Harlem Renaissance was a phase of a larger New Negro movement that emerged in the early 20th century, ushering in the civil rights movement of the late 1940s and early 1950s. The social foundations of this movement include the Great Migration of African Americans from rural to urban spaces and from South to North, rising levels of literacy, creation of national organizations dedicated to pressing African American civil rights, uplifting the race, and opening socioeconomic opportunities.