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Difficulty: HardThe Harlem Renaissance and the New Negro Movement

Read the following excerpt from Langston Hughes's essay 'The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain' (1926):

'But this is the mountain standing in the way of any true Negro art in America—this urge within the race toward whiteness, the desire to pour racial individuality into the mold of American standardization, and to be as little Negro and as American as possible.'

Which of the following best explains how the 'mountain' described by Hughes challenged the core philosophical tenets of the New Negro Movement?

  1. A
    It highlighted the geographic barriers of the Great Migration that forced Black artists to remain in the South, limiting their access to Northern publishing houses.
  2. B
    It referred to the absolute ideological division between Booker T. Washington's economic integration plans and W.E.B. Du Bois's advocacy for classical academic education.
  3. It represented the internal pressure to conform to dominant white standards, which suppressed the expression of unique Black cultural heritage and self-determination.Answer
  4. D
    It described the conflict between Marcus Garvey's populist black nationalism and W.E.B. Du Bois's elite international Pan-African congresses, which divided the artistic community.

Answer

It represented the internal pressure to conform to dominant white standards, which suppressed the expression of unique Black cultural heritage and self-determination.
The correct answer is correct because Hughes's 'mountain' represents the desire for assimilation and the urge toward whiteness among some Black artists. This urge directly opposed the core philosophical tenets of the New Negro Movement, which championed racial pride, self-determination, and the validation of distinct African American cultural and artistic expressions independent of white middle-class standards.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus excerpt to identify how Hughes defines the 'mountain'.
The 'mountain' is defined as the 'urge within the race toward whiteness' and the desire to conform to 'American standardization' at the expense of racial individuality.
Understanding the primary source's definition is crucial for linking it to the broader historical context.
2
Recall the core philosophical tenets of the New Negro Movement during the Harlem Renaissance.
The movement emphasized self-determination, racial pride, and the creation of distinct Black art and literature that rejected white paternalism and assimilation.
This provides the comparative framework to evaluate how the 'mountain' acted as a challenge.
3
Evaluate the options to find the one that accurately connects the urge toward whiteness (the mountain) with the suppression of unique Black identity.
Conforming to white standards directly undermines self-determination and the expression of distinct Black heritage, matching the correct choice.
This step determines the correct historical and conceptual relationship.

Key Concept

The Harlem Renaissance and the New Negro Movement
Estimated Time:2m 0s
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The Harlem Renaissance and the New Negro Movement

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