Dona Herweck Rice

Dona Herweck Rice

Consultant
Jennifer M. Lopez, NBCT, M.S.Ed.
Teacher Specialist—History/Social Studies
Office of Curriculum & Instruction
Norfolk Public Schools

Publishing Credits
Rachelle Cracchiolo, M.S.Ed., Publisher
Conni Medina, M.A.Ed., Editor in Chief
Emily R. Smith, M.A.Ed., Content Director
Véronique Bos, Creative Director
Robin Erickson, Art Director
Michelle Jovin, M.A., Associate Editor
Mindy Duits, Senior Graphic Designer

Image Credits: front cover (bottom left) Library of Congress, William P. Gottlieb Collection [LC-
GLB13- 0421]; front cover (bottom right) LOC [LC-USZ62-127236]; pp.2–3 LOC, William P. Gottlieb
Collection [LC-GLB23-1019 DLC]; p.5 (left) Newscom; p.5 (right) Lebrecht Music & Arts/Alamy; p.6 (left)
LOC, General Collections [Digital ID # na0026]; p.7 (right) LOC [LC-DIG-ppmsca-38818]; p.7 (left) The
University of Chicago Library; p.8 (right) LOC [LC-DIG-fsa-8c02701]; p.9 LOC [LC-USF33-020566-M4];
p.10 (left) LOC [E185 .5.O6]; p.11 Archive Photos/Getty Images; pp.12–13 Valerie Gerrard Browne/
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Collection/Getty Images; p.17 (right) LOC [LC-USZ62-39300]; p.18 LOC [LC-GLB13-0421]; p.19 Bettman/
Getty Images; p.19 (insert) Cab Calloway, “The New Cab Calloway’s Cat-ologue/a Hepster’s Dictionary”
(Revised Edition, NY, 1939); p.20, p.25 (top right) New York Public Library; p.21 (left) National Portrait
Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of W. Tjark Reiss, in memory of his father, Winold Reiss. © Estate of
Winold Reiss; p.21 (right), p.23, p.24 Carl Van Vechten photograph/Beinecke Library © Van Vechten Trust;
p.22 New York Public Library/Science Source; p.25 (left) LOC [LC-USZ62-126945]; p.25 (bottom right) LOC
[LC-USZ62-42529]; p.26 National Museum of American History; p.27 Weegee (Arthur Fellig)/International
Center of Photography/Getty Images; p.29 LOC [LC-GLB23-0285 DLC]; p.32 (left) Indiana Historical Society;
p.32 (right) LOC [m1508.52922]; all other images from iStock and/or Shutterstock.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Rice, Dona, author.
Title: Harlem Renaissance / Dona Herweck Rice.
Description: 1st. | Huntington Beach : Teacher Created Materials, 2019. |
Audience: Ages 7 | Audience: Grades 2-3 | Summary: “After years of
oppression and slavery, a new day dawned for African Americans in the
early twentieth century. An explosion of art, literature, music, and
more swept the nation. In Harlem, New York, it was especially evident.
It was there that a renaissance of art and thought caught the attention
of the country and the world. Life was forever changed for both black
and white Americans”-- Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2019024297 (print) | LCCN 2019024298 (ebook) | ISBN
9781425850678 (paperback) | ISBN 9781425850678 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: African Americans--Music--History and criticism--Juvenile
literature. | Jazz--New York (State)--New York--1921-1930--History and
criticism--Juvenile literature. | Jazz--New York (State)--New
York--1931-1940--History and criticism--Juvenile literature. | Harlem
Renaissance--Juvenile literature. | Harlem (New York,
N.Y.)--Intellectual life--20th century--Juvenile literature.
Classification: LCC ML3508.8.N5 R53 2019 (print) | LCC ML3508.8.N5
(ebook) | DDC 780.89/9607307471--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019024297
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019024298

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 Table of Contents
The A Train. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

A Renaissance in Harlem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

All That Jazz and the Crazy Blues . . . . . . . . . . 14

A Dream Deferred. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

The Renaissance Lives On. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Sing It!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Glossary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Your Turn!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

