THE GREAT MIGRATION & THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE 1920s-1930s

Painting by Jacob Lawrence

THE GREAT MIGRATION Life for African Americans in the South following Reconstruction and the early 20th century was difficult. Segregation laws kept southern African Americans in a separate and unequal world Racial violence was a constant threat

Jobs Sharecroppers Domestics Other low paying jobs

Discrimination and lack of opportunities in the South Many African Americans looked to the North with hope of finding more economic opportunities and a better life First Great Migration ( ) saw about 1.6 million people move from mostly southern rural areas to northern industrial cities. One of the largest and most rapid mass internal movements in history- not caused by the immediate threat of holocaust or starvation It outranks the migration of any other ethnic group (Italians, Irish, Jews, Poles) to the U.S.

The migration meant leaving their economic and social base in the south and finding something new in the north By the early 1920s, about 200,000 African Americans lived in Harlem. Neighborhoods were not segregated by law like the Jim Crow laws of the South, but by custom Black artists, scholars, writers, musicians, actors, political leaders and others helped bring to a life new African American spirit and culture.

Fueled by racial pride and a confident sense of identity Black artists and intellectuals were recognized for their contributions to world culture African American artists stood defiant in the face of prejudice