The Harlem Renaissance (c. 1918- c. 1937) was an important period in the development of African American culture. During this era, a group of influential figures in the creative arts helped to turn the New York City neighborhood of Harlem into a major center of African American music, literature, politics, and culture. It was less a movement than an attempt by artists to support each other in a cultural environment during a period in American history when there was not broad support for African American creative expression.

Also called the “New Negro Movement,” the Harlem Renaissance was merely the most famous of several urban clusters of African American expression. Cities such as Chicago, Kansas City, Memphis, and Cleveland were also... Log on to Gale U.S. History in Context (PA POWER database) for magazine, newspaper, and journal articles, video and video resources, reference material, and biographies on this topic!