great migration

5/19/2018 Great Migration

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The Great Migration was the movement of 6 million African Americans out of the

rural Southern United States to the urban Northeast, Midwest, and West that

occurred between 11! and 1"!# Some historians di$erentiate between the %rst

Great Migration &11!'1(!), numbering about 1#6 million migrants who left

mostl* rural areas to migrate to northern industrial cities+ and, after a lull during

the Great e-ression, a Second Great Migration &1.!'1"!), in which / millionor more -eo-le moved from the South, including man* to 0alifornia and other

western states#12 3etween 11! and 1"!, blac4s moved from 1. states of the

South, es-eciall* Alabama, 5ouisiana, Mississi--i, and Teas, to the other three

cultural &and census7designated) regions of the United States# According to US

census %gures, Georgia su$ered net losses in its African7American -o-ulation for

three consecutive decades from 18!'1/!# More towns-eo-le with urban s4ills

moved during the second migration#12

3* the end of the Second Great Migration, African Americans had become an

urbani9ed -o-ulation# More than :! -ercent of blac4s lived in cities# A ma;orit* of

/( -ercent remained in the South, while .! -ercent lived in the North, and "-ercent in the West#82 According to Nicholas 5emann, the Great Migrationn sheer numbers it outran4s the migration of an* other ethnic grou-

=>talians or >rish or ?ews or @oles=to the U#S#2# or blac4s, the migration meant

leaving what had alwa*s been their economic and social base in America, and

%nding a new one#(2

A reverse migration has gathered strength since 16/, dubbed the New Great

Migration, the term for demogra-hic changes in which man* blac4s have

returned to the South, generall* to states and cities where economico--ortunities are the best# Since the 16!s, economic diBculties of cities in the

Northeastern and Midwestern United States, growth of ;obs in the CNew SouthC

with lower costs of living, famil* and 4inshi- ties, and im-roving racial relations

have all acted to attract African Americans to the South in substantial numbers#

As earl* as 1"/ to 1:!, seven southern states were net blac4 migration

gainers# African7American -o-ulations continue to dro- throughout much of the

Northeast, -articularl* with blac4 emigration out of the state of New Dor4,.2 as

well as out of Northern New ?erse*,/2 as the* rise in the Southern United States#

0ontents

1 Numbers and destinations

8 emogra-hics, tensions and em-lo*ment sectors

( 0auses

. 0ultural changes

/ E$ects

/#1 emogra-hic changes

/#8 iscrimination and wor4ing conditions

/#( >ntegration and segregation


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6 Second and New Great Migration

" Statistics

: See also

ootnotes1! urther reading

11 Eternal lin4s

Numbers and destinations

?ames Gregor* calculates decade7b*7decade migration volumes in his boo4, The

Southern ias-ora# 3lac4 migration -ic4ed u- from the start of the new centur*,

with 8!.,!!! leaving in the %rst decade# The -ace accelerated with the outbrea4

of World War > and continued through the 18!s# 3* 1(!, there were 1#( million

former southerners living in other regions#62

The Great e-ression wi-ed out ;ob o--ortunities in the northern industrial belt,

es-eciall* for African Americans, and caused a shar- reduction in migration# A

second and larger Great Migration began around 1.! as defense industries

geared u- for World War >># 1#. million blac4 southerners moved north or west in

the 1.!s followed b* 1#1 million in the 1/!s and another 8#. million -eo-le in

the 16!s and earl* 1"!s# 3* the late 1"!s, as deindustriali9ation and the rust

belt crisis too4 hold, the Great Migration came to an end# >n the 1:!s and earl*

1!s, more blac4 Americans were heading South than leaving that region#"2

3ig cities were the -rinci-al destinations of southerners throughout the two

-hases of the Great Migration# >n the %rst -hase, eight ma;or cities attracted two7thirds of the migrants< New Dor4 and 0hicago followed in order b* @hiladel-hia,

St# 5ouis, etroit, @ittsburgh, 0leveland, and >ndiana-olis# The Second great blac4

migration increased the -o-ulations of these cities while adding others# West

0oast cities &5os Angeles, San rancisco, Fa4land, @hoeni, Seattle, @ortland)

attracted African Americans in large numbers#62

emogra-hics, tensions and em-lo*ment sectors

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article b* adding citations to reliable sources# Unsourced material ma* bechallenged and removed# &November 8!1.)

