The Great Migration North: An Economic Endeavor For the United States of America, a large portion of the twentieth century, 1910 to 1970, was characterized by African American movement from the rural South to the urban, industrial North. During this time, known as the Great Migration, millions of southern blacks moved to the North in hopes of a better future, away from the Jim Crow South where they were under constant threat by white supremacist values and endured an unequal treatment from whites even after Emancipation. However, the principal motive for the blacks of the rural South to leave their homes, families, and friends for the urban North was economic; regional wage differences, limited job opportunities in the South compared to the …show more content…
The average wage in the South was three-fourths that of the North. Laborers doing agricultural work made 75 cents per day and laborers in non-agricultural work made $1.25 per day. Skilled laborers such as artisans, however, made $3 per day. Meanwhile, black laborers in the North worked the low level jobs in mass production industries, regardless of skill, for three to five dollars per eight hour day. This meant that any person could do the dull and mindless work in meatpacking, steel, or auto industries and still get paid better than the laborers in the …show more content…
Please answer at some spare time.” (pg 294) These letters would often ask about available jobs, passage to the North, and provide a brief description of the writer’s capabilities as a worker. Because they were able to sell 150,000 to 300,000 copies per issue, many people were able to learn about job opportunities in the North. In addition to the work of the labor agents and the black press, an extensive network of family and friends furthered the desire to migrate North. Members of the community would talk in barber shops and grocery stores to learn about transportation, jobs, and housing in the North. Letters, money, and accounts from those who returned to visit the South also gave them an idea of what their future could look like if they choose to migrate to the North. Some formed migration clubs to pool their resources and move in groups to the North while others saved up enough money to send one family member up North, expecting them to make enough money to send the rest of the family up. The dream of moving up North for a better future could not have been so popular, had there not been communication between members of the community and those who had
The Great Migration seemed to begin again after a short period of time during the Great Depression. The price of crops fell dramatically during the Great Depression, causing African Americans to leave the South, mostly to the western United States this time, though some still traveled to northern cities. They moved to western cities, particularly in California, for more economic opportunity since the need for farmers had declined thanks to government plans to help stop the Great Depression. Jim Crow Laws were still enforced in the South and African Americans continued to leave to find better race relations. “Although lynching had greatly diminished by 1935 - there were eighteen lynchings that year - violence was still prevalent in the South. People were threatened, beaten, fired from their jobs, and publicly humiliated.” African Americans had to flee from the South and from the violence that was attributed to the region. Another reason for this second Great Migration was because of World War II. Many industries would switch to making wartime goods which called for extra labor. Men would go off to fight, and women and African Americans would be able to fill the job left behind. Family members and newspapers also added to the new movement. Letters would be sent back to families still in the South and explain how much better it was and the economic opportunity. Some newspapers would urge African Americans to move from the South for better relations in regards to race, and for
During the years between 1915 and 1970, some six million black southerners left their homelands in the South to move to the northern and western states looking for a better life.( The Reason why this i so significant to me is during this time period the great moving from one place to another was in effect and during this time period 6 million African Americans from the away from cities South to the cities of the North, Midwest and West from 1916 to 1970, affected a lot city based life in the United States. Driven from their homes by unsatisfactory money based opportunities and marsh separating people by race, religion, etc.ist laws, many blacks headed north, where they took advantage of the need for industrial workers that first rose up during
During the early twentieth century, the United States was enduring significant social and economic changes due to its transformation into a commercial and industrial world power. As the need for labor escalated within many urban areas, millions of Europeans emigrated from Southern and Eastern Europe with the hopes of capitalizing upon these employment opportunities and attaining a better life. Simultaneously, many African-Americans migrated from the rural South into major cities, bearing the same intentions as those of the European immigrants. The presence of these minority groups generated both racial and class fears within white middle and upper class Americans. The fervent ethnocentrism resulting from these fears,
There were so many African Americans working in the South that there were not nearly enough jobs for all of them; they needed to find someone to work, so this led to them moving up north seeking jobs and
The Great Migration was a relocation of 6-7 million African Americans from the rural south to the cities of the North, Midwest, and West from 1916 to 1930 which had a huge impact on Urban life in the United states. They were driven from their homes by unsatisfactory economic opportunities and harsh segregations laws, many blacks headed North, Where they took advantages of the need for industrial workers that first arose during the first World War. Between 1910 and 1930, The African American population decreased in the South and increased in the Northern states by about forty percent as a result of the migration. This “Great Migration” was on the largest internal movement of people in the history of the United states and it is a shift that impacted culture, politics, and economics as a new African American communities struggled
During 1910-1970 the great migration was taking place, which was the movement of southern African American’s to the north/northern cities. The great migration was an event that seemed as if it was unstoppable and that it was going to happen. In the South African American’s faced racial discrimination, sharecropping, bad working conditions, low wages, racial segregation and political detriments. Everything in the north was better than the south. The north offered blacks, less discrimination, job opportunities, higher wages and a better standard of living overall. The great migration led to the improvement of the conditions for African American’s in America.
