Harlem was originally settled by the Dutch who called it "Nieuw Haarlem". Until the mid 1800s this was all farmland.
Part of New York City, the cradle of Jazz. An influx of African Americans beginning around 1910 made it one of the largest African-American communities in America. In the 1920s it became a center of art and literature. This was later referred to as the Harlem Renaissance. Harlem became a sophisticated artistic and literary center. In his magazine Crisis, W.E.B. Du Bois urged racial pride among African Americans, and writers, many living in Harlem, began producing fine original works about African-American experience. Home of:
Prominent people who lived in Harlem:
Source:
Dunford, Martin and Holland, Jack, "New York City: The Rough Guide", Rough Guides, London, 2000
http://www.si.umich.edu/CHICO/Harlem/text/exhibition.html
Last Updated 11.26.02