The Pros and Cons of the Great Migration

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The Great Migration was a huge relocation of African Americans from the Southern states of the United States to northern and Midwestern cities. This occurred between the years of 1910 and 1970. Over 6 million African Americans traveled to Northern cities during the migration. Some northern city destinations were Richmond, D.C, Baltimore, New York, and Newark. Western and Midwestern destinations were those such as Los Angelos, San Francisco, St. Louis, Chicago, and Detroit. During this time period and previous years, Jim Crow laws in the South were greatly in affect and causing African Americans a rough time due to the racism they faced. After Reconstruction had ended, white supremacy had taken it's toll in the South and Jim Crow had taken over.. The North, Midwest, and West of the United States began to face a shortage in industrial laborers due to World War I beginning and putting an end to immigration of Europeans to the United States. African Americans felt that heading north was their escape from harsh laws and unsatisfactory economic opportunities. Many people, including teenagers, from the South would write letters to the Chicago Defender asking for help to come North and find work because in the South it was hard to make a living. Some migrants already had family members in the North. For example, James Green, an elderly man who migrated at a young age from Goldsboro, North Carolina, had an aunt who lived in New York, who wanted him to be with her. He and his wife moved to New York, after his return from the air force. Because

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migrants moved North to escape from Jim Crow and the disgrace in economic opportunities in the South, going North was seen to bring about a better living for individuals and families....

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Murray. Migration Thumbnails. Hudson River Museum, 20 Nov. 2001. Web. 16 Apr.

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Irons, Peter. "Jim Crow's Schools."AFT. American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO, n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2014

Lemak, Jennifer A. "Albany, New York and the Great Migration" The Free Library 01 January 2008. 09 April 2014

"Racial Tensions in Omaha: The Great Migration." NebraskaStudies.Org. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr.

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"The Great Migration: Migration Resources." The African American Migration Experience. The New York Public Library, n.d. Web. 9 Apr. 2014.

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