3
 The A Train
The piano dives into a melody with a playful sweep of jitter and
bounce. The piano notes are answered by a trumpeting blast of
horns. Low and deep, the bass plucks a syncopated beat as the cool
drum lays down a jolting rhythm. And while the music plays, Ella
Fitzgerald stands poised at the microphone. She looks magnificent
in a shimmering gown and a high hairdo. She begins to add a
new instrument—her voice—to the melody. Fitzgerald weaves a
spellbinding scat. But the horns are demanding, pushing Fitzgerald
to slide and dive into the swinging lyrics of the classic jazz standard.

You must take the A train,

To go to Sugar Hill way up in Harlem.
If you miss the A train
You find you’ve missed the quickest way to Harlem.
Hurry! Get on now, it’s coming.
Listen to those rails a-thrumming.
Oh boy, get on the A train.
Soon you will be on Sugar Hill in Harlem.

“Take the A Train” is an old-school jazz song. Billy Strayhorn

wrote it for Duke Ellington and his orchestra. It became a signature
song for both Ellington and Fitzgerald. Strayhorn wrote the song
in a tribute to the New York City subway train he rode into Harlem,
New York. He claimed that writing it felt just like writing a letter to
an old friend.

4
 Queen Ella
Ella Fitzgerald was a famous singer and
was often called the Queen of Jazz.
She performed all over the country,
but she was especially known for
performing at the Savoy Ballroom in
the heart of New York City’s Harlem
neighborhood.

Sugar Hill
At the time that “Take the A
Train” was written, Sugar Hill
in Harlem was an upscale
area. Billy Strayhorn and
Duke Ellington, the famous
jazz pianist and orchestra
leader, lived there. In the
1930s and ’40s, many
wealthy African Americans
made it their home.

Fitzgerald sings
in Harlem

5
 A Renaissance
in Harlem
Other Work It wasn’t just jazz singers who felt “called” to Harlem.
Du Bois helped found From about 1918 to 1937, Harlem was home to a
the National Association cultural awakening. This time was known as the
for the Advancement of Harlem Renaissance. Writers, artists, and scholars
Colored People (NAACP). shined a light on black culture and emphasized racial
He was also editor of pride. They also highlighted the problems that black
its magazine, The Crisis. people faced in the United States.
Du Bois published many
Harlem Renaissance writers African American leaders, such as W. E. B. Du
in the magazine. Bois (doo-BOYZ), began to gain fame. Du Bois
spoke of how black people had suffered through
the years of slavery. He spent his life trying
to right those wrongs. Du Bois worked to
form a world in which black people could live
their lives fully. His book, The Souls of Black
Folk, is still considered a masterpiece work
on race. Du Bois’s book focused on seeing
African Americans as people. At the time he
wrote the book, many people did not accept
this fact. Deep racism was still rooted in
American society.

Finding Harlem
Harlem is in Upper Manhattan
(New York City). It is in between
the Hudson River, the Harlem River,
and the East River. Dutch sailors
founded Harlem in 1658.

6
Du Bois in 1919

7
 Equality in the Arts
Great Migration Du Bois claimed that equality for all people would
Many enslaved people start in the arts. He wrote, “It is today that our best
saw the North as a way work can be done and not some future day or future
to find freedom. Then, in year.” Du Bois and other leaders believed that black
the post–Civil War era, the people in Harlem would lead the way to a less racist,
North continued to call to more equal country.
many people. People who
had little money and those In response to these beliefs, bright and gifted black
under threats of violence people moved to Harlem. Many of them came from
were especially drawn to it. the South in what is known as the Great Migration.
They were trying to escape the unfair, racist Jim
Crow laws that had taken over the South. Jim Crow
Jim Crow laws were designed to keep black people from
The phrase “Jim Crow”
having the same rights as white people. After the
probably comes from a Civil War and Reconstruction eras, Jim Crow laws
racist character played by
a white entertainer named
Thomas Rice. In the 1830s,
Rice created the Jim Crow A family moves north during
character to make fun of black the Great Migration.
people and the president. He
sang and danced while wearing
blackface. He called the act
“Jump Jim Crow.” The phrase
became popular throughout the
segregated South.

