Causes Of The Great Migration
The Great Migration was the relocation of millions of African Americans from the rural South to the industrial Northern cities, from 1910 to 1930. Cities such as Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York were becoming populated with lots of African Americans during this time for plenty of reasons mentioned later. The north was often referred to as the “Land of Hope” or the “Land of Paradise” as it gave better opportunities to the African Americans compared to those in the South. The Great Migration was caused by many push-pull factors leading them to their decision to relocate. The causes for migration to the north by the southern African Americans were segregation, an increase in the spread of racism, lots of violence such as riots and lynching,
…show more content…
and the lack of social and economic opportunities in the South. The factors that pulled African Americans to the North included labor shortages in northern factories due to World War I. Many of these jobs were filled by white Americans before the world war broke out. The white men were taken from all these industrial jobs to fight in World War I, so that opened up a lot of these jobs to the migrating African Americans. The pull of jobs in the north was strengthened by the persuasions of labor agents sent by northern businessmen to recruit black southern workers. The companies in the north that were trying to fill jobs, bribed black workers to relocate to the north. Free transportation and cheap housing were a few of the things they used to bribe African Americans to move. Another pull factor to the North was friends and family that were already living in the North. They may have felt that they needed to move further up north to be with their families now that they were given an opportunity to do so. Along with the pull factors were push factors that pressed African Americans out of the South. Jim Crow segregation laws, lynching and other racial violence, fewer economic opportunities, and boll weevil (a type of beetle that feeds off cotton) are a few push factors. The African Americans in the south were not okay with the forced segregation laws that were set, so they made a move towards the north. They felt like they would be escaping the brutal hatred, racial violence and prejudice white people in the south once they moved north. Although those in the North were still prejudice, it wasn’t as terrible as the occurances in the South. Along with that, there was a lack of economic opportunity in the South and African Americans needed more than what they were working for in the South.World War One presented a numerous amount of new opportunities to African Americans during this time. The industrial economy grew significantly during the war due to African Americans. The conflict cut off European immigration so blacks were the ones to fill the empty jobs. Many of them supported the World War and saw this period of time as an opportunity to show their loyalty and patriotism. The Great Migration had many impacts on America socially, economically, and politically. Black southerns escaping prejudice, the shortage of industrial laborers, and African Americans exercising their right to vote all had impacted America greatly.
The Great Migration had a social impact on America in a way that changed the lives of African Americans almost everywhere.
During this time, there was an inequality of education amongst the African American community. Segregation was so strict in the south, children of color were not allowed to go to school with white children. Everything that white people were allowed to do was limited to black people because white americans felt that African Americans were a lesser human than them due to their skin color. African Americans were treated as primitives and were treated with so much disrespect. It was much more than disrespect, it hard to put the pain, discrimination, and situations full of hatred into words. Inequality was present in all aspects of their lives, from walking on the sidewalk, drinking from the water fountains, school education, and even in transportation. Segregation was major in the south, water fountains had signs above them labeled “White” and “Colored”, when blacks needed transportation they had to sit in the back of the bus, and whites were afraid to even look at or stand next to an African American. Not only were schools segregated, colored schools did not receive the same quality of education that predominantly white schools received. Discrimination was overrated in the southern parts of the United States. Another social issue during the Great Migration was violence against African Americans. Many blacks were being sprayed with the water hose of fire trucks, lynched, or beaten with police batons causing serious injury or even death. White Americans didn’t care for the well-being of African Americans that’s why blacks wanted to leave the South. Lastly, they had unfair chances in the legal system. Blacks weren’t represented well in the courts because of racial inequality. There once was a case that involved nine black teenage boys, the Scottsboro Boys, falsely accused of raping two white women. They were given an all white male jury that quickly
convicted the boys by giving them life in prison. Clearly the teenage boys were not given equal chances because the white men made their decision based on the color of their skin. The Great Migration was a result of all problems because African Americans wanted to flee as many of the social issues as possible. The white americans were coming to realization that their actions were cruel and some of the social tensions and racial tensions started to ease up.
