Great Migration (African American)

Quick Facts: Who was Great Migration (African American)?

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Great Migration (African American)

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Mass internal movement of Black Americans from the rural South to urban North/West (1910-1970).

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Origins & Early Life

The Great Migration, sometimes known as the Great Northward Migration or the Black Migration, was the movement of six million Black Americans out of the rural Southern United States to the urban Northeast, Midwest, and West between 1910 and 1970. It was substantially driven by poor economic and social conditions due to prevalent racial segregation and discrimination in the Southern states where Jim Crow laws were upheld. In particular, continued lynchings motivated a portion of the migrants, as Black Americans searched for social reprieve. The historic change brought by the migration was amplified because the migrants, for the most part, moved to the then-largest cities in the United States (New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Detroit, Cleveland, and Washington, D.C.) at a time when those cities had a central cultural, social, political, and economic influence over the United States; there, Black Americans established culturally influential communities of their own. From the earliest U.S. population statistics in 1780 until 1910, more than 90% of the Black-American population lived in the American South, making up the majority of the population in three Southern states: Louisiana (until about 1890), South Carolina (until the 1920s), and Mississippi (until the 1930s).

Career & Major Achievements

But by the end of the Great Migration, just over half of the Black-American population lived in the South, while a little less than half lived in the North and West. Moreover, the Black-American population had become highly urbanized. In 1900, only one-fifth of Black Americans in the South were living in urban areas. By 1960, half of the Black Americans in the South lived in urban areas, and by 1970, more than 80% of Black Americans nationwide lived in cities. In 1991, Nicholas Lemann wrote: The Great Migration was one of the largest and most rapid mass internal movements in history—perhaps the greatest not caused by the immediate threat of execution or starvation.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

In sheer numbers, it outranks the migration of any other ethnic group—Italians or Irish or Jews or Poles—to the United States. For Black people, the migration meant leaving what had always been their economic and social base in America and finding a new one. Some historians analyze the Great Migration in two parts, a first Great Migration (1910–1940), during which about 1.6 million people moved from mostly rural areas in the South to northern industrial cities, and a Second Great Migration (1940–1970), which began after the Great Depression, during which at least five million people—including townspeople with urban skills—moved to the North and West. Since the civil rights movement, the trend has reversed, with more Black Americans moving to the South, albeit far more slowly. Dubbed the New Great Migration, these moves were generally spurred by the economic difficulties of cities in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States, growth of jobs in the "New South" and its lower cost of living, family and kinship ties, and lessening discrimination.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1780: 1780 Milestone — population statistics in 1780 until 1910, more than 90% of the Black-American population lived in the American South, making up the majority of the population in three Southern states: Louisiana (until about 1890), South Carolina (until the 1920s), and Mississippi (until the 1930s).
2. 1900: 1900 Milestone — In 1900, only one-fifth of Black Americans in the South were living in urban areas.
3. 1910: 1910 Milestone — The Great Migration, sometimes known as the Great Northward Migration or the Black Migration, was the movement of six million Black Americans out of the rural Southern United States to the urban Northeast, Midwest, and West between 1910 and 1970.
4. 1940: 1940 Milestone — 6 million people moved from mostly rural areas in the South to northern industrial cities, and a Second Great Migration (1940–1970), which began after the Great Depression, during which at least five million people—including townspeople with urban skills—moved to the North and West.
5. 1960: 1960 Milestone — By 1960, half of the Black Americans in the South lived in urban areas, and by 1970, more than 80% of Black Americans nationwide lived in cities.
6. 1991: 1991 Milestone — In 1991, Nicholas Lemann wrote: The Great Migration was one of the largest and most rapid mass internal movements in history—perhaps the greatest not caused by the immediate threat of execution or starvation.

Notable Quotes by Great Migration (African American)

“The Great Migration was one of the largest and most rapid mass internal movements in history—perhaps the greatest not caused by the immediate threat of execution or starvation.” (1991)

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Great Migration (African American)

True or False: “The primary motivation for all migrants during the Great Migration was the search for higher wages alone.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While better wages were a pull factor, the migration was also substantially driven by the push factors of racial segregation, Jim Crow laws, and violence like lynching.

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