8
made segregation legal. The laws took power from black people and gave
it to white people. In this way, the old social order could continue, even
without slavery. Recent social and political advancements were undone.
The legacy of slavery lived on.
In Harlem, things were different. For many black people, Harlem
was a safe place compared to the racism they likely would have faced in
other cities.

These men study the route

from Florida to Delaware.

9
 An Explosion of Culture
Opportunity The explosion of black culture in Harlem was fast
Opportunity: Journal of and widespread. The area was rich with new and
Negro Life was published creative forms of expression. Meanwhile, a growing
from 1923 to 1949. This community of African American people thrived and
magazine supported prospered.
writers and artists of the
time. It also helped to Some white people also moved to Harlem. They
promote the new field of were especially drawn to the music clubs, where jazz
African American studies. and blues were played to large crowds. At this time,
mixed crowds of white and black people were nearly
unheard of. In Harlem, music brought the two races
together.
Of course, creating art was not new for the black
community. But the amount of art was new. The
volume of essays, books, music, and more was
unlike anything that had come before in the United
States. These art forms spread out
from Harlem. Soon, people across
the country and around the
world were enjoying art from
From Poverty to the Harlem Renaissance.
Prosperity
The artists and
After its renaissance, Harlem
scholars of the Harlem
fell into decline and poverty
and became known for its high
Renaissance lit a
crime rates. But as with much of flame. The flame,
New York City, renewal followed. in turn, set off an
Today, areas in Harlem are explosion of culture.
some of the most desired
properties in the city.

10
Two guests at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem
dance to jazz music.

11
 Beyond Harlem
While Harlem blazed with creative energy, it did not
shine on its own. Throughout the country, the black
community had found an outlet. The oppression of past
decades was losing its hold. New art forms that began in
black culture were spreading across the country.
The music of the renaissance—jazz and blues—was born
outside of Harlem. The birthplaces of these musical genres
could be found in Memphis, New Orleans, and other cities.
Soon, jazz and blues spread like wildfire throughout the
country. Musicians such as Jelly Roll Morton, Ma Rainey,
and W. C. Handy brought the music to life. When jazz and
blues finally made their way to Harlem, large crowds came
to listen.
A few miles south of Harlem, a show on Broadway was
taking the theater community by storm. It was the 1921
production Shuffle Along. This musical play brought jazz
to theater. The show was also produced, written, and
performed by African Americans. Crowds went wild for
the groundbreaking new play.

This painting by artist Archibald Motley

shows dancers at a jazz club in Chicago
during the Harlem Renaissance.

12
Musical Revival
In 2016, Shuffle Along opened on
Broadway once again. However, the
new storyline is different. The original
was about a campaign for mayor in a
small town. The new show tells the
story of how the 1921 production of
Shuffle Along improved race relations.

Prosperity to
Depression
After World War I ended in
1918, the United States
became a leading world
power. This helped many
people become rich in the
early 1920s. Later in the
decade, financial growth
slowed. When the Great
Depression struck in 1929,
it marked the beginning
of the end of the Harlem
Renaissance.

13
 All That Jazz and
Louis’s Early Life
the Crazy Blues
Louis Armstrong has been What exactly is jazz? Famous jazz singer Louis
called “one of the most Armstrong is believed to have said, “If you have to
influential artists in jazz ask what jazz is, you’ll never know.”
history.” For all his fame,
however, Armstrong had a Jazz is a musical style that is largely American in
rocky start in life. He was origin. It comes mainly from African American
born into extreme poverty musical traditions. Most likely it began in the
and was forced to work as South, near the beginning of the twentieth century.
a child. When he was about
12 years old, he was sent
to live in a home for young Louis Armstrong
troublemakers. It was there
that Armstrong learned how
to play an instrument called a
cornet. After that, Armstrong’s
love of music took off.

