Key Figures
This poet wrote, "The Negro Speaks of Rivers."
Who is... Langston Hughes.
This writer authored the poem “If We Must Die.”
Who is... Claude McKay.
What was the Harlem Renaissance?
What is… “The Harlem Renaissance was an outpouring of African American creativity which occurred around the 1920s and 1930s.” (Kish, 2026).
What town/city was the Harlem Renaissance centered around?
What is... "It was centered around New York City's Harlem neighborhood.” (Kish, 2026).
What did the Harlem Renaissance do?
What is... Transformed Harlem into a center of Black culture and pride.
This author wrote Their Eyes Were Watching God.
Who is... Zora Neale Hurston.
This sculptor created “The Harp.”
Who is... Augusta Savage.
What developed from the Artists that are still used today?
What is… jazz, gospel, and blues music.
The original name of the Harlem Renaissance.
What is... "The New Negro Movement".
This effect of the Harlem Renaissance replaced stereotypes with a dignified Black identity through art.
What is... changing African American identity.
This jazz bandleader performed at the Cotton Club.
Who is... Duke Ellington.
This jazz trumpeter helped popularize scat singing.
Who is... Louis Armstrong.
Why did African-Americans begin to create art during this time period?
What is… “Visual artists of the Harlem Renaissance… attempted to win control over representation of their people from white caricature and denigration while developing a new repertoire of images.” (Hutchinson, 2026).
What did White Residents do when African-Americans came to Harlem?
What is... They fought to keep them out, and failed, eventually they moved out of Harlem themselves.
This form of art helped establish a new confident Black identity and forced publishers to recognize Black writers.
What is... writing/literature.
This artist created bold, geometric Harlem Renaissance murals.
Who is... Aaron Douglas.
This Harlem Renaissance poet is known for celebrating Black life in his writing.
Who is... Langston Hughes.
What Happened in 1915 and 1916 to African-Americans?
What is… “natural disasters in the south put Black workers and sharecroppers out of work.” (History, 2026).
What did the Harlem Renaissance do for African-Americans?
What is… “instilled in African Americans across the country a new spirit of self-determination and pride, a new social consciousness, and a new commitment to political activism, all of which would provide a foundation for the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.” (Smithsonian, N.D.).
This type of art became mainstream during the Harlem Renaissance and helped shape modern American art and culture.
What is... visual art.
Known as the “Empress of the Blues,” this singer was a major star.
Who is... Bessie Smith.
This composer helped make jazz popular in Harlem during the 1920s.
Who is... Duke Ellington.
What caused the Harlem Renaissance to come to an end?
What is… “In 1935, a race riot forced the closure of the bustling Cotton Club. That event, in addition to the looming Great Depression, marked the end of the Harlem Renaissance.” (UTDP, 2023).
What event led to the start of the Harlem Renaissance?
What is... The Great Migration.
These music styles ____ transformed American culture by spreading and bridging racial divides in nightlife.
What is... Jazz and Blues.