “The Savory Ballroom.” Most of the clubs were owned by whites. The clubs drew more of a black audience. Black musicians played for the entertainment. These clubs were filled with jazz music. (http://www.tcnj.edu/~messmer2/index.htm)

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Rent Parties

Rent parties were a good time for the people of the 1920s. They would have these parties to pay for their months rent. The renter would get a jazz group to play at the party. To pay for the group and get enough money for the month’s rent they had a hat that they would pass around. People would put some money in there while they had a good time dancing. (http://www.tcnj.edu/~messmer2/index.htm)

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 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iJdXWY7JRo
This is a YouTube video. This video just has sound. It is of Louis Armstrong playing Jazz music.