Sound the Horn!

One of the iconic sounds of jazz
and blues music is the wail of a
trumpet. Great musicians, such
as Louis Armstrong and Dizzy
Gillespie, made the trumpet sing
through the Harlem Renaissance
and beyond. However, the trumpet
has a much longer history than the
Harlem Renaissance. Records show
that the first trumpet was invented
around 1500 BC.

14
 Armstrong (kneeling) and his band

There are a lot of types of jazz, which can make it hard to define.
People sometimes say jazz is improvisational. Some people use terms
such as polyphonic and swing when talking about jazz. Each of these
terms is meant to capture the movement and feeling of jazz. For many
people, jazz is one of those “I know it when I hear it” things.
However it is described, jazz was the soundtrack of the Harlem
Renaissance. For some people, jazz is the Harlem Renaissance.
A close relation to jazz is the blues. The blues was born out of black
culture in the South. The style can be traced back to the late nineteenth
century. The blues is known for its sad-sounding bass. The blues also
has emotional lyrics and repeating sounds. The blues began in African
American spiritual music. It later branched out to form rock and roll
and other genres.
15
 The Savoy Swing
Part of what drew people to Harlem was the dance and music
clubs there. The most famous clubs tended to be in the Lenox
Avenue area. The “Jazz Age,” as it was known, came into full
bloom in places like the Cotton Club and the Savoy Ballroom,
both located on Lenox Ave.
The Savoy was called the “soul of Harlem.” It was a public
ballroom where jazz musicians played. Massive crowds of people
danced away each night to the swinging tunes. Four thousand
dancers could fit into the block-long Savoy! It was packed every
night. Black and white people alike danced there; the Savoy did
not discriminate—unless a person could not dance well!

A crowd gathers outside the

Savoy Ballroom in 1938.

16
 Professional dancers demonstrate The Cotton Club
the lindy hop in 1943.
While the Savoy was open to all, only white
people were allowed as guests in the Cotton
Club. Many celebrities visited the Cotton
Club to hear the latest jazz. One frequent
visitor was baseball legend Babe Ruth.
Ruth was at the top of his career during
the Harlem Renaissance. He became
close friends with both black and white
performers at the Cotton Club and invited
some of them to visit him in the Yankee
clubhouse.

Lindbergh
In 1919, a hotel owner named
Raymond Orteig announced a
$25,000 reward (around $360,000
today) for the first pilot who could
fly nonstop between New York City
and Paris. Several pilots tried over
the next few years but all failed. On
May 20, 1927, Charles Lindbergh
took off. More than 33 hours later,
Lindbergh landed in Paris to a
The Savoy was known for its dancers, and huge crowd of people. Lindbergh
won the prize and was instantly
bouncers would turn away people who couldn’t famous for his daring trip.
keep up. A group of amazing dancers called
the Savoy Lindy Hoppers could be found in the
ballroom every night. The lindy hop is a style of
dance with fast jumps and kicks, all while partners
stay in contact. The style was born in Harlem. It gets
its name from the famous pilot Charles Lindbergh,
who was known as “Lucky Lindy.” Lindy “hopped”
the Atlantic Ocean in his plane—hence, the lindy hop
name. People loved it, and lindy hop competitions
became a regular event at the Savoy.
17
 Jive Talk
In 1938, musician Cab Calloway created the
first dictionary written and edited by an African
American person. He called it Hepster’s Dictionary.
It is a glossary of jive—the language of jazz.
Jive is the lyrical slang heard in the world of the
Harlem Renaissance. Like with other art forms
of the period, jive language made its way into
Lady Day mainstream language and remains in use. Some
Billie Holiday is considered people claim to be “beat” when they are tired. That
by many people to be one term comes from jive. People who say they “had
of the greatest jazz vocalists a ball” to describe having fun are using jive too.
of all time. Nicknamed Lady Something that’s perfect is “in the groove,” while
Day, she was one of the first looking neat and put together is to look “sharp.” A
African American singers to person who can’t hear something may ask you to
work with a white orchestra.
“come again.” At that, you can reply, “Yeah, man.”
She had a very unique voice.
Many people enjoyed her A Harlem “hep cat” (knowledgeable person)
emotional interpretation speaks perfect jive to every “jack and chick”
of lyrics.
(man and woman). He “breaks it up” (wins
applause) by “jamming” (playing music) in a
“killer-diller” (exciting) show. If you want to
Cab Calloway sound like a hep cat, “lay your racket” (talk jive)
Calloway’s breakout hit in 1931, and show them that you “collar” (understand)
“Minnie the Moocher,” made him it. You can “beat up your chops” (talk) until
a huge star. Calloway played the “joint is jumping” (everyone is having a lot
regularly at the Cotton Club and of fun).
worked as both a singer and an
orchestra leader. He was known Go ahead—“slide your jib” (talk freely)!
especially for scatting, which he
does in “Minnie.”

