Six Million People on the Move
Between approximately 1915 and 1970, more than six million African Americans left the rural South and relocated to cities across the North, Midwest, and West.
Historians call this movement The Great Migration.
It was one of the largest internal migrations in human history.
Why People Left
African Americans faced:
- Jim Crow segregation
- Political disenfranchisement
- Racial violence and lynching
- Limited economic opportunities
At the same time, northern factories needed workers, particularly during World War I and World War II.
New Black Cities
Major destinations included:
- Chicago
- Detroit
- New York City
- Philadelphia
- Cleveland
- Los Angeles
Entire neighborhoods emerged as centers of Black culture, business, politics, and creativity.
Cultural Transformation
The Great Migration helped create:
- The Harlem Renaissance
- Chicago Blues
- Jazz culture
- New forms of Black journalism
- Expanded political influence
The migration transformed both Black America and the United States itself.
A New People
Before the Great Migration, most African Americans lived in the South.
Afterward, African Americans became a national people with communities in every major region of the country.
Modern African American culture cannot be understood without understanding the Great Migration.