When the Emanci-ation @roclamation was signed in 1:6(, less than eight

-ercent of the African7American -o-ulation lived in the Northeastern or

Midwestern United States# This began to change over the net decade, and b*

1::!, a migration was underwa* to ansas# The U# S# Senate ordered an

investigation into it#:2 >n 1!!, about ! -ercent of blac4s still lived in Southern

states#

3etween 11! and 1(!, the African7American -o-ulation increased b* about

fort* -ercent in Northern states as a result of the migration, mostl* in the ma;or

cities# 0ities including etroit, 0hicago, 0leveland, and New Dor4 0it* had someof the biggest increases in the earl* -art of the twentieth centur*# 3lac4s were


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recruited for industrial ;obs, such as -ositions with the e-ansion of the

@enns*lvania Hailroad# 3ecause changes were concentrated in cities, which had

also attracted millions of new or recent Euro-ean immigrants, tensions rose as

the -eo-le com-eted for ;obs and housing# Tensions were often most severe

between ethnic >rish, defending their recentl* gained -ositions and territor*, and

recent immigrants and blac4s#

African7Americans moved as individuals or small famil* grou-s# There was no

government assistance, but often northern industries, such as the railroads,

meat-ac4ing, and stoc4*ards recruited -eo-le and sometimes -aid for

trans-ortation and relocation#

0auses

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article b* adding citations to reliable sources# Unsourced material ma* be

challenged and removed# &November 8!1.)

5*nchings and raciall* motivated murders in each decade from 1:6/ to 16/#

The -rimar* -ush factors for migration were segregation, increase in racism, the

wides-read violence of l*nching &nearl* (,/!! African7Americans were l*nched

between 1::8 and 16:2), and lac4 of o--ortunities in the South# >n the North,

the* could %nd better schools and adult men could vote &;oined b* women after

18!)# 3urgeoning industries created ;ob o--ortunities# >t can also be noted that

even some white Males were also ma4ing the movement to the North, as well,

because of better ;ob o--ortunities# While the Great Migration was geared

towards African Americans, in some cases, white males were also a small -art of

this movement as well#

0ultural changes

After moving from the racist -ressures of the south to the northern states, more

African Americans were able to %nd the time to ta- into creativit*# The Great

Migration resulted in the Iarlem Henaissance, which was also %red b*

immigrants from the 0aribbean# >n her @ulit9er @ri9e'winning boo4 The Warmth of

Fther Suns, ;ournalist >sabel Wil4erson described the migration as Csi million

blac4 Southerners moving2 out of the terror of ?im 0row to an uncertaineistence in the North and Midwest#Ccitation needed2

This signi%cant event and the subseJuent struggle of African7American migrants

to ada-t to Northern cities was the sub;ect of ?acob 5awrenceKs Migration Series

of -aintings, created when he was a *oung man in New Dor4#1!2 Ehibited in

1.1 at the Museum of Modern Art, 5awrenceKs Series attracted wide attention+

he was Juic4l* -erceived as one of the most im-ortant African7American artists

of the time#112

E$ects


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uring World War > there was a great migration northL, -ainting b* ?acob

