and visual arts.
To begin with, many factors lead to the starting of what would be known as the Harlem Renaissance. The first factor that contributed to the launching of the Harlem Renaissance was the setting. The Harlem Renaissance sprouted out of the Harlem district of New York City beginning in 1918 until 1937. This …show more content…
location was a catalyst for artistic experimentation and had an abundant nightlife.
New York City was also a remarkably diverse location for cultural experimentation. Immigrants from the Caribbean and Africa brought their cultures with them as they traveled to the United States. All these diverse cultures motioned to the belief of cultural pluralism (Hutchinson). Many people believed that cultures should prosper in harmony rather than meld together. Cultural pluralism persuaded many African Americans to appreciate their black roots. In addition to the location and time period of the Harlem Renaissance, another one of those factors are the social foundations of that time period. New socioeconomic opportunities were becoming available for all races and genders (Hutchinson). This was one of the first time that African Americans were able to seize the moment and express themselves. Another socioeconomic component was the Great Migration. This event was the movement of 6 million African Americans from the rural South to the urban North. The increasing number of African American began the development of racial pride. This racial pride provided the necessary motivation to create national organization, such as, the NAACP, the National Urban League, and the
African Blood Brotherhood. Another circumstance that guided the Harlem Renaissance was the rising levels of literacy. The number of black authors writing pieces of literature increased. Magazines played a large role in the movement for the Harlem Renaissance. One of those magazines was The Crisis, published by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. A socialist journal, called The Messenger, was linked to a black labour union known as the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and motivated the Harlem Renaissance. Other than magazines, one newspaper that contributed to the movement was the Negro World, written in Marcus Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association. All of these components combined together kickstarted the Harlem Renaissance.