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Freedmen's Bureau
Freedmen's Bureau Bill provided former slaves with the means to transition into their new lives. This bill provided shelter, food, medical aid, and education. The education provided allowed the African Americans to learn how to read and write. This event led to the Harlem Renaissance because these changes helped them learn how to express themselves and their experiences through writing poetry, books, or music. -
Jim Crow Laws
Jim Crow Laws were laws that enforced racial segregation. It separated whites and African Americans, making it very rare for them to come in contact with each other. These laws included separating where the African American citizens and white citizens would be able to sit on buses and other transportation. For children, these laws affected them by separating the races in the school system. -
Creation of Jazz
Jazz was created in New Orleans and originated from African Americans. Jazz impacted American culture and interested white Americans into new things. There are many different types of jazz from many famous African American jazz musicians that white citizens would go out to see. The creation of jazz brought white Americans and African Americans' culture closer together during the Harlem Renaissance. -
NAACP
The organization, NAACP, was founded by W. E. B. Du Bois and fought for equality amongst all people, no matter their race. They sought to get rid of racial discrimination. They worked on court strategies and publicity efforts to help African Americans live against racial hatred. -
Universal Negro Improvement Association
Marcus Garvey, a leader in the black nationalist movement, began the Universal Negro Improvement Association. Marcus Garvey developed a vision for the Universal Negro Improvement Association while reading Up from Slavery. This led to negro nationalism and more pride of African Americans for their culture.Garvey encouraged unity between the African Americans and the white Americans, but wanted the African Americans to first become successful on their own. -
WWI
Jobs opened up for African Americans during World War I. The white factory workers left to go fight in the war, leaving industrial labor low. These jobs were soon filled with African American migrants. These jobs had much better pay and were able to get some African Americans out of poverty. -
Great Migration
The Great Migration was when African Americans from the south moved north into cities, like Harlem. They were influenced to move because there were jobs available for them in the north and the negative attitude the southerners had against them, pushed them away. The Great Migration led to African Americans with similar cultures coming together and learning about each others experiences and ideas. -
Summer of 1919
During this summer, there was an argument over an African American teenager who disobeyed segregation rules on a beach. He was stoned by white teenagers and drowned in Lake Michigan. This caused riots between the black and white citizens in Chicago. 15 white Americans and 23 African Americans were killed along with many more people injured. Other rioters chose to torch homes of African Americans, leaving more than 1,000 families without homes. -
Civic Club Dinner
The Civic Club Dinner was meant to honor black writers, poets, and philosophers. At this dinner over 100 people attended, including white writers and publishers as well. This meeting displayed the talented black writers of the time. White publishers also recognized their talents and offered to publish some of their pieces. -
Great Depression
The Great Depression occurred after the Harlem Renaissance was over and was when the stock market crashed. This left many unemployed including African American workers. The racial violence from white workers became more evident when they insisted on the colored workers to be laid off first. As the cotton prices dropped, many African Americans lost their agricultural jobs and moved towards southern, northern, and western cities.
