Unit
Years: 1900-1960
Freedom & Equal Rights
Historical Events, Movements, and Figures
The Great Migration refers to the mass movement of Black Americans from the South to the North, a trend that exploded in the early 1900s and continued for decades after, well into the 1960s. There were both push and pull factors leading to the change. Push factors, those that drove Black Americans away from the South, included widespread violence and the racial terrorism of lynching, the political and economic discrimination of Jim Crow laws, and the racial segregation of schools and public spaces. Several pull factors also made the North appealing, especially employment opportunities in urban areas resulting from World War I and the promise of a more integrated life for Black Americans.
The Great Migration had major economic, political, and social impacts across the United States. Northern cities such as New York, Chicago, Detroit, and Cleveland grew their Black populations exponentially, which led to an outpouring of Black art, literature, and political thought in the Harlem Renaissance and to the creation of thriving Black communities across the North. But while Black Americans had greater access to jobs, housing, and social support in the North, structural racism continued to cause economic and social inequality, if only in different forms than it did in the South. For instance, redlining, a banking practice that restricted Black homeowners from taking out mortgages in White communities, became a commonplace form of housing discrimination that led to segregation in Northern cities and suburbs. White Americans responded to the Great Migration in some places with violence, and race riots rocked several U.S. cities during the Red Summer of 1919. Even so, the Great Migration led to the creation of new and vibrant Black communities throughout the North and was a defining aspect of the 20th century in the United States.
Document 5.13.4: Excerpts from Jacob Lawrence’s introduction to Jacob Lawrence: The Migration Series, 1992
This is the story of an exodus of African Americans who left their homes and farms in the South around the time of World War I and traveled to northern industrial cities in search of better lives. It was a momentous journey. . . . The great migration is a part of my life. . . . There was always talk in my house of other families arriving from the South. My family was part of the first big wave of migration, which occurred between the years 1916 and 1919. . . .It seemed almost inevitable that I would tell this story in my art. I spent hours at the Schomburg Library in Harlem reading books about the great migration, and I took notes.
I started the Migration series in 1940, when I was twenty-two years old, and finished it one year later. . . . There are sixty panels in the series. . .
To me, migration means movement. While I was painting, I thought about trains and people walking to the stations. I thought about field hands leaving their farms to become factory workers, and about the families that sometimes got left behind. . . .
My family and others left the South on a quest for freedom, justice, and dignity. If our story rings true for you today, then it must still strike a chord in our American experience.
Source: Lawrence, Jacob. The Great Migration: An American Story. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1993.
A mass movement of African Americans from the rural Southern United States to the urban North and Midwest between the early 20th century and the 1970s, driven by factors such as racial segregation, economic opportunities, and the promise of a better life in Northern cities.
A system of racial segregation and discrimination that prevailed in the Southern United States from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century, characterized by laws, policies, and practices that enforced racial separation and promoted white supremacy, particularly in public facilities, accommodations, and institutions.
A white supremacist hate group founded in the United States in the 19th century, known for its promotion of white nationalism, racial segregation, and violence against African Americans, immigrants, and other marginalized groups, and for its use of intimidation, terrorism, and cross burning as tactics of racial terror and oppression.
An extrajudicial act of violence and murder, typically involving the illegal hanging or killing of a person by a mob or group of individuals, often motivated by racial, religious, or social prejudice, and historically used as a tool of racial terror, intimidation, and social control, particularly against African Americans in the United States.
White flight refers to the phenomenon in which white residents, typically from urban areas, move away from racially diverse neighborhoods or cities to suburban or predominantly white areas. It often occurs in response to changes in demographics, social tensions, or perceived threats.
The discriminatory practice of denying or limiting financial services, such as loans or insurance, to certain geographic areas, often based on the racial or ethnic composition of those areas, contributing to racial segregation and disparities in housing and credit.
A period of racial violence and riots in numerous cities across the United States during the summer and early fall of 1919, reflecting heightened racial tensions following World War I and the Great Migration of African Americans to urban areas.
A cultural, artistic, and intellectual movement that flourished in Harlem, New York City, during the 1920s and 1930s, characterized by a resurgence of African American literature, music, visual arts, theater, and social activism, and representing a period of cultural rebirth and expression for African Americans.
The movement of African Americans from the Southern United States to Northern and Western cities during the mid-20th century, particularly between the 1940s and 1970s, in search of economic opportunities, better living conditions, and escape from racial segregation and discrimination. This migration represented a significant demographic shift and contributed to the growth of urban African American communities in cities such as Chicago, Detroit, New York, and Los Angeles.
Social history is the study of everyday life, customs, behaviors, and experiences of ordinary people in the past, often focusing on topics such as family, work, leisure, gender, race, class, and social relationships.