The Great Migration and the Harlem Renaissance The Rebirth of a New Image

1. Living in the South Life in the South was very difficult for African Americans The KKK kept Blacks afraid to speak up for their newly given rights as citizens – voting was key Jim Crow reduced Blacks to second class citizens in society Few white business owners were willing to hire African Americans Blacks wanted more opportunities But the South refused to change

2. The Great Migration Because of Jim Crow, Segregation, and the KKK, thousands of Blacks looked to move out of the South Many believed northern cities would offer better opportunities/treatment From , over 2 million southern Blacks moved to the North, Midwest, and West to find a better life – a.k.a. Great Migration Migrate – to move within a country or region Life outside of the South was still difficult While legal segregation in public did not exist, prejudice and discrimination did Blacks still found it hard to get jobs despite industrialization They competed with new immigrants as cheap labor – usually lost out Blacks were not allowed to live in certain neighborhoods Most ended up in inner cities as whites moved to the suburbs

3. Life in the North Improves World War I reduced immigration in America to very low levels As American factories sent supplies and weapons to its Allies in Europe, more workers were needed to increase production Also many factory workers went to fight in Europe, leaving many openings for new employees Business owners couldn’t rely on European immigrants to fill those spots More and more Blacks were hired in various factories and companies The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP – early civil rights group) supported Blacks in fighting for better wages and treatment Started by W.E.B. DuBois (and others), the NAACP was an organization that fought for Black rights – still exists today Life in the North, although not perfect, began to improve for Blacks

4. Image of Blacks Before the Harlem Renaissance For most people in America, the image of Blacks was limited and based on prejudice Most people saw Blacks in America as former slaves with a rural background Also uneducated and best suited for physical labor This image of Blacks, although not true, limited Blacks opportunities in both employment and education Many Whites could not see Blacks as anything other than these existing images During this time, Black culture in the North not only expanded but it changed their image too This change in the image of Blacks was thanks in large part to the Harlem Renaissance

5.The Harlem Renaissance Harlem is a neighborhood in New York City – where the cultural explosion first occurred Eventually impacted other large cities throughout the country Black culture rejected traditional European culture and developed their own form of art and entertainment Blacks explored their new culture which emerged from combining slave culture and Black culture from Africa This was known as the Harlem Renaissance It created a sense of self-identity separate than the way Whites viewed Blacks A new sense of pride about being Black in America grew

6. The New Negro Image The Harlem Renaissance began to change northern White’s views of Blacks – developed into the New Negro Art, music, dance, literature, and political leadership also helped to create and refine that image over time Artists created paintings that showed Blacks as intelligent, diverse people Music lyrics provided strength and a rallying cry for Blacks across America Authors wrote books to educate Blacks on their cultural background – not only as children of slavery but also their ancestor’s lives in Africa DuBois and Booker T. Washington became political leaders working towards improvements for Blacks in society – had differing opinions Many historians agree that the Harlem Renaissance paved the way for Blacks in the North to press for more change during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s