When the Negro Was in Vogue

In this autobiographical essay, Langston Hughes describes Harlem in the 1920s, when this largely African American neighborhood was the center of an explosion of creativity. This creativity inspired a cultural movement known as the Harlem Renaissance. Write a short essay in which you respond to the following questions: After reading Hughes’s essay, what is your impression of the Harlem Renaissance? What positive and negative effects did the Harlem Renaissance have on African Americans? Use the Internet to conduct some additional research on the Harlem Renaissance before you begin writing. As you write, remember to support your opinions with details from Hughes’s essay and from any other sources you consult.