The Harlem Renaissance, also known to many as the New Negro Movement, marked the beginning of a slow, but important progression in civil rights for African Americans. In the early 1900s, massive numbers of Southern Blacks were moving to major cities in the North. These former slave families were in search of employment in cities such as New York, Chicago, and any place that had been industrialized. When these families arrived in these cities, they were met with almost as much racial prejudice as they faced in the South.

Although these African Americans were treated unequally; given only the most menial jobs; beaten by police officers and neighboring white families; fired upon with high-pressure hoses in the streets; Blacks were gaining a newfound respect for themselves. Through all this adversity Blacks discovered a new sense of pride in their heritage. More African Americans were taking pleasure in self-appearance...