The Harlem Renaissance

This Library of Congress Student Discovery Set is here to put history into your hands. It brings together historical artifacts and one-of-a-kind documents from the collections of the Library of Congress. Interactive tools let you zoom in for close examination, draw to highlight interesting details, and make notes about what you discover. There’s no single right answer, only new discoveries to be made.


A tremendous explosion of creativity rocked the United States in the early twentieth century, centered in the New York City neighborhood of Harlem. This set includes photographs, manuscripts, and music documenting artists such as Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and Louis Armstrong.


This set is intended for open-ended primary source analysis by students. A Teacher’s Guide with background information, teaching ideas, and additional resources is available on the Library’s Web site for teachers, loc.gov/teachers.