5awrence#

emogra-hic changes

The Great Migration drained o$ most of the rural blac4 -o-ulation of the South,

and for a time fro9e or reduced African7American -o-ulation growth in -arts ofthe region# A number of states witnessed decades of blac4 -o-ulation decline,

es-eciall* across the ee- South Cblac4 beltC where cotton had been 4ing# The

migration changed the demogra-hics of the South# >n 11!, African Americans

constituted more than half the -o-ulation of South 0arolina and Mississi--i, and

more than .! -ercent in Georgia, Alabama, Teas and 5ouisiana+ b* 1"!, onl* in

Mississi--i did African7American re-resentation remain above (! -ercent# CThe

disa--earance of the Kblac4 beltK was one of the stri4ing e$ectsC of the Great

Migration, ?ames Gregor* wrote#182

The growing blac4 -resence outside the South was still more signi%cant# >n 1!!,

onl* ".!,!!! African Americans lived outside the South, ;ust : -ercent of thenationKs total blac4 -o-ulation# 3* 1"!, more than 1!#6 million African

Americans lived outside the South, ." -ercent of the nationKs total#182)

3ecause the migrants concentrated in the big cities of the north and west, their

im-act was magni%ed# 0ities that had been virtuall* all white at the start of the

centur* became centers of blac4 culture and -olitics b* mid7centur*# >nformal

residential segregation and the tendenc* of -eo-le to settle with others of their

communities led to concentrations of blac4s in certain areas# The northern C3lac4

metro-olisesC develo-ed an im-ortant infrastructure of news-a-ers, businesses,

;a99 clubs, churches, and -olitical organi9ations that -rovided the staging ground

for new forms of racial -olitics and new forms of blac4 culture#

The Great Migration created the %rst large urban blac4 communities in the North#

>t is conservativel* estimated that .!!,!!! African Americans left the South in

116 through 11: to ta4e advantage of a labor shortage in the wa4e of the irst

World War#1(2

>n 11!, the African7American -o-ulation of etroit was 6,!!!# The Great

Migration, and immigration from eastern and southern Euro-e, ra-idl* turned the

cit* into the countr*Ks fourth7largest# 3* the start of the Great e-ression in

18, the cit*Ks African7American -o-ulation had increased to 18!,!!!#

>n 1!!'!1, 0hicago had a total -o-ulation of 1,"/.,."(#1.2 3* 18!, the cit*had added more than 1 million residents# uring the second wave of the Great

Migration &1.!'6!), the African7American -o-ulation in the cit* grew from

8":,!!! to :1(,!!!#

Douth -la* in 0hicagoKs Statewa* Gardens high7rise housing -ro;ect in 1"(#

The ow of African Americans to Fhio, -articularl* to 0leveland, changed the

demogra-hics of the state and the -rimar* industrial cit*# 3efore the Great

Migration, an estimated 1#1 to 1#6 of 0levelandOs -o-ulation was African

American#1/2 3* 18!, .#( of 0levelandKs -o-ulation was African American#


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1/2 The number of African Americans in 0leveland continued to rise over the

net 8! *ears of the Great Migration#

Fther northern and midwestern industrial cities, such as St# 5ouis, 3altimore,

@hiladel-hia, @ittsburgh, Fmaha, and New Dor4 0it*, also saw dramatic increases

in their African7American -o-ulations# 3* the 18!s, New Dor4Ks Iarlem became

a center of blac4 cultural life, inuenced b* the American migrants as well as

new immigrants from the 0aribbean area#

Fther industrial cities that were destinations for numerous blac4 migrants were

3u$alo, Hochester, 3oston, Minnea-olis, Milwau4ee, ansas 0it*, St# 5ouis,

0olumbus, 0incinnati, Grand Ha-ids and >ndiana-olis, and smaller industrial cities

