After World War I, a cultural awakening called the Harlem Renaissance emerged from Harlem. Encarta.MSN.com cites the reasons as the development of a Black middle class, increased education among Blacks and the Great Migration of Blacks from the rural areas in America to the cities. According to Spiritus-Temporis.com, a new Black identity emerged from the Harlem Renaissance.
Primarily a literary movement, the Harlem Renaissance gave America some of its great writers. The Renaissance produced writers like Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston, according to Encarta.MSN.com.
However, despite having its roots in the literary scene, the Black arts scene as a whole benefited from the Harlem Renaissance. Jazz and blues music have their roots in the movement.
The emergence of the Black voice didn't stop at the arts and cultural scenes. Social organizations like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) found its strength during this time. Black historian W.E.B. DuBois also played a primary role in the movement as well.
While many scholars cannot agree on exactly when the Harlem Renaissance took place, most generally loosely cite the 1920s through the mid-1930s. Additionally, according to BookRags.com, although other factors came into to play to unravel the movement, most scholars say that the most significant cause of the demise of the era was the Great Depression.