The Great Migration had a economical impact on America in a way that was beneficial to both the United States and the African Americans. Southern blacks were forced to make a living off working the land and the sharecropping system. This brought little to no economic opportunity to those families, especially after the boll weevil epidemic that infested majority of the cotton African Americans had to pick. These black families were not given any fair economical opportunities, so when presented with great opportunity in the North, they took advantage of it. When World War I broke out in 1914, many white workers were pulled from their industrial jobs to fight in the war, leaving many positions empty and open. At the same time, European immigration to the United States became limited since they were in war with the European countries. As a result, industrialized urban areas in the North faced a shortage of industrial laborers. As mentioned earlier, African Americans were unsatisfied with the lack of economic opportunities, so they migrated North to fill the empty positions. African Americans supported the world war as it gave them many opportunities and it allowed them to show their loyalty and patriotism for the country. Large cities across the North now had concentrated areas of African Americans as a direct result of the Great Migration. The south didn’t have jobs that paid enough to support their families compared to the north that had high paying jobs such as the meat packaging industry, steel mills, and shipyards. Yes, African Americans were already aware of the new economic opportunities the North brought but, industrial managers of the factories, in the North, made it an incentive for African Americans to fulfil the jobs that the fighters left. Using popular newspapers, such as the Chicago Defender, industrial managers put promotional ads to encourage the migration of blacks for better pay. Labor recruiters were even sent to the South to bribe African Americans with free transportation and cheap housing in return for working in the factories in the northern cities. Once the African Americans migrated to the North things bagan to get better for their families and for the American economy. The economy began to flourish again because the African Americans filled the very important industrial jobs. The Great Migration brought many economical opportunities to majority of the world.
The Great Migration had a political impact on America in many different ways. Before, African American men were not given the right to vote because the color of their skin. The 15th Amendment changed that, stating that “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied...on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” Despite what the amendment stated, there were still discriminatory actions toward African Americans who attempted to vote. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 granted the African Americans the right to vote after the 15th Amendment was not accepted or followed by most white americans. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 aimed to overcome legal barriers that prevented African Americans to vote as guaranteed by the 15th Amendment. Many of the southern blacks took advantage of their new voting rights because now they felt that they were able to have a say in the politics. Both women and men were able to vote after the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote in 1919, so the Voting Rights Act included all people. Now that majority of African Americans lived in the Northern parts of America and they were given the right to vote, that shifted the demographics alot. For example, in presidential elections, African Americans had officially got documentation of their vote. Rather than just protesting, they were able to take their thoughts and opinions to the political side of things through voting. The Great Migration had political impacts on America by granting African Americans the right to vote and making their votes count toward the United States’ important decisions.
To summarize, the Great Migration was the movement of millions of African Americans from the South to the North and it had major impacts on America socially, economically, and politically. The causes for migration to the north by the southern African Americans were segregation, an increase in the spread of racism, lots of violence such as riots and lynching, and the lack of social and economic opportunities in the South. Many jobs were filled by white Americans before the world war broke out. The pull of jobs in the north was built up by the persuasions of labor agents sent by northern businessmen to recruit black southern workers. Another pull factor to the North was friends and family that were already living in the North. They may have felt that they needed to move further up north to be with their families now that they were given an opportunity to do so. Along with the pull factors were push factors that pressed African Americans out of the South. Jim Crow segregation laws, lynching and other racial violence, fewer economic opportunities, and boll weevil (a type of beetle that feeds off cotton) are a few push factors. They felt like they would be escaping the brutal hatred, racial violence and prejudice white people in the south once they moved north. Along with that, there was a lack of economic opportunity in the South and African Americans needed more than what they were working for in the South.World War One presented a numerous amount of new opportunities to African Americans during this time. The industrial economy grew significantly during the war due to African Americans.