such as Gar*, a*ton, Erie, Toledo, Doungstown, @eoria, Mus4egon, Newar4, lint,

Saginaw, and Alban*# @eo-le tended to ta4e the chea-est rail tic4et -ossible and

go to areas where the* had relatives and friends# or eam-le, man* -eo-le from

Mississi--i moved directl* north b* train to 0hicago, from Alabama to 0leveland

and etroit, and in the second migration, from Teas, 5ouisiana, and Mississi--i

to 0alifornia#

Throughout the South, the de-arture of hundreds of thousands of African

Americans caused the blac4 -ercentage of the -o-ulation in most Southern

states to decrease dramaticall*# or eam-le, in Mississi--i, blac4s decreased

from about /6 of the -o-ulation in 11! to about (" b* 1"!162 and in

South 0arolina, blac4s decreased from about // of the -o-ulation in 11! to

about (! b* 1"!#162

iscrimination and wor4ing conditions

The Iub is the retail heart of the South 3ron, New Dor4 0it*#1"2

While the Great Migration hel-ed educated African Americans obtain ;obs,

eventuall* enabling a measure of class mobilit*, the migrants encountered

signi%cant forms of discrimination# 3ecause so man* -eo-le migrated in a short

-eriod of time, the African7American migrants were often resented b* the urban

Euro-ean7American wor4ing class &often recent immigrants themselves)+ fearing

their abilit* to negotiate rates of -a* or secure em-lo*ment, the* felt threatened

b* the inu of new labor com-etition# Sometimes those who were most fearful

or resentful were the last immigrants of the 1th and new immigrants of the 8!th

centur*# >n man* cities, wor4ing classes tried to defend what the* saw as CtheirCterritories#citation needed2

African Americans made substantial gains in industrial em-lo*ment, -articularl*

in the steel, automobile, shi-building, and meat-ac4ing industries# 3etween

11! and 18!, the number of blac4s em-lo*ed in industr* nearl* doubled from

/!!,!!! to !1,!!!#1(2 After the Great e-ression, more advances too4 -lace

after wor4ers in the steel and meat-ac4ing industries were organi9ed in labor

unions in the 1(!s and 1.!s, under the interracial 0ongress of >ndustrial

Frgani9ations &0>F)# The unions ended the segregation of man* ;obs, and African

Americans began to advance into more s4illed ;obs and su-ervisor* -ositions#

@o-ulations increased so ra-idl* among both African7American migrants and newEuro-ean immigrants that there were housing shortages in man* ma;or cities,


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and the newer grou-s com-eted for the oldest, most rundown housing# Ethnic

grou-s created territories which the* defended against change# iscrimination

often restricted African Americans to crowded neighborhoods# The more

established -o-ulations of cities tended to move to newer housing as it was

develo-ing in the outs4irts# Mortgage discrimination and redlining in inner cit*

areas limited the newer African7American migrantsK abilit* to determine theirown housing, or obtain a fair -rice# >n the long term, the National Iousing Act of

1(. contributed to limiting the availabilit* of loans to urban areas, -articularl*

those areas inhabited b* African Americans#1:2

>ntegration and segregation

White tenants see4ing to -revent blac4s from moving into the So;ourner Truth

housing -ro;ect in etroit erected this sign, 1.8

>n cities li4e Newar4, New Dor4 and 0hicago, African7Americans became

increasingl* integrated into societ*# As the* lived and wor4ed more closel* with

Euro-ean Americans, the divide eisting between them became increasingl*

inde%nite# This -eriod mar4ed the transition for man* African Americans from

lifest*les as rural farmers to urban industrial wor4ers#citation needed2

This migration gave birth to a cultural boom in cities such as 0hicago and New

Dor4# >n 0hicago for instance, the neighborhood of 3ron9eville became 4nown as

the C3lac4 Metro-olis#C The foundation of the %rst African American DM0A too4

-lace in 3ron9eville, and wor4ed to hel- incoming migrants %nd ;obs in the cit* of

