Harlem Renaissance Movement
The Harlem Renaissance was during the time period of the 1920s to the mid 1930s. It was originally called the Negro Movement because it was the creation of a new black cultural identity. The movement was a literary, artistic and intellectual one, it was the first time the negro group felt racial pride and enjoyed being part of the black community. It occurred because of an increase of radical negro intellectuals and a higher population in the urban areas such as Harlem. The long term effect of this movement was the inspiration of black pride even proceeding this time period. As well as the enhancement of interaction between white and black folk and a spark in the work lives of African Americans who gained higher recognition and more prestigious jobs.
Jazz Age
F.Scott Fitzgerald gave the the 1920s the title of the Jazz Age. In 1925 the Jazz Age was at its peak: with Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington releasing their first recordings, The Ku Klux Klan marching through Washington, John Scopes went on trial for teaching Darwin's Theory of Evolution, and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was released. Their was a surge of people moving out of rural areas and going into the city. A quote by Elmer Davis and Kevin Rayburn shows why this era was so important for America: "Today Croesus is King. Not thinkers but rich men rule the world." (Davis) Kevin Rayburn wrote, "It was the first truly modern decade and, for better or worse, it created the model for society that all the world follows today." The 1920s or the Jazz age was the offspring of prosperity in America and the uprising of African American pride and jazz music after WWI. The post world war movement came from the devastation of WWI, people wanted to live as well as they could and those with money exploited it. Prohibition was also in place at the time but the people of the twenties didn't care, night clubs which included flappers, the new jazz music, and dancing was in full swing.