18
Calloway and his band

19
 A Dream Deferred
If music was the heart of the renaissance, then literature was its
mind. Magazines like The Crisis were full of the literary works
of black authors. Mainstream publishers began to print black
authors’ work in numbers never before seen. These printings
played a role in making black authors famous around the world.
Harlem was also home to the birth of a literary genre. Just
as jazz music came forward as a new type of music, jazz poetry
was born as a new genre of literature. The rhythms of the poetry
reflect the rhythms of the music. Jazz poetry—like jazz music—is
also deeply based in black culture.

Hughes (left) meets with other

writers and community leaders in
20 Harlem in 1924.
 The Dean
Alain Locke is sometimes called the
Dean of the Harlem Renaissance.
Locke was the first African American to
be named a Rhodes Scholar. Rhodes
Scholars are given a special two-year
scholarship to Oxford University in
England. Locke received this rare
honor in 1907.

Thurman’s Belief
Like Du Bois, many black writers
This 1925 painting of Hughes hangs in thought their writings would
the National Portrait Gallery. convince people to change the
old social order. A young writer
Jazz poets became famous. One of those poets and editor named Wallace
Thurman challenged that
was Langston Hughes. Hughes’s jazz poetry, novels,
idea. He believed that black
plays, and other works gained him fame. Hughes writers should write whatever
became known for his descriptions of black life in they wanted and not worry
the United States. In his poem “Harlem,” Hughes so much about what white
writes of “a dream deferred.” The dream may be the people thought. Thurman’s
equality black Americans had been denied. Hughes home in New York City
also asks whether a dream deferred might “explode.” became a meeting place
Maybe the Harlem Renaissance was the explosion for black writers to share
Hughes was talking about. their ideas.

21
 Langston Hughes
Simple Langston Hughes was born in Missouri but
traveled to New York City to follow his dreams of
In his column for the
being a famous writer. Hughes was a poet and a
Chicago Defender, Hughes
developed a character playwright. He also wrote essays and novels.
named Jesse B. Semple— A lot of his writing focused on the experiences
better known as Simple. of black people at the time.
Simple was a type of black
“everyman.” Hughes
used Simple to relate the
everyday experiences of While in high school, Hughes
trained as a junior military officer.
black Americans. He used
Simple in later books and
plays as well.

Unspoken Notes
When Hughes died in 1967,
many people attended his
funeral. Few words were spoken
in remembrance of the great
man of words. Instead, friends
and accomplished musicians filled
the room with jazz and blues—a
reflection of Hughes’s poetry and
a tribute to his role in the Harlem
Renaissance.

22
 For 20 years, Hughes was also a columnist for the Chicago Defender. This
was a successful black newspaper. In his column, Hughes wrote about many
subjects. Sometimes, he wrote about the dreams and struggles of the black
community. Other times, he wrote about politics and justice. Hughes often
wrote about civil rights and equality. Hughes was not afraid to say what was
wrong with the way things were.
Hughes traveled and lived all over the world, including long periods
of time spent in Harlem. Everywhere he went, he studied people closely.
Hughes wrote about what he saw in different cultures and races. His writings
informed and influenced people around the world. They are filled with deep,
realistic observations on life. Hughes’s writings are still as celebrated today as
they were during the renaissance.

