Harlem Renaissance Research Paper

Words: 2282
Pages: 10

The emergence of the Harlem Renaissance can be traced back to the Great Migration. In the early 1910's, many African Americans moved from the rural South, to urban cities in the North, including Harlem, St. Louis. This was a result of the many racial barriers that prevented the financial, social, and political freedoms of African Americans. For instance, many African Americans were coerced into sharecropping, due to " the structural problems and weaknesses in the Southern economy". Coming into the 20th century, White southerners utilized sharecropping, having African Americans work on their property to gain profit for the owners, to aid their antebellum like economy. As a result, this trapped African Americans, and forced them to "find employment, to secure …show more content…
Artists not only gained emotional support through salons, but also gained financial support as well. For instance, as the Great Depression hit right towards the end of the Harlem Renaissance, many artists became unemployed, and simply did not have the money and finances to support their career and themselves. Thus, as one of five new deal programs, the Work Progress administration's federal art project, abbreviated as the WPA, was created to relieve the economic calamities of artists. The country was immediately divided into regions, with each region having local administrators concerned primarily with peculiar needs of the artist within their own regional boundaries. Salary scales were based upon standard of living in the particular localities. Many artists joined the program, and were able to support themselves, due to the adequate salaries that were given. Many artists, including Jacob Lawrence, were introduced to this program by older adults to gain exposure and a stable income. Augusta Savage, another prominent artist during the Harlem Renaissance, really "liked [Jacob's] work, and she liked the work of young people in