0hicago#12

Migrants often encountered residential discrimination, in which white homeowners and realtors -revented migrants from -urchasing homes or renting

a-artments in white neighborhoods# >n addition, when blac4s moved into white

neighborhoods, whites would immediatel* relocate out of fear of a -otential rise

in -ro-ert* crime, ra-e, drugs and violence that was attributed to neighborhoods

with large blac4 -o-ulations# These tendencies contributed to maintaining the

Cracial divideC in the North, -erha-s accentuating it# 3* the late 1/!s and

16!s, African Americans were h*-er7urban, more densel* concentrated in inner

cities than other grou-s#

Since African7American migrants retained man* Southern cultural and linguistic

traits, such cultural di$erences created a sense of CothernessC in terms of theirrece-tion b* others who were living in the cities before them#8!2 Stereot*-es

ascribed to blac4 -eo-le during this -eriod and ensuing generations often

derived from African7American migrantsK rural cultural traditions, which were

maintained in star4 contrast to the urban environments in which the -eo-le

resided#8!2

Second and New Great Migration

Main articles< Second Great Migration &African American) and New Great

Migration

The Great e-ression of the 1(!s lessened the mobilit* seen in the earliermigration, which rebounded during World War >> in even larger numbers through


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the 16!s# After the -olitical and civil gains of the African7American 0ivil Hights

Movement &1//'16:), in the 1"!s, mobilit* began to increase again#

Statistics

African7Americans as a @ercentage of the @o-ulation 3* U#S# Hegion &1!!'8!1!)

8128828(2

Hegion 1!! 11! 18! 1(! 1.! 1/! 16! 1"! 1:! 1!

8!!! 8!1!

Northeast 1#: 1# 8#( (#( (#: /#1 6#: :#: # 11#!

11#.11#:

Midwest 1# 1#: 8#( (#( (#/ /#! 6#" :#1 #1 #6

1!#11!#.

West !#" !#" !# 1#! 1#8 8# (# .# /#8 /#( .#

.#:South (8#(8#:86#8.#"8(#:81#"8!#61#!1:#61:#/1:#

1#8

African7Americans as a @ercentage of the @o-ulation 3* 5arge U#S# 0ities &Those

With a @ea4 @o-ulation of /!!,!!! or More b* 1!) Futside of the ormer

0onfederac*8.28/2

0it* 1!! 11! 18! 1(! 1.! 1/! 16! 1"! 1:! 1! 0hange

in @ercentage Hatio 3etween 1!! and 1!

@hoeni, Ari9ona 8#" 8# (#" .# 6#/ .# .#: .#: .#:

/#8 P8#/

5os Angeles, 0alifornia 8#1 8#. 8#" (#1 .#8 :#" 1(#/1"#

1"#!1.#!P11#

San iego, 0alifornia 1#: 1#/ 1#( 1#: 8#! .#/ 6#! "#6

:# #. P"#6

San rancisco, 0alifornia !#/ !#. !#/ !#6 !#: /#6 1!#!1(#.

18#"1!#P1!#.

San ?ose, 0alifornia 1#! !#6 !#/ !#. !#. !#6 1#! 8#/ .#6

.#" P(#"

enver, 0olorado 8# 8#/ 8#. 8#/ 8#. (#6 6#1 #1 18#!

18#:P#

Washington, istrict of 0olumbia (1#18:#/8/#18"#18:#8(/#!

/(#"1#1"!#(6/#:P(.#"

0hicago, >llinois 1#: 8#! .#1 6# :#8 1(#688#(8#"(#:

(#1P("#(

>ndiana-olis, >ndiana #. #( 11#!18#11(#81/#!8!#61:#!

81#:88#6P1(#8


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3altimore, Mar*land 1/#61/#81.#:1"#"1#(8(#"(.#".6#.

/.#:/#8P.(#6

3oston, Massachusetts 8#1 8#! 8#8 8#6 (#1 /#! #1 16#(

88#.8/#6P8(#/

etroit, Michigan 1#. 1#8 .#1 "#" #8 16#88:#.(#"6(#1"/#"P".#(

Minnea-olis, Minnesota !#: !# 1#! !# !# 1#( 8#. .#.

