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What social changes helped create the Harlem Renaissance?
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African American literature
Frontispiece and title page of Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral (1773) by Phillis Wheatley, the first Black woman to become a poet of note in the United States. The portrait on which the frontispiece's engraving is based is often attributed to Scipio Moorhead, an Black artist and writer who, like Wheatley, was enslaved and living in Boston.
The Harlem Renaissance was driven by several transformative social changes in the early 20th century:
- The Great Migration: The movement of African Americans from the rural South to urban centers in the North provided new economic and educational opportunities, fostering an environment ripe for artistic expression.12
- Rise of the "New Negro": A shift in consciousness occurred as African Americans embraced greater assertiveness, self-confidence, and racial pride. This movement, popularized by Alain Locke, encouraged writers to reject traditional stereotypes and cultivate authentic personal and cultural expression.34
- Institutional Support: The growth of national organizations and their publicationsâsuch as the NAACPâs The Crisis and the National Urban Leagueâs Opportunityâprovided vital platforms for Black intellectuals and artists to publish their work.24
- Urban Concentration: Harlem became a symbolic capital and a "Black city" within Manhattan, serving as a diverse, fertile hub where intellectuals, artists, and expatriates from the Caribbean and Africa could exchange ideas.2
- Rising Literacy and Activism: Dramatically increasing literacy rates and a focus on civil rights reform helped solidify the movementâs intellectual foundation.2