- The years following the Civil War brought a steady stream of African-Americans to the North from the Southern states. New York's Harlem became a cultural center for poor and middle-class blacks, many of whom were well-educated.
- New York was one of the few states that outlawed school segregation. Blacks moved from all over the country to get an education in Harlem in the 1920s and 1930s.
- The Harlem Renaissance occurred during what was known as the "Jazz Age," a period that coincided with Prohibition and brought about underground speakeasies like the Cotton Club.
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Langston HughesThe Harlem Renaissance may be most well-known for its black literary figures inclulding Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and Nella Larsen. Their works are still considered some of the best on the black American experience. -
W.E.B. DuboisActivists like Marcus Garvey, Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Dubois laid a political foundation for the Harlem Renaissance. These men and others courageously spoke against racism and oppression in America and worldwide.
