The Great Migration
Introduction
The great migration refers to the movement of African Americans from the southern United States to the north, mid west and west of United States. The Africans Americans migrated from 1910 to 1930.There are several reasons why the African American migrated from the south to north and other parts. The African Americans migrated to these areas to escape racism and look for employment opportunities. The economic factors and social factors forced the African Americans to migrate from the south to the north. The great migration of African Americans took places in two phases. That is the first great migration and the second great migration. The great migration had different effects to the cities and the African Americans. It led to increase in the population of African Americans in many cities. It also led to integration of African Americans in the cities. The African Americans did not find life better in the north as they still faced segregation and discrimination. They lived in separate houses and in crowded neighbor hoods. This paper analyzes the great migration of African Americans, its causes and its effects.
The great migration of African Americans
There are two types of the great migration of African Americans. That is the first great migration, and the second great migration (Lemann 2008). The first great migration occurred from 1910 to 1940.The number of African Americans who migrated during this period is estimated to be approximately 1.6 million. The second great migration took place from 1940 to 1970(Lemann 2008). The number of immigrants estimated to have migrated during this period is almost 5million. Most Africans Americans moved from Texas and other cities to California to look for jobs in the defense industry (Earle, et al 2000).
Causes of the great migration of African Americans
Several factors contributed to the migration of African Americans from the south to the north, and west of United States. The primary causes of the great migration were economic factors. Social factors also contributed to the migration of African Americans from the north to other areas in United States (Earle, et al 2000). Historians have identified five factors that caused the great migration of African Americans from the south (Lemann 2008). First, the reduction in cotton production contributed a lot to the movement of African American from the south. Most African Americans practiced agricultural activities before the migration (Lemann 2008). Some of the blacks in the south practiced tenant farming, and others were share croppers. Agricultural production in the south declined between 1914 and 1917. This was due to natural phenomena. The decline in agricultural production mainly cotton production was as a result of boll weevil from Mexico. Boll weevil invented the cotton plantations in the south, and caused massive destruction to the plants. This affected the cotton production in the region leading to low production (Lemann 2008).
The low production made it difficulty for the blacks to survive as they had no source of income (Earle, et al 2000). This forced them to move to other areas, and look for employment opportunities to get income. Another factor that led to decline in cotton production in the south is floods. The flooding that occurred in 1915 caused a lot of destruction to the cotton plants, and destroyed farming land in the south (Healey 2009). In addition, the floods destroyed homes occupied by the blacks in south. This made the blacks and their families to become homeless (Lemann 2008). The natural factors contributed to low wages in the industries in the south (Healey 2009). The south experienced severe depressions in labor as wages went down to seventy five cents per day. In other parts in the south laborers received less than seventy five cents a day (Lemann 2008). This made it difficulty for the blacks to support their families.
While the south was experiencing labor depression and low production, industries in the northern region recorded high production and shortage in labor (Healey 2009). This forced blacks in the south to migrate to the north, and look for better employment opportunities. This led to the great movement of the African Americans to the north, west and other regions (Healey 2009).Another factor that contributed to migration of African Americans from the south to other areas was the recruitment of African Americans by the northern industries. The World War 1 had both positive and negative impacts on the northern industries (Healey 2009). The World War 1 increased the demand of goods made by the northern industries. The war had negative impacts in the supply of labor in the northern industries. The northern industries mostly depend on immigrants as immigrants worked in the industries, and were the main source of labor for the industries (Healey 2009). The war led to decline in migration of immigrants into the United States, and this led to shortage in labor force in the industries (Lemann 2008). Another factor that contributed to shortage in labor in the northern industries was an increase in strikes. Most workers in the regions were involved in labor strikes as they demanded increase in wages, and better working conditions (Painter 2006).
This led to decrease in labor force in the industries (Healey 2009). The shortage in labor forced industrialists from the north to go to south to recruit more workers. They recruited blacks, and whites who were unemployed so as to replace the immigrant workers in the industries (Kenedy, et al 2009). The industrialists also wanted the blacks and whites recruited to stop strikes in the north. The blacks acted as strike breakers in the northern industries. The blacks moved to the north as the industrialists offered free train tickets, and higher wages. This gave the African Americans an opportunity to move to the north to search for better employment opportunities. Hence, this caused the great migration of African Americans from the south to the north and other regions (Kenedy, et al 2009).Social factors also contributed to the migration of African Americans from the south. The social factors influenced the African American decisions to move from the south to urban cities in the north (Kenedy, et al 2009). African Americans experienced many social problems in the south like discrimination, and racism. Other problems included segregation, and lack of privileges for African Americans (Kenedy, et al 2009).
