Harlem is a neighborhood comprising most of northern Manhattan in New York City, New York. Established in 1658 by the Dutch governor of New Netherland, Peter Stuyvesant, the settlement was originally named "Nieuw Haarlem," or "New Harlem." Many races and ethnic groups have called Harlem home, ranging from the founding Dutch to Germans, Italians, and Jewish populations. It had developed as an agricultural region separate from the rest of the city, when when its agricultural value declined, it officially became part of New York City in 1873.
During the 1800s, the region became an uppity residential zone. Between summer retreat houses and apartment buildings constructed during the 1880s, Harlem became home (no pun intended) to a flourishing and thriving residential community. However, during the late 19th century, a variety of banking panics - notably the eight that were prominent within New York, and even more specifically in Manhattan - resulted in high rates of vacancy, which led to property owners renting out homes and apartments to African Americans. Additionally, demands brought upon by World War I led to a migration out of the north by immigrants returning to their homelands, which gave way to African Americans migrating from the south into the north (and specifically locations like Harlem) in search of better opportunities and wages. By 1920s, Harlem had firmly established itself as a Black neighborhood.
Because of this influx and enduring African American population, Harlem had become recognized as the Black Mecca of the world during the Harlem Renaissance and has continued to maintain that title to present day (though the city of Atlanta, Georgia, also lays claim to the title).
The predominance of Black culture in Harlem, coupled with the financial boom which gave way to the Roaring Twenties, created the perfect environment for the birth of the Harlem Renaissance.
Bibliography:
"Banking Panics of the Guilded Age." Federal Reserve History, 4 Dec. 2015, https://www.federalreservehistory.org/essays/banking-panics-of-the-gild…. Accessed 10 Apr. 2024.
"A brief history of Harlem." OpenLearn - Open University, 30 Aug. 2019, https://www.open.edu/openlearn/society-politics-law/sociology/a-brief-h…. Accessed 10 Apr. 2024.
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Harlem". Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Apr. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/place/Harlem-New-York. Accessed 10 Apr. 2024.
"History of Harlem." Harlem Heritage Tours and Cultural Center, https://www.harlemheritage.com/history-of-harlem/. Accessed 10 Apr. 2024.