Back to School

History of Popular Culture—Week 1, Assignment 2

Discussion question 2

What fueled the growth of the Harlem Renaissance?

Growth of the Harlem Renaissance was fueled by the migration of African-Americans from the Deep South to urban areas, the country’s interest in exploring and experimenting in new areas, and the spread of radical African-American thought through the arts—poetry, novels, paintings, music, theatre, and sculpture. Many African-Americans—whose parents and grandparents had witnessed slavery firsthand—began to exercise their freedom in new ways in the early 1900s. They moved en masse from rural southern towns to urban areas further north. One of the more popular hubs of black migration was the Harlem district of New York City. In such a dense population of people with similar backgrounds, the culture of the area naturally began to exude the rich heritage and unique culture of the African-American people who lived there. In such a safe environment, the poets, writers, musicians and other artists of the area became more and more emboldened to freely express themselves through their works.

Financially, the Renaissance was driven in part by interested whites who regularly visited Harlem to see the area’s performers. Said Langston Hughes in The Big Sea, “White people began to come to Harlem in droves. For several years they packed the expensive Cotton Club on Lenox Avenue.” The whites’ patronage of Harlem speakeasies and night clubs allowed the performers to continue the pursuit of their trades, which further expanded the reach of the Harlem Renaissance.

Why was this movement seen as a unique example of the spread of popular culture?

This movement represented—indeed, affected—America’s perception of African-Americans. It was a major step in helping blacks’ status as Americans overshadow the tone of their skin, helped whites to see that African-Americans were not a lower class of people. America discovered that African-Americans had much to contribute to its own development.

Particularly influential were the musicians of the Harlem Renaissance. The likes of Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong contributed new and exciting ideas to jazz, causing it to morph and transform at a rapid pace. Ellington, a composer, pianist and bandleader, was arguably the most influential of these musicians, and one of the twentieth century’s best-known African-American celebrities. Bessie Smith was to the Harlem Renaissance era of blues what Ellington was to jazz. Singers such as Billie Holiday, Mahalia Jackson, Nina Simone and Janis Joplin have all claimed to have been hugely influenced by Smith.

1. http://www.fatherryan.org/harlemrenaissance
2. http://faculty.pittstate.edu/~knichols/vogue.html
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Ellington
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bessie_Smith
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlem_Renaissance

Discussion question 4

What do you think inspired Gustav Stickley to publish his magazine The Craftsman?

The American Craftsman movement was born out of the British Arts and Crafts movement. As a leading member and spokesman of the American Craftsman movement, Gustav Stickley originally founded The Craftsman to document and expound upon the philosophy of the British Arts and Crafts movement. As the periodical evolved, it became the voice of the American movement.

In all likelihood, Stickley was inspired to publish his magazine to preserve a record of the thought behind the crafts movements. He wanted to share his opinions and document the progression of art- and craft-related trades. He also probably made some money on advertisements.

What made the architecture style promoted by it so popular among the people of the time?

Americans grew to love the American Craftsman style, which Stickley’s periodical promoted. Its original, simple form appealed to many. The natural, local materials and visibility of the handicraft involved in such style helped to bring dignity to even the most modest homes of the quickly growing middle class.

Did it actually contribute to the mood of the generation or was the emergence of the style as a separate movement just a coincidence?

The American Craftsman movement was born of social changes occuring at the time. The “breakfast nook,” for example, was before the movement unheard of. Victorian style dictated that the kitchen should be entirely removed from daily life; it was the place of servants, and an aristocratic family member was not to be seen there. Conversely, in the Craftsman era household, the wife prepared meals. Instead of hiding the kitchen, it became the heart of the home. “The breakfast nook often placed under a window or in its own bay provided a place for the family to gather at any time of the day or evening, particularly while food was being prepared.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Craftsman#Architectural_developments)

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_Stickley
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Craftsman