In conclusion, we can say that The Great Migration had a significant part in shaping America into the country it is today. It has brought so many lessons to all races and all people of the United States. All of the social, economical, and political issues that those African Americans had were of great benefit to them as it soon made their lives easier by moving North. The relocation of the millions of southern blacks brought upon many opportunities not only for the African Americans but for the industrial factories and industries in the north. This significant event was that impacted America several different ways, leaving a long lasting mark on the United States, is The Great Migration.
and the lack of social and economic opportunities in the South. The factors that pulled African Americans to the North included labor shortages in northern factories due to World War I. Many of these jobs were filled by white Americans before the world war broke out. The white men were taken from all these industrial jobs to fight in World War I, so that opened up a lot of these jobs to the migrating African Americans. The pull of jobs in the north was strengthened by the persuasions of labor agents sent by northern businessmen to recruit black southern workers. The companies in the north that were trying to fill jobs, bribed black workers to relocate to the north. Free transportation and cheap housing were a few of the things they used to bribe African Americans to move. Another pull factor to the North was friends and family that were already living in the North. They may have felt that they needed to move further up north to be with their families now that they were given an opportunity to do so. Along with the pull factors were push factors that pressed African Americans out of the South. Jim Crow segregation laws, lynching and other racial violence, fewer economic opportunities, and boll weevil (a type of beetle that feeds off cotton) are a few push factors. The African Americans in the south were not okay with the forced segregation laws that were set, so they made a move towards the north. They felt like they would be escaping the brutal hatred, racial violence and prejudice white people in the south once they moved north. Although those in the North were still prejudice, it wasn’t as terrible as the occurances in the South. Along with that, there was a lack of economic opportunity in the South and African Americans needed more than what they were working for in the South.World War One presented a numerous amount of new opportunities to African Americans during this time. The industrial economy grew significantly during the war due to African Americans. The conflict cut off European immigration so blacks were the ones to fill the empty jobs. Many of them supported the World War and saw this period of time as an opportunity to show their loyalty and patriotism. The Great Migration had many impacts on America socially, economically, and politically. Black southerns escaping prejudice, the shortage of industrial laborers, and African Americans exercising their right to vote all had impacted America greatly.
The Great Migration had a social impact on America in a way that changed the lives of African Americans almost everywhere.
During this time, there was an inequality of education amongst the African American community. Segregation was so strict in the south, children of color were not allowed to go to school with white children. Everything that white people were allowed to do was limited to black people because white americans felt that African Americans were a lesser human than them due to their skin color. African Americans were treated as primitives and were treated with so much disrespect. It was much more than disrespect, it hard to put the pain, discrimination, and situations full of hatred into words. Inequality was present in all aspects of their lives, from walking on the sidewalk, drinking from the water fountains, school education, and even in transportation. Segregation was major in the south, water fountains had signs above them labeled “White” and “Colored”, when blacks needed transportation they had to sit in the back of the bus, and whites were afraid to even look at or stand next to an African American. Not only were schools segregated, colored schools did not receive the same quality of education that predominantly white schools received. Discrimination was overrated in the southern parts of the United States. Another social issue during the Great Migration was violence against African Americans. Many blacks were being sprayed with the water hose of fire trucks, lynched, or beaten with police batons causing serious injury or even death. White Americans didn’t care for the well-being of African Americans that’s why blacks wanted to leave the South. Lastly, they had unfair chances in the legal system. Blacks weren’t represented well in the courts because of racial inequality. There once was a case that involved nine black teenage boys, the Scottsboro Boys, falsely accused of raping two white women. They were given an all white male jury that quickly
convicted the boys by giving them life in prison. Clearly the teenage boys were not given equal chances because the white men made their decision based on the color of their skin. The Great Migration was a result of all problems because African Americans wanted to flee as many of the social issues as possible. The white americans were coming to realization that their actions were cruel and some of the social tensions and racial tensions started to ease up.
