Unit 5 DBQs

• DBQ 1: The Role of African American Artists and Intellectuals in the Harlem Renaissance
  Prompt:
  To what extent did African American artists and intellectuals, such as Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and W.E.B. Du Bois, contribute to the cultural and intellectual flourishing of the Harlem Renaissance? Consider their artistic and intellectual expressions in your response.
  Documents:
  
• Excerpt from Langston Hughes's poem The Negro Speaks of Rivers
• Excerpt from Zora Neale Hurston's novel Their Eyes Were Watching God
• W.E.B. Du Bois's essay The Souls of Black Folk
• A letter from Claude McKay discussing the role of Black intellectuals in the Harlem Renaissance
• A photograph of a Harlem Renaissance art exhibit
• Excerpt from a Harlem Renaissance-era newspaper or magazine article
• 
  DBQ 2: The Influence of Jazz and Music on the Harlem Renaissance
  Prompt:
  In what ways did jazz music, led by musicians such as Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Bessie Smith, contribute to the cultural identity and international recognition of the Harlem Renaissance? Analyze the impact of jazz on African American culture and society.
  Documents:
  
• Transcript of a Louis Armstrong performance review
• Excerpt from an article about Duke Ellington’s influence on American music
• Lyrics from Bessie Smith’s Downhearted Blues
• Jazz music record album cover from the Harlem Renaissance era
• Excerpt from an African American newspaper discussing the rise of jazz
• A speech by a Harlem Renaissance critic on the role of music in racial identity
• 
  DBQ 3: Racial Identity and Pride in the Harlem Renaissance
  Prompt:
  How did the Harlem Renaissance help shape and redefine racial identity and pride for African Americans in the early 20th century? Analyze the works of poets, writers, and artists in promoting a new sense of Black identity.
  Documents:
  
• Excerpt from Langston Hughes's poem I, Too
• Excerpt from Nella Larsen’s novel Passing
• A visual artwork by Aaron Douglas
• Excerpt from a speech by Marcus Garvey about Black nationalism
• A review of a Harlem Renaissance literary journal
• A quote from a Harlem Renaissance-era social critic on the theme of racial pride
• 
  DBQ 4: The Harlem Renaissance and Its Impact on African American Literature
  Prompt:
  What were the defining characteristics of Harlem Renaissance literature, and how did writers like Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, and Nella Larsen contribute to the shaping of African American literary traditions?
  Documents:
  
• Excerpt from Langston Hughes’s The Weary Blues
• Excerpt from Claude McKay’s poem If We Must Die
• Excerpt from Nella Larsen’s Quicksand
• A Harlem Renaissance literary magazine cover
• Critical review of a Harlem Renaissance-era book
• Interview with a Harlem Renaissance writer on the role of literature in racial justice
• 
  DBQ 5: The Harlem Renaissance's Impact on African American Women
  Prompt:
  How did African American women contribute to the cultural, intellectual, and artistic movements of the Harlem Renaissance? Analyze the roles of women writers, performers, and activists in the movement.
  Documents:
  
• Excerpt from Zora Neale Hurston’s Mules and Men
• Excerpt from a speech by Josephine Baker about African American women in the arts
• Poem by Georgia Douglas Johnson
• Photograph of a performance at the Cotton Club featuring African American women
• Article discussing the emergence of African American women writers during the Harlem Renaissance
• Excerpt from a Harlem Renaissance-era feminist essay on African American women’s role in society
• 
  DBQ 6: The Legacy of the Harlem Renaissance
  Prompt:
  To what extent did the Harlem Renaissance lay the foundation for later African American social and political movements? Analyze its influence on the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Power Movement.
  Documents:
  
• Excerpt from the NAACP’s publication The Crisis during the Harlem Renaissance
• Excerpt from a speech by Martin Luther King Jr. referencing the Harlem Renaissance
• A flyer for a Harlem Renaissance-era event promoting Black artists
• A quote from a post-Harlem Renaissance leader (e.g., James Baldwin or Amiri Baraka)
• Photograph of a 1960s civil rights protest referencing Harlem Renaissance ideas
• Article analyzing the Harlem Renaissance’s impact on the Black Power Movement
• 
  These DBQs are designed to push students to analyze different facets of the Harlem Renaissance and its lasting influence on African American culture and identity, fostering both historical understanding and critical thinking.