Music of the Harlem Renaissance

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The Harlem Renaissance enriched America through its music. Countless African Americans became key figures in music during this time. The Harlem Renaissance was a time of African American expression in art, music, and literature. The Harlem Renaissance was instigated by the migration of African Americans to northern cities that was taking place in America at that time. (Hutchinson) The music of the Harlem Renaissance brought about a sense of equality among black and white Americans and was a sense of inspiration, which was made possible through African American migration and led to civil rights movement of the 1960s.
A huge player in the Harlem Renaissance was the Great Migration. Before the late 1910s most African Americans lived in rural America. Starting in 1917, African Americans began moving to northern cities in search of work and equality. (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica) Once African Americans began moving north their demographics in certain areas became much more dense. During the Great Migration over 6 million African Americans migrated to northern cities like Chicago. New York's African American population rose by 40 percent. (NPR) African Americans migrated in search of opportunity due to the laborer shortage that WWI caused. These newly founded "clusters" of African Americans allowed them to congregate and eventually begin the Harlem Renaissance. This migration also allowed blacks to indulge in the freedom of learning, which rose the literacy rates among blacks drastically. (Hutchinson)
The Renaissance's impact on African Americans was a great one. The Renaissance, which took place from about 1918-1937, was an initiative for the civil rights movement that took place in the 40s,50s, and 60s. (Hutchinson) Th...

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