The Great Migration had a economical impact on America in a way that was beneficial to both the United States and the African Americans. Southern blacks were forced to make a living off working the land and the sharecropping system. This brought little to no economic opportunity to those families, especially after the boll weevil epidemic that infested majority of the cotton African Americans had to pick. These black families were not given any fair economical opportunities, so when presented with great opportunity in the North, they took advantage of it. When World War I broke out in 1914, many white workers were pulled from their industrial jobs to fight in the war, leaving many positions empty and open. At the same time, European immigration to the United States became limited since they were in war with the European countries. As a result, industrialized urban areas in the North faced a shortage of industrial laborers. As mentioned earlier, African Americans were unsatisfied with the lack of economic opportunities, so they migrated North to fill the empty positions. African Americans supported the world war as it gave them many opportunities and it allowed them to show their loyalty and patriotism for the country. Large cities across the North now had concentrated areas of African Americans as a direct result of the Great Migration. The south didn’t have jobs that paid enough to support their families compared to the north that had high paying jobs such as the meat packaging industry, steel mills, and shipyards. Yes, African Americans were already aware of the new economic opportunities the North brought but, industrial managers of the factories, in the North, made it an incentive for African Americans to fulfil the jobs that the fighters left. Using popular newspapers, such as the Chicago Defender, industrial managers put promotional ads to encourage the migration of blacks for better pay. Labor recruiters were even sent to the South to bribe African Americans with free transportation and cheap housing in return for working in the factories in the northern cities. Once the African Americans migrated to the North things bagan to get better for their families and for the American economy. The economy began to flourish again because the African Americans filled the very important industrial jobs. The Great Migration brought many economical opportunities to majority of the world.
The Great Migration had a political impact on America in many different ways. Before, African American men were not given the right to vote because the color of their skin. The 15th Amendment changed that, stating that “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied...on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” Despite what the amendment stated, there were still discriminatory actions toward African Americans who attempted to vote. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 granted the African Americans the right to vote after the 15th Amendment was not accepted or followed by most white americans. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 aimed to overcome legal barriers that prevented African Americans to vote as guaranteed by the 15th Amendment. Many of the southern blacks took advantage of their new voting rights because now they felt that they were able to have a say in the politics. Both women and men were able to vote after the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote in 1919, so the Voting Rights Act included all people. Now that majority of African Americans lived in the Northern parts of America and they were given the right to vote, that shifted the demographics alot. For example, in presidential elections, African Americans had officially got documentation of their vote. Rather than just protesting, they were able to take their thoughts and opinions to the political side of things through voting. The Great Migration had political impacts on America by granting African Americans the right to vote and making their votes count toward the United States’ important decisions.
To summarize, the Great Migration was the movement of millions of African Americans from the South to the North and it had major impacts on America socially, economically, and politically. The causes for migration to the north by the southern African Americans were segregation, an increase in the spread of racism, lots of violence such as riots and lynching, and the lack of social and economic opportunities in the South. Many jobs were filled by white Americans before the world war broke out. The pull of jobs in the north was built up by the persuasions of labor agents sent by northern businessmen to recruit black southern workers. Another pull factor to the North was friends and family that were already living in the North. They may have felt that they needed to move further up north to be with their families now that they were given an opportunity to do so. Along with the pull factors were push factors that pressed African Americans out of the South. Jim Crow segregation laws, lynching and other racial violence, fewer economic opportunities, and boll weevil (a type of beetle that feeds off cotton) are a few push factors. They felt like they would be escaping the brutal hatred, racial violence and prejudice white people in the south once they moved north. Along with that, there was a lack of economic opportunity in the South and African Americans needed more than what they were working for in the South.World War One presented a numerous amount of new opportunities to African Americans during this time. The industrial economy grew significantly during the war due to African Americans.
In conclusion, we can say that The Great Migration had a significant part in shaping America into the country it is today. It has brought so many lessons to all races and all people of the United States. All of the social, economical, and political issues that those African Americans had were of great benefit to them as it soon made their lives easier by moving North. The relocation of the millions of southern blacks brought upon many opportunities not only for the African Americans but for the industrial factories and industries in the north. This significant event was that impacted America several different ways, leaving a long lasting mark on the United States, is The Great Migration.