The Great Gatsby

Harlem Renaissance

"The Harlem Renaissance was a celebration of the "New Negro" but it also was born in the intellectual ferment that flowed from the concept of a 'New Negro'." A "New Negro" was someone who followed W. E. B. DuBois' strategy of challenging racism and taking pride in the culture of African-Americans and taking pride in oneself. An "Old Negro" was one who followed Booker T. Washington's strategy of educational uplifting and economic advancements. Washington and Paul Laurence Dunbar represented "Old Negroes" while DuBois and Marcus Garvey represented "New Negroes." The Harlem Renaissance would not have survived without the aid of artists like Marcus Garvey, Paul Laurence Dunbar, W.E.B. DuBois, Zora Neale Hurston, James Weldon Johnson, and Langston Hughes. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the National Urban League were crucial supporters of the Harlem Renaissance. Publications, such as The Survey Graphic, advertised the Harlem Renaissance as well. These advancements in African-American culture frightened many whites. A classic example is exemplified in The Great Gatsby when Tom Buchanan discloses a book on how to keep the black man in his place. Tom Buchanan is outraged at the newfound audacity of blacks to try to better themselves; he believes that whites should, and always will be, superior to blacks.



Go to Great Gatsby Timeline Page

Go to Megan's Harlem Renaissance Page

Page created on May 10, 1999.
Curator: Cassandra Jackson