The Harlem Renaissance enriched America through its music. Countless African Americans became key figures in music during this period. The Harlem Renaissance was a time of African American expression in art, music, and literature. The Harlem Renaissance was instigated by the migration of African Americans to northern cities that was occurring in America at the time. (Hutchinson) The music of the Harlem Renaissance brought a sense of equality between black and white Americans and was a sense of inspiration, made possible through African American migration and led to the civil rights movement of the 1960s. The Harlem Renaissance was the Great Migration. Before the late 1910s most African Americans lived in rural America. Starting in 1917, African Americans began moving to Northern cities in search of work and equality. (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica) Once African Americans began moving north, their demographics in some areas became much denser. During the Great Migration, over 6 million African Americans migrated to northern cities such as Chicago. New York's African American population increased by 40%. (NPR) African Americans immigrated in search of opportunity due to labor shortages caused by World War I. These newly founded "groups" of African Americans allowed them to gather and eventually begin the Harlem Renaissance. This migration also allowed blacks to indulge in freedom of learning, which dramatically increased literacy rates among blacks. (Hutchinson) The impact of the Renaissance on African Americans was great. The Renaissance, which took place between approximately 1918 and 1937, was an initiative for the civil rights movement that took place in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. (Hutchinson) Th...... middle of paper ......hecked/topic/973069/Great-Migration>."Great Migration: The African-American exodus northward." . Np, nd Web. April 14, 2014. “The Harlem Renaissance.” ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. April 16, 2014. "The Harlem Renaissance: Open Textbook Without Limits." Without limits. Np, nd Web. April 16, 2014. “Popular Entertainment.” The Harlem Renaissance. Np, nd Web. 16 April 2014. "The Poets and Musicians of the Harlem Renaissance." The poets and musicians of the Harlem Renaissance. Np, nd Web. April 17. 2014. .