The Harlem Renaissance was a period of intellectual and literary growth that promoted a new African-American cultural identity in the United States. The 1920s and 1990s “were clearly peak periods of African American cultural production.” During these years, blacks were able to come together and form a united group that expressed the desire for enlightenment. “It is difficult not to recognize the signs that African Americans are in the midst of a cultural renaissance” (English 807). This resurgence allowed blacks to have a uniform voice in a society based on intellectual growth. The promoters of this revival were extremely focused on cultural growth through the means of intellect, literature, art and music. Using these means of growth, they hoped to destroy the pervasive racism and stereotypes that stifled African American society and yearned for racial and social integration. Many black writers expressed themselves during this time with books that demonstrated their natural humanity and desire for equality. In 1923 Jean Toomer's Dog was published by Boni and Liveright and received favorable reviews. The book was published in the heart of the Harlem Renaissance and fostered encouragement and interest in African American culture. For the next forty years, Cane went unprinted and seemed to fade as an influential book. Many publishers claimed that Cane was too inconsistent to reprint and denied the book's revival. In 1967 the book was finally reprinted. The reprint occurred during a period known as The Second Renaissance. During the Harlem Renaissance and the Second Renaissance, both periods of revival and rebirth of a culture, Toomer's novel was printed. Thus showing the meaning of... middle of the paper... where his art would dominate social prejudices and limitations by undermining the inner talents that every person has, regardless of race. The Harlem Renaissance, with Cane's assistance, had a positive outcome on African Americans by allowing them to conquer the social construct imposed on their race and achieve success by revealing their inner dignity. Works Cited English, Daylanne K. “Selecting the Harlem Renaissance.” Critical Inquiry 25 (1999): 807-821. JSTOR. Network. April 20, 2011. http://www.jstor.org/pss/2712631.Toomer, Jean. Cane. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1988. Print.McKay, Nellie Y. Jean Toomer, Artist: A Study of Her Life and Literary Work, 1894-1936. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina, 1984. Print.