The Old Negro
The character of the "Old Negro" is described in contrast with the New one. He was “a creature of moral debates and historical controversy”. He has been a stock figure perpetuated as an “historical fiction” partly "in innocent sentimentalism, partly in deliberate reactionism." But, some African Americans wanted to draw more attention to themselves, to their problems in particular and to their existence in general. And, obviously, they did so in different ways. The "Old Negro" himself conveys a general formula of existence, something hard to understand and something that causes problems if no one understands its needs.
The New American Negro
The New American Negro is the generalized image of a Afro-American, who has overcome a long way from slavery to freedom and then to being a full value member of American society. He knows his price – he is not a slave anymore, he has his rights and he will protect them. He can go wherever he wants, he can apply for any kind of job and if something goes wrong – he can rely on the help of state. “The New Negro is keenly responsive as an augury of a new democracy in American culture”. The "New Negro" has changed America, he influenced its industry, social life and relations, economy and culture. What was once just a far away dream now became a mundane reality and he deserved it.
