Post Slavery

6 Pages 1415 Words

Black Migration In the United States Of America During the 20th Century


“ The North was the Promised Land. It was the land of hope. But it was not quite the fulfillment of the Promised Land as we had anticipated. Yes, they had better jobs, your children could go to better schools, and they could vote. But there were so many other obstacles, like racism: the transfer of the Jim Crow of the South, to the racism of the North.”


-Timuel Black, historian


Between the turn of the century and 1930, more than 1 million black southerners set out on one of America’s most important mass movements. These people migrated from the South’s countryside to the cities in the North. They hoped to find better jobs, a new sense of citizenship, and a new respect for themselves, their families, and a chance at a new life.

In 1863 the black population experienced the abolition of slavery by the Emancipation Proclamation, but slavery lasted many years until their arrival in urban America. To understand why they left the rural South we first must go back and review the harsh and unbearable conditions that forced them to migrate. Even before the Civil War, the Dred Scott Decision showed the situation of African Americans in the United States society. Immediately after the war and after two centuries of slavery white southerners resented not only the emancipation, but also any behavior, words, or attitudes by African Americans implying equality or common rights. After few traces of freedom whites stopped the steps toward integration. Unfortunately the freedom of African Americans began in an atmosphere that was as unpromising emotionally as it was economically, and politically. Most southern whites felt it was their duty to “keep blacks in their place”, and they did this through violence. Local governments also imposed severe vagrancy laws applied to black adults, compulsory apprentice laws for black children and...