Jazz’s influence on America could be most aptly described as a positive for cultural diversion, for free thinking, and for new ideals. This new genre of sound was not only a new type of entertainment, but also a genuine American lifestyle. Working its way north from its beginnings in New Orleans, jazz became the musical symbol of the age. A uniquely American art form, jazz traced its birth to a combination of ragtime, marching band music, and the blues. “ The spontaneity and excitement of the music produced by black artists 'riffing' on old blues and classical themes found a ready outlet in the New York of the post-war era.”(Rhodes, Page 64))

Musicians like Buddy Bolden, Clarence Williams, King Oliver, and Kid Ory laid the groundwork for jazz greats lik

The outpouring of African American literature of the 1980s and 1990s by such writers as Alice Walker and Toni Morrison also had its roots in the writing of the Harlem Renaissance. “The influence of the Harlem Renaissance was not confined to the United States. Writers McKay, Hughes, and Cullen, actor and musician Paul Robeson, dancer Josephine Baker, and others traveled to Europe and attained a popularity abroad that rivaled or surpassed what they achieved in the United States.” (Encarta) South African writer Peter Abrahams cited his youthful discovery of the Harlem Renaissance anthology, The New Negro (1925), as the event that turned him toward a career as a writer. (Wintez, page 67) For thousands of blacks around the world, the Harlem Renaissance was proof that the white race did not hold a monopoly on literature and culture.

The Harlem Renaissance changed forever the dynamics of African American arts and literature in the United States. The writers that followed in the 1930s and 1940s found that publishers and the public were more open to African American literature than they had been at the beginning of the century. “Furthermore, the existence of the body of African American literature from the Renaissance inspired writers such as Ralph Ellison and Richard Wright to pursue literary careers in the late 1930s and the 1940s. “(Locke, Page 95)

Some topics in this essay:
African American, Harlem Renaissance, America Jazz’s, Jazz Age, Cotton Club, Alan Locke, Claude McKay’s, Redman Henderson, Watching God, African European, harlem renaissance, african american, jazz age, american culture, american literature, african american literature, culture jazz, african american culture, culture jazz age, world war, 1930s 1940s, harlem renaissance harlem, zora neale, page 64, renaissance harlem renaissance,