The Harlem Renaissance - LSC-Kingwood
-from about 1919 to about 1930-
During the period from just after World War I until just after the stock market crash in 1929, the vibrancy of the newly discovered African American art, music and literature were celebrated in Harlem, New York. Why Harlem? Several factors contributed to this place and time. New York had long been considered the cultural capital of the country and Harlem experienced a large growth in population as thousands of blacks migrated to the area. Harlem was also the national headquarters for recently founded organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, The United Negro improvement Association, and the Urban League. Black pride in Harlem was represented by two large parades which had happened at the end of World War I. In 1917, more than 10,000 blacks had marched in silence to protest against anti-black violence, and in 1919, blacks marched again to celebrate the homecoming of the highly decorated, all-black 369th Infantry from their service in WWI. Harlem was not a ghetto, it was a black city.
Harlem Renaissance is considered the first important movement of black artists and writers in the US. Centered in Harlem, NY during the 1920s, black writers published more than ever before. Influential and lasting black authors, artists, and musicians received their first serious critical appraisal. This group included Zora Neale Hurston, W.E.B. DuBois, Langston Hughes, Jean Toomer, and Alain Locke , who was considered the chief interpreter for the Harlem movement.
Books: overviews and in-depth information
Books are a great source for an overview of the period called the Harlem Renaissance. Books also contain detailed information on important people, places and events. A small selection of books about the time and some of the authors is listed below. Use the catalog to find other titles you need, and scan the shelves near these call numbers to find books with similar content.
Librarian Talk . . . About Getting Started! As you begin, decide on your topic and write a draft of your thesis statement. This will help keep you on track as you discover research materials. Consider keywords that will help you find the information you need. These can be names of people (author, characters, settings), themes, literary works (Beloved as a subject) genres or broader identifying terms (African American Writers) Use keywords for locating information in the library catalog, electronic databases, and on the Internet.
REF E169.12 .A419 American Decades: 1920-1929 This history contains information about the whole decade with some good information on the Harlem Renaissance and leaders in the African American community.
E 185.6 .H858 Harlem Renaissance by Nathan Irvin Huggins - more books about the Harlem Renaissance can be found near this call number.
REF NX 512.3 .A35 H69 Harlem Renaissance by Kelly King Howes, ed. Christine Slovey - Artists including literary figures of the Harlem Renaissance are the main focus of this book. Use this call number to locate other books about the artists of the period.
REF PS153 .N5 A344 African American Writers Essays on many of the prominent authors who wrote during the Harlem Renaissance.
REF PS153 .N5 O96 The Oxford Companion to African American Literature A good entry on the Harlem Renaissance as well as short entries on the authors.
PS 153 .N5 H267 Harlem Speaks: a living history of the Harlem Renaissance edited by Cary D. Wintz This book about the literature of the Harlem Renaissance is just one of the books on the writers. Search the catalog for authors' names, Harlem Renaissance, and African American literature to find more.
PS 549 .N5 B45 Beloved Harlem: a literary tribute to Black America's most famous neighborhood : from the classics to contemporary edited by William H. Banks, Jr. An Anthology of some of the great literature from the Harlem Renaissance and beyond.
The Souls of Black Folks ebook online from The University of Virginia
The Harlem Renaissance: an annotated reference guide for student research by Marie E. Rodgers ebook from the eBook Collection.
[People in the photograph to the right are: Row 1: (left to right) Countee Cullen and Alice Dunbar-Nelson / Row 2: Angelina Weld Grimké and Langston Hughes / Row 3: Alain Locke and Claude McKay / and in Row 4: Wallace Thurman and Carl Van Vechten]
Tip: To find books on literary figures, search using the author's name as a keyword. You will find books by and about writers like Langston Hughes, Lorraine Hansberry, August Wilson, Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Ernest Gaines, Sonia Sanchez, June Jordan, W.E.B. DuBois, Marcus Garvey, Alain Locke, Claude McKay, Zora Neale Hurston, Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison, Charles Chesnutt, Henry Highland Garnet and Ann Petry.
Databases: Finding scholarly articles
Project Muse | Begin your search by entering the title of the novel in the search box in quotation marks. Use the limiters on the left side of the screen to focus your search to Journals, full access (complete articles), or research areas. You can Modify a search to add keywords from your thesis - click on the + mark to add search boxes. This database is also entirely scholarly, so all articles will be the appropriate academic level for your research.
Librarian Talk . . . About Finding Journal and Newspaper Articles! Electronic databases are purchased by the libraries for your research use. To find articles in newspapers and journals, letters, reference books, illustrations, photographs and more, use your updated library card to login to the following databases. If you find an interesting article that is not full-text, please contact one of the Reference Librarians and they will help you get the article. They will need full bibliographic information - and your name and address. Send your phone number as well, so they can contact you if they need to. There is some overlap of articles in the following databases. However, we encourage you to use more than one. All are excellent sources for this topic.
