Harlem Renaissance: A History from Beginning to End

When the American Civil War finally drew to an end in 1865, victory for the North seemed to herald a new beginning for African Americans. Emancipation for thousands of former slaves appeared, for the first time, to offer people the chance of full and equal participation in American society. That dream didn’t last for long, particularly in the Southern states where new Jim Crow laws prevented African Americans from exercising fundamental rights, including the right to vote. These laws added to growing economic problems in the South and led to a massive migration of African Americans to Northern cities such as Chicago, Philadelphia, and, most notably, New York.

By the early twentieth century, the Harlem section of Manhattan, covering less than three square miles, was home to over 150,000 African Americans. In the 1920s and 1930s, these Harlem residents were responsible for an explosion of creative output, including new forms of art, music, and writing. This cultural movement not only redefined the African American identity but also fostered a sense of pride and a greater interest in equality, setting the stage for the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. In this book, we tell the story of the dramatic period known as the Harlem Renaissance.