World War I caused a shortage of workers in northern factories. Many African American field workers decided to move north to pursue new, better jobs. One of the areas that drew many African Americans was Harlem, a neighborhood in New York City. Concentrated into one urban location, these African Americans shared their artistic talents and sought an outlet for self-expression as a means of achieving equality. Their combined efforts led to the development of the Harlem Renaissance.
Many blacks left southern states during WW1 and moved to big northern cities to work in war industries. More went to New York city than to any other,and after the war there a lot of blacks living in Harlem who were literate and artistic.