HINT: For a full list of article databases, go to the LSC Libraries Research Databases page and use the barcode number from your Lone Star College ID or library card for login.
JSTOR | Print or save full-text articles from high quality scholarly journals, generally from older issues. Use the Advanced Search page for the most productive searches. Limit your search to articles to locate analytical articles on Beloved. Focus your search results by choosing the discipline Language & Literature from the disciplines list.
Literature Resource Center | Full text articles from reference books and Twayne's Masterworks books. It also has links to some scholarly journal articles and appropriate Internet sites.Academic Search Complete | This large collection of journal and magazine article contains many literary journals. Limit to "Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals" to locate only scholarly journals.
Bloom's Literary Database Online | This database is a collection of many analytical essays discussing major literature. These essays, originally published in print form, are accessible now for research online. Find information about the novel you are discussing in your literature course, or read about the fascinating lives of world-famous writers-from Aeschylus to Anita Desai, from Ernest Hemingway to Émile Zola. Included are discussions of great works of literature-from influential novels, poems, and plays to important works of nonfiction.
Films on Demand | This database of videos contains may full length films and segments of videos on the Harlem Renaissance and specific authors as well as notable artists and performers. A few segments are linked here, but you can search the database for others. Keeping the Harlem Renaissance Alive | Langston Hughes | Early Twentieth Century Theater in Harlem | August Wilson.
Related Assignment GuidesLSC-Kingwood Assignment guides offering information about African American history and the Harlem Renaissance are available online. Use these helpful guides to find more information about specific events or periods.
The American Cultural History – decade 1920-1929 || An in depth look at the cultural history of the 1920's decade in AmericaAmerican Popular Music 1900-1950 || Specifically about music, watch the digital story to hear more of the influence of African Americans on popular music.
A Gathering of Old Men – Ernest Gaines || Examine this more contemporary novel by Ernest Gaines
Their Eyes were Watching God – Zora Neale Hurston || This wonderful novel by Zora Neal Hurston has a terrific digital story to help you hear the sound of her voice.
Beloved - Toni Morrison || Nobel prize winning author Toni Morrison's novel.
African American History is included in:
U. S. History from Civil War to the Present || Look at the role of African Americans in our nation's history.History 1301 – Antebellum Period || Just after the Civil War, this guide examines slavery and other issues.
Slavery Revolt || An in depth look at Nat Turner and The Fires of Jubilee.
Internet
Librarian Talk ... about the Internet! The Internet can be a wonderful source of original documents. Evaluate the sites you find by looking at:
- Accuracy - The information should be researched and show proof of that research.
- Source - Look at the domain - .gov .edu .net .org - are domains which are frequently valid resources.
- Authority- Look at the author's credentials. Don't quote from another college freshman's paper. Google the author's name to determine his level of expertise.
- Coverage - Does this web page have all the information you need for your research?
- Objectivity - is the site biased? It is okay to use a site with a stated opinion, just make sure your professor knows YOU understand the bias. Offer both sides of an issue if applicable.
More about finding Internet sources (25 sec.)
There are many websites on all aspects of the Harlem Renaissance. Those listed here are just examples of many interesting source of information. Remember that your instructor is the final judge of which sites you may use for your research.
Alain Locke || One of the many African Americans highlighted on this internet site. Look at the bottom of this page for links to more.
African Voices || a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering cultural understanding and awareness through literature and the arts.
Digital Library of African American Women Writers of the 19th Century || from the New York Public Library - a really nice web site.
The Harlem Renaissance MultiMedia resource || from John Carroll University, a history of the period with some good media and images.
Getting Help for Your Assignment
Librarian Talk About Getting Help!
Support for a successful paper is more than finding the right resources. Putting it all together takes time and effort. Sometimes it takes additional help from the librarians or tutors. Please consider the following resources if you need additional help. Remember, the expert on the assignment is your professor; log in to LSC-Online and use your in-class email to contact him/her.
Citing Sources Using the Library MLA Style Guide | Lone Star College - Kingwood Library guide. Examples of both paper and electronic citations.
Avoiding Plagiarism | Excellent information and guide on how to avoid plagiarism from the Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University.
University of Texas Copyright Crash Course | This helpful guide on copyright is suggested by Lone Star College-Kingwood Teaching and Learning Center.
Learning Center | Offers tutoring services for Lone Star College-Kingwood students in most subjects as well as other services.
Page by Becky Bradley 5/2011 || updated BB 7/2012
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