What Did Langston Hughes Do During The Harlem Renaissance?

Mercy Brimpong
Ms. McEachern
American Literature
29 March 2013
The Roaring Twenties
The 1920s were an outburst of Black artistic and literary originality. America began to make progress as a society. The Harlem Renaissance was significant because it was an era in the 1920s when African-Americans made incredible improvements in literary works and art. This was a time for Blacks to show their talents to the world. The Harlem Renaissance was a time for African Americans to portray their culture through numerous categories including music, poetry, and dance.
Many talented musicians came out during the Harlem Renaissance. There has been an abundance of musicians that have inspired other people to become as great as them. Born on April 15,
Most poets of the day were able to capture people in a manner so magnificent when they wrote their poems. Langston Hughes was a famous African American poet and shared his experiences through his poetry. Besides being a superb poet Mr. Hughes also partook in being an author, scriptwriter, writing short stories, and also a journalist (Niemi1). When Mr. Hughes was a young child, he would read many of his grandfather’s stories and he learned how hard it was being free and that is what inspired him to begin writing (Niemi1). In 1926, Carl Van Vechten helped Mr. Hughes to publish his first book ever and he named it The Weary Blues (Niemi1). His first collection of verse was such a success, that he decided to write a second book of verse called “Fine Clothes to the Jew” in 1927, and this book was more successful than “The Weary Blues” (Niemi 2). He published some of the greatest poems in the world, making the upcoming of poetry such a big deal in the
This new era showed that they were worth more than slaves, and even sharecroppers. People began to see that Blacks were actually cultivated in different areas such as literature and art. They proved themselves to the American society and brought them one step closer away from racism and segregation. African-Americans knew that they would have to do something to show that they were worth more than the world could ever see them as, and if it was through dance, poetry, and music, then they would do that. These new genres and styles of music began to make other African-Americans see their potential and they were inspired. The 1920s was not only a successful for Blacks, but successful for the United States as a whole. This era has greatly influenced the styles of poetry, dance and especially music of today. Although the styles back in the 1920s were more meaningful and people believe that music today is dying off, music in the 1920s is where it all originated from. Everyone knows that progress is eminent and the 1920s was the African-American’s