23
 Zora Neale Hurston
Zora Neale Hurston was born in Alabama. When Hurston was
old enough, she left home to travel the world. Hurston liked to meet
and study people. She collected stories from many cultures. She was
most interested in stories about African American people. Maybe it
was these stories that inspired her to become a writer.
During Hurston’s time, it was rare for women to go to college. It
was even rarer for black women to go to college. But Hurston earned
a degree from Howard University in 1920. Soon after, she moved to
Harlem. It was there
that she really began her
career as a writer.
Hurston’s home
became a place for
friends and writers to
meet. They shared ideas
and supported each
other. Hurston’s work
began to be published
in popular magazines.
People could read her
writings in Opportunity
and The Journal of
American Folklore. She
and her friends, such as
Langston Hughes, lived
exciting lives. They
were at the center of
Harlem in its rebirth.

Hurston in 1940

24
 Gwendolyn Bennett
Gwendolyn Bennett was born in Texas.
She was a celebrated journalist,
poet, and painter of the renaissance.
Bennett was college educated and
also studied in Paris, France. Along
with her many other achievements,
she was also the head of the Harlem
Community Art Center.

Countee Cullen
Countee Cullen was another
In the 1930s, Hurston won a grant. It gave her a celebrated poet and
chance to travel and write full-time. She did—and playwright of the Harlem
wrote her most honored work, Their Eyes Were Renaissance. He married
Watching God. Many scholars consider it among Nina Yolande Du Bois—the
the best works of American fiction. daughter of W. E. B. Du Bois.
Many people considered this
the union of old and new
black culture. The wedding
was a huge society event.

25
 The Renaissance
Lives On
The explosion of culture that was the Harlem
Renaissance made waves throughout the world.
Madam Walker Although the rebirth of art slowed during the Great
Depression, it never died. From then until now, the
Madam C. J. Walker was a
creative output of black artists has flourished. It is
self-made millionaire at a
time when that was nearly
the artists and scholars of the Harlem Renaissance
impossible for a black who helped to make this possible.
woman. She used part of
Take a look at African American history. It’s a
her wealth to support the
advancement of African
history that includes the enslavement of an entire
American people. When race of people. It’s a history of countless numbers
she died, her daughter of people who were kept from fulfilling their
turned Walker’s New York dreams. The impact of the Harlem Renaissance
City mansion into a meeting cannot be overstated. There is no changing
place for members of the history and no way to rediscover what was lost.
renaissance. But perhaps the voices of the Harlem Renaissance
have allowed us to imagine and shape a better
future. Perhaps the dream once deferred is now
Harlem a dream being realized.
Globetrotters Listen! Can you hear it?
A famous basketball team
was founded in 1926—but
Hurry! Get on now, it’s coming.
not in Harlem. The Harlem
Globetrotters team began in Listen to those rails a-thrumming.
Chicago. But the team took
Oh boy, get on the A train.
the name “Harlem” to honor
the cultural revolution that was Soon you will be on Sugar Hill in Harlem.
happening at the time.

26
caption
27
 Sing It!
Great jazz and blues singers of the Harlem
Renaissance sometimes sang in scat. To scat
is to sing random syllables that don’t have
meaning but—when sung in a jazz or blues
style—echo the wail, thump, and thrum of
instruments. Scatting done well inspires a
feeling and may even tell a story!
Listen to scatting in some classic songs. When you hear
singers break into scat, you may want to scat along yourself.
Give it a try! Pick a jazz or blues song from the Harlem
Renaissance, such as one of these classics:
✽✽ “What a Little Moonlight Can Do”—Billie Holiday
✽✽ “Ain’t Misbehavin’”—Louis Armstrong
✽✽ “How High the Moon”—Ella Fitzgerald
Select a section from your song and write a scat for it.
Once it is written, practice your scat. Then perform it! After
you’ve performed, push yourself even further to perform
improvisational scats. Play an old jazz instrumental piece,
such as one of these:
✽✽ “The Harlem Strut”—James P. Johnson
✽✽ “Ham and Eggs”—Jelly Roll Morton
✽✽ “East St. Louis Toodle-Oo”—Duke Ellington
Scat to the sound, and as you do, try to tell a story. You
might even challenge your friends to a “scat off ” and see who
can come closest to Fitzgerald, Armstrong, and other greats
in their scatting abilities!

