The Causes and Effects of the Great Migration

After the Civil War and the abolishment of slavery, many African Americans remained in the south. It was not until the onset of World War I that a significant number of African Americans migrated to the North. This large migration took place approximately between 1915 and 1918 and was named “the Great Migration” by historians. The Birmingham, Alabama Herald proclaims, “…there is something more behind their going, something that lies deeper than a temporary discontent and the wish to try a new environment…” (49) Many push and pull factors contributed to the large influx of African Americans transferring north. Unfortunately, many realized that the north was not as desirable as imagined.
Poor race relations, labor and economic factors, and crop disasters were the major push factors of the Great Migration. The mere fact that Jim Crow laws and customs still were used in the South and that lynchings, violence, and racial terror existed was enough to convince African Americans ...