"#" 1(#!P18#8

ansas 0it*, Missouri 1!#"#/ #/ #6 1!#.18#81"#/88#1

8"#.8#6P1:#

St# 5ouis, Missouri 6#8 6#. #! 11#.1(#(1"#8:#6.!#./#6

."#/P.1#(

3u$alo, New Dor4 !#/ !#. !# 8#. (#1 6#( 1(#(8!#.86#6(!#"P(!#8

New Dor4 0it*, New Dor4 1#: 1# 8#" .#" 6#1 #/ 1.#!81#1

8/#88:#"P86#

0incinnati, Fhio .#. /#. "#/ 1!#618#81/#/81#68"#6((#:

("#P((#/

0leveland, Fhio 1#6 1#/ .#( :#! #6 16#88:#6(:#(.(#:

.6#6P./#!

0olumbus, Fhio 6#/ "#! #. 11#(11#"18#.16#.1:#/88#1

88#6P16#1

@hiladel-hia, @enns*lvania .#: /#/ "#. 11#(1(#!1:#886#.

((#6("#:(#P(/#1

@ittsburgh, @enns*lvania /#( .#: 6#. :#8 #( 18#816#"8!#8

8.#!8/#:P8!#/

Seattle, Washington !#/ 1#! !# !# 1#! (#. .#: "#1

#/ 1!#1P#6

Milwau4ee, Wisconsin !#( !#( !#/ 1#( 1#/ (#. :#. 1.#"

8(#1(!#/P(!#8

African7Americans as a @ercentage of the @o-ulation 3* 5arge U#S# 0ities &Those

With a @ea4 @o-ulation of /!!,!!! or More b* 1!) >nside the ormer

0onfederac*8.28/2

0it* 1!! 11! 18! 1(! 1.! 1/! 16! 1"! 1:! 1! 0hange

in Hatio 3etween 1!! and 1!

?ac4sonville, lorida /"#1/!#:./#(("#8(/#"(/#..1#188#(

8/#.8/#87(1#

New Frleans, 5ouisiana 8"#186#(86#18:#((!#1(1#("#8./#!

//#(61#P(.#:


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Mem-his, Tennessee .:#:.!#!("#"(:#1.1#/("#8("#!(:#

."#6/.#:P6#!

allas, Teas81#81#61/#11.#1"#11(#11#!8.#8#.8#/

P:#(

El @aso, Teas 8# (#" 1#" 1#: 8#( 8#. 8#1 8#( (#8(#. P!#/

Iouston, Teas (8#"(!#.8.#681#"88#.8!#88#8/#"8"#6

8:#17.#6

San Antonio, Teas 1.#111#1:# "#: "#6 "#! "#1 "#6 "#(

"#! 7"#1

A ma- of the blac4 -ercentage of the U#S# -o-ulation b* each stateQterritor* in

1!!#3lac4 R (/#!!P

3rown R 8!#!!7(.#

Hed R 1!#!!71#

Frange R /#!!7#

5ight orange R 1#!!7.#

Gra* R !# or less

Magenta R No data available

A ma- of the blac4 -ercentage of the U#S# -o-ulation b* each stateQterritor* in

1!#

3lac4 R (/#!!P

3rown R 8!#!!'(.#

Hed R 1!#!!'1#

Frange R /#!!'#

5ight orange R 1#!!'.#

Gra* R !# or less

@in4 R No data available

A ma- showing the blac4 -o-ulation -ercentage change b* U#S# state between1!! and 1!#


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5ight -ur-le R @o-ulation decline

er* light green R @o-ulation growth of !#!1'#

5ight green R @o-ulation growth of 1!#!!'#

Green R @o-ulation growth of 1!!#!!'#ar4 green R @o-ulation growth of 1,!!!#!!',#

er* dar4 greenQ3lac4 R @o-ulation growth of 1!,!!!#!! or more

Gra* R No data available

great migration

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