28
Ella Fitzgerald

29
 Glossary
blackface—dark makeup worn to mainstream—having to do with
give the look of very dark skin the largest number of people in a
society
bouncers—workers hired to keep
people out of businesses, usually oppression—unfair, cruel treatment
clubs or bars of a person or group
cultural awakening—a discovery, orchestra—a group of musicians
a revival, or an embracing of who play together and who are led
something from a culture, by a conductor
including literature, art, music,
playwright—a person who
language, and more
writes plays
dean—someone who is in charge of
polyphonic—having many sounds
part or all of a university, college,
and melodies played or sung
or school
simultaneously
deferred—postponed
scat—a jazz style of singing, which
genres—categories or types, uses nonsense syllables but allows
especially of literature, music, emotion to help tell a story
and other art forms
segregation—the practice of
grant—money or scholarship keeping people of different races,
offered for a particular purpose religions, or other groups separate
from one another
improvisational—describes a
performance that is done without social order—the system of human
preparation relationships within a society
literary—having to do with written swing—an upbeat rhythm that is
materials, usually in the form of played mostly for dancing
stories, poems, and plays
syncopated—music in which the
weak beats are stressed instead of
the strong beats

30
Index
Armstrong, Louis, 14–15 Lindbergh, Charles, 17
Bennett, Gwendolyn, 25 Locke, Alain, 21
Calloway, Cab, 18–19 Morton, Jelly Roll, 12
Chicago Defender, 22–23 National Association for the
Advancement of Colored
Cotton Club, 16–18 People (NAACP), 6
Crisis, The, 6, 20 Opportunity: Journal of Negro
Cullen, Countee, 25 Life, 10, 24
Du Bois, Nina Yolande, 25 Orteig, Raymond, 17
Du Bois, W. E. B., 6–8, 21, 25 Oxford University, 21
Ellington, Duke, 4–5 Rainey, Ma, 12
Fitzgerald, Ella, 4–5 Rhodes Scholar, 21
Great Depression, 13, 26 Rice, Thomas, 8
Great Migration, 8 Ruth, Babe, 17
Handy, W. C., 12 Savoy Ballroom, 5, 11, 16–17
Harlem Globetrotters, 26 Shuffle Along, 12–13
Hepster’s Dictionary, 18 Souls of Black Folk, The, 6–7
Holiday, Billie (Lady Day), 18 Strayhorn, Billy, 4–5
Hughes, Langston, 20–23, 25 “Take the A Train,” 4–5, 26
Hurston, Zora Neale, 24–25 Thurman, Wallace, 21
jazz poetry, 20–21 Walker, Madam C. J., 26
Jim Crow Laws, 8
31
 Your Turn!
When Shuffle Along first showed on Broadway, it marked
a new day for the country. It was the first show written by,
produced by, and starring black people. In what ways could
something like that make a difference?
Imagine you are a newspaper reporter in 1921. Write
an editorial (opinion piece) about why Shuffle Along is
important not only for Broadway but also for the country
as a whole.

32
Reader’s Guide
1. What was the Harlem Renaissance?

2. How was jazz poetry like jazz music?

3. In what ways did culture play a role in the

Harlem Renaissance?

4. Explain why the Harlem Renaissance was an

important time period in U.S. history.

5. What effects of the Harlem Renaissance are felt in

the United States today?

6. Pretend you are the owner of the Savoy Ballroom.

Create an ad that encourages people to come
dance at your establishment.
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