Communities in Chicago
| Communities in Chicago | | By: Mike Miller | 12/7/2012 |
Mike Miller
History 111
David Johnson
Research Paper
Chicago has a history steeped in growth of infrastructure, devastating natural disasters, and everything in between. It first was settled in the late 1700’s and has been growing exponentially ever since. It’s a city of commerce and opportunity for many incoming immigrants and settlers to start a fresh life. This place became one of the most desirable cities in America to live and became the new home for many people from the south, including African Americans. Many European immigrants also tagged along with these black people coming from the southern states and made Chicago very culturally diverse over time. During the Second Great Migration between 1940 and 1970, roughly five million African Americans left the rural south for the north in the biggest and greatest mass migration in American history. Many southerners were already urbanized after World War II, as many southern states had developed their own cities. These black migrants were known to be more motivated and had better skills to apply into their lives at work and at home.
The reason for this massive movement of African Americans laborers and sharecroppers to Chicago was to escape violence and segregation. They also desired the relief of economic burdens that have haunted them throughout their lives. However, these conditions did not really alter over time as some southerners found it even more difficult to find a steady job and decent living conditions while competing with European immigrants. In an interview with Leroy Martin, who was a former black superintendent of police in Chicago with author Mr. Tim Black, the socioeconomic status was bad. Mr. Martin says black people worked, but the good jobs for black people were as waiters on the railroad. There were no black bus drivers, very few black police officers, and no black firefighters at that time. Those jobs
Mike Miller
History 111
David Johnson
Research Paper
Chicago has a history steeped in growth of infrastructure, devastating natural disasters, and everything in between. It first was settled in the late 1700’s and has been growing exponentially ever since. It’s a city of commerce and opportunity for many incoming immigrants and settlers to start a fresh life. This place became one of the most desirable cities in America to live and became the new home for many people from the south, including African Americans. Many European immigrants also tagged along with these black people coming from the southern states and made Chicago very culturally diverse over time. During the Second Great Migration between 1940 and 1970, roughly five million African Americans left the rural south for the north in the biggest and greatest mass migration in American history. Many southerners were already urbanized after World War II, as many southern states had developed their own cities. These black migrants were known to be more motivated and had better skills to apply into their lives at work and at home.
The reason for this massive movement of African Americans laborers and sharecroppers to Chicago was to escape violence and segregation. They also desired the relief of economic burdens that have haunted them throughout their lives. However, these conditions did not really alter over time as some southerners found it even more difficult to find a steady job and decent living conditions while competing with European immigrants. In an interview with Leroy Martin, who was a former black superintendent of police in Chicago with author Mr. Tim Black, the socioeconomic status was bad. Mr. Martin says black people worked, but the good jobs for black people were as waiters on the railroad. There were no black bus drivers, very few black police officers, and no black firefighters at that time. Those jobs