The Harlem Renaissance affected America greatly. This was a period in time when the African American community grew, brewing a ton of work in a short amount of time. Many African Americans saw this as their chance for a better life. So they migrated from the south to the north to look for work and to be treated fairly. This period of time was called the Great Migration. Without the Great Migration, the Harlem Renaissance wouldn’t have brought us art, literature, and a new image for African Americans

Another name for the Harlem Renaissance was the “Jazz Age.” Cities like New York and Chicago were cultural centers for jazz, and especially for African American artists. Some famous black artists of the time were Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington. Jazz music and dancing was becoming very popular. Jazz music originated mainly in New Orleans, and is/was a fusion of African and European music. The traditional jazz band was composed primarily of brass instruments and was considered a symbol of the south, but the piano was considered an instrument of the wealthy. Its popularity soon spread throughout the country and was consequently at an all-time high. During this period, the musical style of blacks was becoming more and more attractive to whites. Composers started using poems written by African Americans in their songs. African Americans were becoming more and more popular by the minute. The Cotton Club was a New York City night club located first in the Harlem neighborhood and then in the Theater District. The club was a whites only business even though it featured many of the best black entertainers and jazz musicians of the era.

African Americans put their own unique twists on art and writing. During the 1920s African American art and literature gained recognition for becoming a part of U.S culture. Upper Manhattan had become a magnet for creative African Americans, and the 1920s and ’30s they saw a great flowering of artistic work there. A couple famous artist were Jacob Lawrence, Aaron Douglas, and Charles Alston. Some famous writers were Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, and Zora Neale Hurtson. As a group they began writing with a bold new voice. Zora Neale Hurston wrote about the burden of being a African American women in her novel, Their Eyes were Watching God. 

Slowly African Americans were getting accepted into American culture. The legacy of the Harlem Renaissance redefined how America, and the world, viewed African Americans. At first white people thought African Americans were known as slaves and farmers. Now they are known as writers, artists, and musicians. Due to the Harlem Renaissance many organizations were created including; the National Urban League. This was founded in 1911, and accepted members of all races and promoted integration. The organization offered counseling to those uprooted from the South on obtaining jobs, securing housing, and staying healthy.

The Harlem Renaissance gave people joy and hope. But after everyone was joyful and thinking everything would get better, the Great Depression came rolling in. This caused people to become impoverished. Some economies started to recover by the mid-1930s. In many countries, the negative effects of the Great Depression lasted until after the end of World War II. It ended the Harlem Renaissance because everyone was out of money, and most importantly out of hope. They had their chance to be happy; now they had a big war ahead of them.