AP+2014+Harlem+during+the+Great+Depression

Harlem during the Great Depression:
Historically speaking, Harlem in the era of the Great Depression was very controversial for the African-Americans living there. With the Roaring Twenties closing with a crash, “The pressure of high rents, unemployment and racist practices cumulated in Harlem riots in 1935 and 1943” (History of Harlem). Just like everywhere else, Harlem suffered from the Great Depression. However, with the “Harlem Renaissance” right before, it was a drastic change when the Depression hit. “Harlem Renaissance figures...would use their artistic creativity as a means to show America and the world that Blacks are intellectual, artistic and humane and should be treated accordingly” (History of Harlem). With a new increase in racism, the work of the Renaissance got thrown out the window. This caused a negative impact on the African-American community, “blacks inherited bad conditions that simply got worse” (Greenberg 218). This went to show the African-American community that when the situations were tough for everyone, African-Americans would be the first to suffer and get the worst of it. Despite the progress they had made in improving their lives and equality, when the going got tough, none of that mattered.
 * Historical: Aidan [[image:https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/YxoN9T1g6Rv2R03wz3bCRsbMD3vbGsFXdk3qsCfu6OiOYQ6ukthROP9ijIJ-KbU7hq7enxdXJQJBNcUTBcnL4bTXjhv1Ra-D_T0QLs5c9S-q06AQ1p4pAjuW]]**

Greenberg, Cheryl. “Mean Streets: Black Harlem in the Great Depression” Oxford University Press Inc. 1997. Web. 10 October 2013.

**Cultural: Alexis**
==== Immediately following the end of World War I, African-Americans flocked to the big cities for a better life. In the city of Harlem (within the Manhattan Borough in New York City), “During this period Harlem was a cultural center, drawing black writers, artists, musicians, photographers, poets, and scholars” (“The Harlem Renaissance”). Harlem is one of the many big cities during this time period that represented the new life that African-Americans were trying to achieve. With the hard work that they put in, “Harlem became a symbol for the new black middle class” (What Was the Harlem Renaissance?). As the Great Depression hit the nation, it hit Harlem hard. With the high unemployment that Harlem suffered from, “led to overcrowding in less desirable neighborhood’s” (“Answers About Depression-Era Harlem.”) as people started to leave Harlem in search of a better life. Originally Harlem was an African-American mixing pot where their unique culture was born. However with the onset of the Great Depression, Harlem soon became a desolate place as African-Americans searched for a better life. ====

====Greenberg, Cheryl Lynn. "Answers About Depression-Era Harlem." nytimes,com. NY Times, 18 February 2009. Web. 10 October 2013. ====

===="The Harlem Renaissance." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2013. ====

===="What Was the Harlem Renaissance?" WiseGEEK. WiseGEEK, n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2013. ====

Audience: Jenna and Gracie



The main audience and the people most affected by living in Harlem during the Great Depression were African Americans. Prior to the crash of 1929, Harlem was thriving from the Harlem Renaissance with books, music, and diverse people, but everything changed once the Great Depression came along. The Crash “devastated black communities such as Harlem” (History of Harlem). The Great Depression only brought more hardships and burdens for the Black community in Harlem. Discrimination and segregation only increased and citizens in Harlem had to overcome high rent, disease and death, and many had to take menial jobs that were considered “Negro Jobs.” Like most families living during the Great Depression, African Americans struggled to survive. “...few managed to make ends meet without some sort of extra income” (Cheryl Greenberg). Families were forced to do things they would not normally resort to such as violence and illegal acts. Some families were “so poor they were often forced to choose among necessities” (Cheryl Greenberg). Oftentimes, families also chose to swap and borrow the things they needed. “The constant choosing between necessities or going without, the struggle to maintain a livable income, and the weight of discrimination and segregation resulted in poor housing and health, high crime, and inadequate public facilities in Harlem” (Cheryl Greenberg). After the crash, the few whites that resided in Harlem left the area and violence only grew. The Harlem Race Riot of 1935 was “...the culmination of years of humiliation and miserable poverty” (Harlem in the 1940’s). Even after the end of the Great Depression and the New Deal programs, Harlem continued to be a ghetto where it’s people dealt with poverty and segregation and discrimination.

However, the crash did not stop people from fighting for their rights. There were many who heavily influenced the Renaissance such as “Niggerati Writers”, “New Negro Intellectuals”, and “Negrotarian Patrons”. Langston Hughes was an influential “Niggerati Writer, who was known for his “insightful and colorful portrayals of black life” (Poets.org). In 1924 he wrote “The Weary Blues” and then later wrote “Not Without Laughter”, that won a Harmon gold medal for literature in 1930. W.E.B Du Bois was a well known scholar and activist during the Renaissance. He was the first African American to earn a doctorate from Harvard University and he was the most well known spokesperson for African American’s rights in the first half of the 20th century. He also founded National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Carl Van Vechten became very interested in promoting black artists and writers, even though he is white himself. He started to collect many works of African Americans and later wrote “Nigger Heaven”, which became very controversial in 1926. He then started to photograph the “black experience” (biography.com).

Works Cited: Greenberg, Cheryl. "Mean Streets: Black Harlem in the Great Depression." My Portal. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2013. "History of Harlem." Harlem Heritage. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2013. "Harlem in the 1940's." PBS. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2013. ===="Langston Hughes" [|__http://www.jcu.edu/harlem/index_frame.htm__] . N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. ====

==== During the Great Depression, Harlem, New York was a city alive with advancement as the African-American community was being reshaped. One very important movement that originated there was the Harlem Renaissance. This took place "Between 1920 and 1930", when Harlem became "The largest concentration of black people in the world" (Rowen). ====

==== The aim of the black community during the Harlem Renaissance was to challenge racial stereotypes by taking time to observe and celebrate African-American culture. The article "What was the Harlem Renaissance", states, "The main theme during the Harlem Renaissance was that developing African-American intellect and art would…[bring] blacks to a new level of equality" (What Was the Harlem Renaissance?). This time period welcomed an increase in understanding of black culture with the help of art, music, dance, and others. Literature was possibly the genre most affected during the Harlem Renaissance. "Publishers produced African-American plays, poetry…and other works at a very high rate. This provided a legitimate platform through which African-Americans quickly could spread their ideas and lobby for increased rights" (What Was the Harlem Renaissance?). Literature was vitally important to this movement as it gave blacks the chance to spread awareness and campaign for equality. ====

====Rowen, Beth, and Borgna Brunner. "Great Days in Harlem." Infoplease. Infoplease, 2007. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. ====