The great migration

This is the last of a series of lectures on African American history from the Civil War to the 1st WW. It covers the era of the Great Migration, focusing on their living conditions in the South and reasons that lead them to head of the North in such great numbers. The quiz with results is included.

1. The Great Migration

2. What is the Great Migration? The Great Migration was a massive relocation of African Americans from the rural Southern states to cities of the North. The First Wave: 1910 to 1930 (1.6 million people). After 1930 the migration slowed down a bit because of the Great Depression. Second Wave: 1940 to 1970 (5 million people). The U.S. entered the Second World War in 1941 .

3. They came from… Alabama Mississippi Louisiana (To name a few States…)

4. And went to… New York Detroit St. Louis As well as Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Indianapolis

5. In 1900, 90% of blacks lived in Southern States! Why did African Americans leave the South?

6. Let’s Go Back in the Time Machine… The Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863. Four million people, poor , displaced, and mostly illiterate, are free but homeless.    

7.   During the Civil War Some “freedmen” ran to the Union army for protection. The Union army didn’t know what to do with these “refugees,” it could barely care for its own troops. Many freed slaves died of diseases in the Union stockades.

8.   Many took to the roads in search of work, sometimes traveling over mountains with little more than their clothes. But most of them remained in the South.

9. Southern economy was in ruins. Many freed blacks returned to the plantations as sharecroppers. No change from their slave life, but they were able to keep their families together . Many went into debt to their former white owners (or farm owners) to pay for food, clothing, shelter etc .

10. Despite their apparent freedom, African Americans received little protection in the South. They took one step forward and two steps back. Reconstruction was a failure… The Civil Rights Act of 1875 was declared unconstitutional in 1883 by the Supreme Court.

11. Due to limited funds, and political corruption, the Freedman’s Bureau was shut down in 1872.

12. Reconstruction was a failure…. “ Jim Crow Laws” segregated races. Violence was common place: over 2,800 victims of lynch mobs from 1882 to 1930 in 10 Southern states. 2,500 victims were Black.

13. The Boll Weevil The arrival of an undesirable alien accelerated the changes: a beetle called the boll weevil, the most destructive cotton pest in North America. It crossed the Rio Grande, to enter the United States from Mexico in 1892 and reached southeastern Alabama in 1909. By the mid-1920s, it had entered all cotton-growing regions in the U.S., travelling 40 to 160 miles per year.

14. It contributed to the economic collapse of Southern farmers Thousands of farm workers were displaced. long reign of King Cotton was finally brought to an end. Collapse of Agriculture

15. In the meanwhile New opportunities in the North …

16. Possibilities Opens Up …In 1910, new opportunities emerged for African Americans as an industrial boom in the North sparked demand for new workers.

17. And Then a Miraculous Thing Happened… World War… World War I brought a halt to European immigration to supply American factories in the North. The War called for a massive production of arms and supplies. There was a severe labor shortage Wars always create an economic “boom .” Northern factories began recruiting workers from the South .

18. Promised Land… Reports spread of abundant job opportunities in the North . Recruiters set up stations on street corners in Southern towns and offered train tickets to young and strong men Recruiters published success stories in local newspapers of those that had traveled to work in the North. These stories were read in barber shops and churches . “ Migration Fever” swept through the South.

19. News of incredible opportunities in the North—better housing, the right to vote, high-paying jobs—became a frequent topic of conversation in black southern homes Friends and family in the North described their good fortune. The Chicago Defender, the major black newspaper: stories about northern job opportunities, And about risks of staying in the South.

20. The Great Migration 1910-1930 Movement of 1.6 million African Americans out of the rural south into the Northeast, Midwest, and West. New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Indianapolis Largest internal movement of an American population.

21. The Journey They traveled by train, boat, bus, car, and even in horse drawn carriages . Travelers were segregated in public transit waiting rooms and en-route. African American travelers could find little to eat or drink on their stops . The journey was long and slow. Many stopped to find work along the way. This was called “step migration.” Fares skyrocketed from $.02 cents per mile in 1915 to $.24 cents per mile three years later.

22. Effects of the Great Migration But what else?... Was the Great migration Emancipatory ?

23. Urbanization The effect on northern cities was dramatic. Between 1910 and 1920 black population increased by 66 percent in New York, 150 percent in Chicago, over 600 percent in Detroit. Harlem and the Southside became known as black enclaves

24. The Migration created housing shortages in urban areas. Banks limit lending to Blacks. Migrants lived in tenement housing. During this time Harlem became the “Black Mecca.” “Separate But Equal becomes common-place. Resurgeance of the KKK Race riots (St. Louis) in factories.

25. Black reception Were hired as scab labor, employed either to break a local union or to force striking whites back to work. snubbed by existing White immigrant labor groups because willing to work for lower wages. And by Earlier black settlers, as problems increased with each new arrival: job, housing & political anxieties.

26. Push & Pull Factors of the Great Migration

27. No time for cheating , it’s quiz time 

28. The end of WW1 Violence in the North Harlem Renaissance Great Depression   Q1 The 1 st wave of the Great migration stopped in 1930 because of:

29. Lived in Southern States! Moved to Northern States! Were lynched! Were illiterate! Q2 In 1900, 90% of black

30. were welcomed as heroes died of diseases were killed were sent back to Africa Q3 During the Civil War, the Freedmen who ran to the Union Army

31. a variety of cotton grown in the south a beetle that devastated Southern cotton a disease of cotton workers a train transporting southern blacks north Q4 Boll Weevil is the name of

32. They were running away from slavery It was too hot in the South They didn’t want to farm anymore The economic instability of the South Q5 One reason for The Great Migration was:

33. Economic hardships Violence Segregation Job opportunities in factories Q6 One of the pull factors was

34. The Missouri Defender The Louisiana Defender The Chicago Defender The Alabama Defender Q7 The Major Black newspaper advertizing for jobs was

35. stop migration” “transit migration” “spot migration” “ step migration” Q8 for migrating blacks, stopping to find work along the way was called

36. 6 million 5 million 1.6 million 5.6 million Q9 Number of African Americans who participated in the 1 st Great Migration

37. Segregation and violence was common place in the north Migrating african americans were welcomed by older black immigrants Migrating african americans were accused of lowering wages All of the above statements Q10 Which of the following statements is wrong