Great Migration

Great Migration migration of African Americans from

the South to northern cities especially Chicago and
New York
Harlem Renaissance
a flowering of African American social thought
which was expressed through

Paintings
Music
Dance
Theater
Literature

What contributed to the

Great Migration?
Economic opportunities in Northern cities meant a
greater demand for workers.
African-Americans from the American South, who
travelled abroad during WWI saw that other societies
did not have a terror system to maintain racial equality.
Such experienced prompted many to move from their
hometowns to settle in Northern cities, or, in some
cases, to move to Europe.
There was a revival of the KKK, which further fueled the
move north.

How does the Harlem Renaissance connect to

the Great Migration?

The economic opportunities of the era triggered a widespread

migration of black Americans from the rural south to the
industrial centers in the north - especially to New York City
(Harlem) and Chicago.
In New York and other cities, black Americans explored new
opportunities for intellectual and social freedom.
The Great Migration fueled the Jazz Era as black migrants
brought their musical traditions to Northern cities, where jazz
became popular, and even jumped the Atlantic to flourish in
European cities.
African-American artists, writers, and musicians in Northern
cities began to use their talents to work for civil rights and
obtain equality. It would have been easier to create
organizations and groups to push for civil rights in the more
densely connected Northern cities than the spread out
farmlands of the South.

Harlem Renaissance
Centered in the Harlem district
of New York City, the New Negro
Movement (as it was called at
the time) had a major influence
across the Unites States and
even the world. The work of the
following individuals
contributed to the movement:

Langston Hughes
Bessie Smith
Zora Neale Hurston
Duke Ellington