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The Civil War
The Civil War in the 1860s raised a lot of racial tensions in the South. White supremacists groups terrorized African Americans out of their homes to Northern cities. State and local laws were restricting African Americans from their rights, so they surrounded themselves by great artists who used their talents to express their outlook on racial intolerance in Northern cities like Harlem. -
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
The NAACP is an organization that works to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination. They lived out their mission through The Crisis magazine, which published works by Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen and other African American literary figures. -
"Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man" by James Weldon Johnson
This novel by Johnson is a fictional story about an African American living in America who is able to pass as white, revealing the struggles of African American life in the early nineteenth century. When first published, Johnson printed it anonymously in fear of the backlash the book might have. However, in 1927, the middle of the Harlem Renaissance, the book was re-published with his name and celebrated greatly. -
Universal Negro Improvement Association(UNIA)
Founded by Marcus Garvey, the UNIA was like a religious revival for the African American community. Harlem, New York became the headquarters in 1916, setting topic for black economic and political independence. This association branched out across the country and around the world. -
World War I
The African Americans had been drawn to Harlem, New York, because of increased job opportunities due to the war. New York was one of the main suppliers for Europe during and after the war and also while at war, many men had to give up their jobs at home in order to fight. This led for many open positions for higher wages in industrial jobs and better social and political opportunities than were available in the Southern states. This was one of the factors that influenced the Great Migration. -
The Great Migration
The Great Migration was a result of both tensions in the South and World War I. It resulted in millions of African Americans to move to urbanized cities in the North, such as Harlem, New York. -
369th Infantry Regiment
Known as the "Harlem Hellfighters", they were the best known all-black military regiment of Word War I. They were well respected by white leader, Colonel Hayward, rare for this time period. -
The Negro Silent Protest Parade
Between 10,000 to 15,000 African American men, women, and children joined to march down 5th Avenue in protest to brutal attacks against African Americans by white men. -
The Red Summer/ Summer of 1919
Race riots exploded in a number of cities in both the North and South, all initiated by whites against blacks. One riot in Mississippi included 300 or 400 more white men with guns, shooting and killing women and children, having to be stopped by the US army. After the shooting ended twenty five African Americans and five whites were listed dead although more bodies are believed not to be found. Many riots like this broke out throughout the country during this summer. -
Civil Rights Movement
The Civil Rights Movement was a significant event in result of the Harlem Renaissance. Leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks stood as symbols for racial equality. The Harlem Renaissance built a platform for African Americans to speak out about their rights.