From the early 1900s – 1920s the Great Black Migration occurred. In addition, the Great Migration occurred in the early 1900s and ended shortly after the Great War. The Great Black Migration was a time where blacks left the south to seek a better lifestyle in the Midwestern, Northern, and Eastern states. Blacks fled the South to seek better jobs, escape racism and discrimination, and to look for better schooling for their children. The Great Black Migration mostly occurred in the states of Illinois, Missouri, New York, and California. During the Great Migration, more than 100,000 blacks migrated to Harlem, New York. In Chicago and New York City, blacks were empowered by black-owned businesses, newspapers, and communities. Newspaper
At the start of the twentieth century, America was still facing racial inequality post-Civil War and segregation of whites and blacks after the Reconstruction Era. With the blacks being fed up with their current conditions, they participated in the Great Migration, in which they moved from the South to the North for a better life filled with more opportunities; blacks were ready for real reform of American society. Realizing the seriousness of this
The great migration is a term used to define a period of flight for many African Americans of the 20th century who initially lived in the south, but due to the harsh conditions they faced, over 6 million relocated to large urban cities in the North, West, and Midwest. This migration compared to any other one in our past history is extremely different to note, because it was not caused by famine or genocide, it was a voluntary act made by African Americans in the south ranging from 1916 to 1970. It is very critical to discuss because it was one of the largest migrations in documented human history, other than the involuntary movement of slavery. The great migration not only spiked a time of change for African Americans of the south, but for
Around 1914 to 1920, over 500,000 African Americans had gathered their belongings and embarked on a journey to the North. World War I and the economic boom that accompanied it created the conditions that made the entrance of black migrants into northern industries possible. However, until then European immigrants had been arriving at an annual rate that surpassed the North’s total black population, thus providing employers with
The Great Migration brought about changes that would bring prosperity to most, but little did they know, it would come with a price. That price was endured through various social, economic, and political challenges that occurred during this harsh time in black history. Many opportunities were available for families that would travel far to take advantage of opportunities that would start a new beginning. The Great Migration was a movement of hope that there is a land that is free of oppression and strife. However, black families in the north faced issues that were troubling and contradicting to their belief of the north. Their thoughts of living racism free and gaining economic power was far fetch when they experienced the challenges of the north. The challenges blacks faced during the Great Migration paved the way for numerous opportunities and breakthroughs we have experienced and have not experienced today.
Zahra draws a picture of various attempts in controlling Eastern Europe migrations between 1889 and 1989, thus confirming existence of those far before the introduction of the enclosed Eastern Bloc. Focusing largely on the application of blockades met by potential emigrants, she infers that, to a large extent, governments tend to regulate the problem implicitly, rather than to directly solve the issues hidden behind the reasons for the migration. Using her main example of 1889 public trial in Wadowice, she argues that through fear of becoming the country of origin of the new slaves of America and hence losing its already weakening position in the European politics, Hapsburg Empire was ready to exaggerate any of the possible fallback of the
Black migration to northern cities: Otherwise known as the Great migration, Southern African-American had to seek refuge from the overly oppressive Southern state governments. Their trek to the North not only ceased certain forms of discrimination, but also brought forth new opportunities for lower class African-Americans
The “Great Migration” was from 1910-1930 and almost 750,000 African Americans moved into Northern cities; 175,000 moved to Harlem, which made it the largest black community in the country. This era was known for racial consciousness, racial integration, dramatic arts and painting. In addition, it was known for the explosion of music especially jazz and the blues. This outburst of confidence, expression, creativity and talent sparked the African American drive and created a “rebirth” of African American culture. A few of the famous influences were Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, Duke Ellington Johnson and Louis Armstrong.
Similar to The Great Migration, The Second Great Migration was the movement of more than five million African Americans from the South to the North, Midwest and West from 1941 to 1970. Between 1930 and 1950, the number of Southern tenant farmers was cut roughly in half, while the number of tractors tripled from 1940 to 1950 (“Second Great Migration: Historical Overview”). Adding to the troubles, many planters started to use the mechanized cotton picker. The need for laborers at harvest time was therefore drastically decreased. Besides a terrible economic situation, Southerners, as they had done during the Great Migration, were also fleeing Jim Crow. Also, with little hope of glow in the justice system, African Americans were at the crime of abusive employers, landlords, and almost anyone bent on depriving them of their rights (“Second Great Migration”). Once World War II came about and the United States became engaged in a two-front war against Japan and Germany, production shifted into higher gear. In addition to the usual needs for armaments, clothing, food, and training facilities, the naval war with Japan stimulated increased shipbuilding and the making of naval material, much of it directed to and through Pacific coast ports.