Final answer:
The Harlem Renaissance, not the "Gotham Revival," was a cultural movement during the 1920s where African American culture thrived, especially in Harlem, New York City. This renaissance, marked by an outpouring of literary, artistic, and intellectual expression, had a substantial impact on American culture and societal views of African Americans.
Step-by-step explanation:
Harlem Renaissance: The Flourishing of African American Culture in the 1920s
The period in the 1920s known for the explosion of African American cultural development in New York City is not called the "Gotham Revival," but rather the Harlem Renaissance. This significant cultural movement originated during the Great Migration, when African Americans moved from the South to northern and midwestern states in search of better opportunities. Harlem, a neighborhood in New York City, became the epicenter of this renaissance, attracting artists, writers, musicians, and intellectuals who would profoundly influence American culture and society.
As a result of economic opportunities in the more tolerant North, approximately 200,000 African Americans made Harlem their home, fostering a new and vibrant urban African-American culture. The Harlem Renaissance expanded worldwide, challenging the racist stereotypes of the Jim Crow South and illuminating the talents of the African American community. Notable figures such as poet Langston Hughes and author Zora Neale Hurston were crucial to this cultural movement, which reshaped American arts and encouraged pride in African American heritage.
The impact of the Harlem Renaissance was extensive, affecting literature, music, theater, and visual arts. It served as a forum for African American artists to express themselves authentically, without fear or shame, and laid down a foundation for future civil rights movements and changes in the American artistic landscape. However, with the onset of the Great Depression following the stock market crash in 1929, this period of prosperity and cultural flowering eventually came to an end.