The Harlem Renaissance

Occurring during the 1920's and 1930's, the Harlem Renaissance was one of the eras during which man’s potential for creativity and expression reached its height. The African American community in Harlem began to tell its story through visual art, literature, music and dance. Issues like equal rights were inherent what was produced by African Americans during these years. Musicians like Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and Cab Calloway thrived during this era, making contributions to jazz and blues that still influence music today. Artists like Romare Bearden told of African Americans’ struggle through his colorful paintings. The African American intellectual community experienced tremendous growth during this period. W.E.B. DuBois served as editor of The Crisis magazine, while Marcus Garvey founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association. Writers like Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston took the literary scene by storm, expressing the struggles and the achievements of early twentieth century Africa Americans. The Harlem Renaissance is a wonderful topic to address in February during Black History Month, but its themes are certainly relevant all year long, particularly for American history teachers.

An easy but important introductory activity to acquaint students with the Harlem Renaissance is to have them create a timeline. Students can be assigned one or more events to research independently and present to the rest of the class in chronological order. The information can be recorded on file cards which can be affixed to the wall in a timeline.

An important component of the Harlem Renaissance is its art. Students should be encouraged to research a Harlem Renaissance artist like Jacob Lawrence, Romare Bearden and Lois Jones, and create an original painting in the style of their chosen artist. Students should then be encouraged to write an artist’s statement in which they explain the themes which influenced both the artist’s work and their own.

Another worthwhile activity for students to enhance their understanding of the Harlem Renaissance is to have them write blended poems in which they alternate one line from a poem written by a Harlem Renaissance poet with a line of original poetry. What follows are more lesson plans to help teach students about the Harlem Renaissance.

Harlem Renaissance Lesson Plans:

The Impact of the Music of the Harlem Renaissance on Society

This lesson focuses exclusively on the music of this era and how it was influenced by the development of Harlem and its cultural identity. Included in the lesson plan is a comprehensive list of musicians, significant locations in Harlem, and recordings. The lesson also includes some references to more modern musicians which may be more familiar to students and their Harlem Renaissance origins.

Bold & Bright in Harlem

This lesson focuses on the art of Harlem Renaissance artists such as William Henry Johnson, Romare Bearden and Jacob Lawrence, all of whom were interested in documenting the experience of African Americans. Most importantly, their art was meant to depict the everyday experiences of people living in Harlem. Students should be encouraged to document visually the everyday lives of their friends and family in the styles of Lawrence, Bearden and Johnson.

Extra! Extra! Harlem Renaissance Tribune

For teachers desiring a more broad-based approach, this lesson gives students the opportunity to create a Harlem Renaissance era paper. Not only do students conduct independent research and write articles, but they will also have a chance to hone their technology skills by designing a newspaper.