The African Americans were not allowed to vote in south as they were looked down upon. In addition, the African Americans were not allowed to use the same legal system with other people in the south. This affected their lives in the south, and made it difficulty (Kenedy, et al 2009). The African Americans were forced to challenge the problems on daily basis and this affected their social life. Southern whites used lynching to ensure that the African Americans did not protest the conditions put openly. For example, in 1889 and 1992, a mob lynched more than 3400 African Americans (Kenedy, et al 2009).As a result of the social factors, African American in the south used the newspapers to start campaign to convince the blacks in the south to migrate to the northern cities (Lawrence 2009). For example, the African Americans used news papers like the Chicago defender, and the Christian recorder to convince other African Americans to live the south (Lemann 2008). The news papers portrayed the north as the best solution. They portrayed the north in biblical terms. For instance, they referred to the north as the Promised Land (Tettey- Fio, et al 2006). The social factors in the south forced the African Americans to migrate to the north to look for better working conditions and living conditions. Thus, the social factors and economic factors contributed a lot to the movement of African Americans from the south to the north (Duncan)
Effects of the great migration
The great migration had several effects (Lawrence 2009). The great migration caused demographic changes. The great migration of the African American helped create the first urban black community in the north (Lawrence 2009). Most cultures evidenced in many cities in United States today were forged during the period of the great migration. For example, in 1929 the population of African Americans in the Detroit was 6,000, but the great migration the population rose to almost 120,000. Most cities in the United States experienced increase in the population of African Americans. For example, cities like Chicago and New York experienced increase in population. The great movement led to development of multiple languages in the cities. This is because the Africans American migrated to the urban cities and settled there (Ayers, et al 2008). The great migration also had a negative impact on the southern parts. As the African Americans moved from the south to the north, the number of the blacks in the south reduced.
Most regions in the south recorded a low population of African Americans. For example, in Carolina, the population of blacks reduced from 60% to 35% (Ayers, et al 2008).African Americans still experienced discrimination in the north, but they had good employment opportunities. They received low wages unlike the whites in the north. This is because most people in the north discriminated African Americans and they did not want to have any competition from the blacks. Africans Americans who were educated got good jobs in the industries, but received low wages (Lawrence 2009). Africans Americans settled in crowded neighborhoods as the housing for African Americans was limited. The whites did not want to settle near the African Americans. This led to segregation of African Americans in crowded neighbor hoods (Lawrence 2009).The great migration caused integration and non integration. African Americans were integrated into the society as a result of the great migration (Lemann 2008). The African Americans worked and lived with the whites and this helped narrow the gap that existed between the whites and the blacks. African Americans were able to change their rural life to urban life. The Africans were still being discriminated by the whites during the process of integration (Arnesen)
Conclusion
The great migration is the movement of African Americans from the south to the north, and other regions. The movement of African Americans from the south to the north is as result of economic and social factors. Economic factors like decline in cotton production in the north and World War 1 contributed to the great migration. Cotton production in the south declined as the plants were attacked by boll weevils and floods. The floods in the south destroyed farming land and crops in the region. It also caused African Americans to become homeless as it destroyed houses owned by the blacks in the region. This made it difficulty for African Americans to live in the south as they had no income. The industrialists also hired African Americans from the south to replace the shortage of work force in the industries. They provided free train tickets for the African Americans. This made it easy for African Americans to migrate to the north. The industrialists also promised African Americans good wages unlike the wages in the south. This attracted African Americans to the north as they could get new jobs and high income. Social factors like discrimination and racism and segregation led to migration of African Americans. Life in the north was not better, as the African Americans faced discrimination and segregation by the whites. They lived in separate houses. The great migration led to increase in population in urban centers and integration of African Americans. Thus, the great migration of African Americans had both positive and negative impacts to the group. The group got new jobs in the north, and the living conditions improved. The African Americans still faced discrimination in the north, and they also got low wages.
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