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Difficulty: EasyThe Harlem Renaissance and the New Negro Movement

Read the following excerpt from Langston Hughes’s 1926 essay, "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain":

> We younger Negro artists who create now intend to express our individual dark-skinned selves without fear or shame. If white people are pleased we are glad. If they are not, it doesn’t matter. We know we are beautiful. And ugly too... If colored people are pleased we are glad. If they are not, their displeasure doesn't matter either.

Which of the following statements best describes the central goal of the "New Negro" movement as expressed in this excerpt?

  1. A
    Focusing exclusively on vocational training and industrial labor to achieve economic security
  2. B
    Encouraging all Black Americans to emigrate to West Africa to escape domestic discrimination
  3. Asserting artistic independence and racial pride regardless of external approval or criticismAnswer
  4. D
    Arguing that the Harlem Renaissance was driven entirely by Northern industrial employers recruiting Southern workers

Answer

Asserting artistic independence and racial pride regardless of external approval or criticism
The correct answer is that the movement aimed to assert artistic independence and racial pride regardless of external approval. In the excerpt, Langston Hughes explicitly states that the younger artists intend to express themselves 'without fear or shame' and that the approval or disapproval of others—whether white or Black—does not dictate their artistic worth.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the provided text excerpt from Langston Hughes's essay.
The text states that young Black artists intend to express themselves 'without fear or shame' and that the approval or disapproval of both white and Black audiences 'doesn't matter.'
This establishes the core theme of artistic self-determination and self-valuation.
2
Connect this theme to the broader historical context of the Harlem Renaissance and the New Negro Movement.
The New Negro Movement emphasized self-definition, racial pride, and cultural autonomy, rejecting external standards of validation.
This links the specific primary source to the target learning objective.
3
Evaluate the answer choices to find the one that matches this theme.
The statement about asserting artistic independence and racial pride aligns directly with the text's focus on self-expression and ignoring external validation.
This identifies the correct answer.

Key Concept

The Harlem Renaissance and the New Negro Movement
Estimated Time:45s
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The Harlem Renaissance and the New Negro Movement

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