Second Great Migration (African American) facts for kids

Graph showing the percentage of African Americans living in the American South from 1790 to 2010.

The First and Second Great Migrations are shown by how the number of African Americans changed in big U.S. cities between 1916–1930 and 1940–1970.

The Second Great Migration was a huge movement of people in the United States during the 20th century. More than 5 million African Americans moved from the South to the Northeast, Midwest, and West. This migration started in 1940, during World War II, and lasted until 1970.

This movement was much bigger and different from the first Great Migration (1916–1940). In the first migration, most people were farmers from the South. They mainly moved to the Northeast and Midwest. In the Second Great Migration, people also moved to the West. Cities like Los Angeles, Oakland, Phoenix, Portland, and Seattle offered good jobs, especially in factories that made things for the war. Many of these migrants were already city workers from the South. Also, African Americans still faced unfair treatment in many parts of the country, and many wanted to escape this.

Moving to Cities

Many African Americans in the South already lived in cities. They had skills for city jobs before they moved. They went to find work in the growing industrial cities in the North and West. This included jobs in the defense industry during World War II. In some cities, workers were limited to separate, low-skill jobs. But in California, Oregon, and Washington, they could get highly skilled, well-paying jobs in shipyards.

By the end of the Second Great Migration, most African Americans lived in cities. More than 80% lived in urban areas. This was a higher percentage than other Americans. About 53% stayed in the Southern United States. About 40% lived in the Northeast and North Central states. And 7% lived in the West.

During World War II, African Americans often had support roles. But these jobs could be very dangerous. For example, in 1944, an accidental explosion at Port Chicago, California, killed over 200 African American sailors. Some sailors refused to work until conditions were safer. About 50 were put in prison after being found guilty of refusing to work.

Further up the West Coast, high-paying jobs in shipbuilding attracted many African Americans. Their numbers in Seattle, Washington, tripled. In Portland, Oregon, their numbers quadrupled. These new residents stayed and built up political power for Black communities. They also made civil rights groups stronger, like the NAACP. These groups asked for laws to stop unfair treatment. However, there were also problems. Tensions between different racial groups grew. Both Black and white neighborhoods became crowded. And within the Black community, there were disagreements between "old settlers" and new arrivals about who should lead.

Reasons for Moving

People in the Second Great Migration moved for economic reasons. African Americans in the South faced many financial struggles before this time. Farming systems like sharecropping made it hard for African Americans to get ahead. The "agricultural ladder" was a system where a worker's place was based on their status, not their skills. Because of unfair separation, African American men often had farm jobs. Women often worked in homes. These conditions did not change much from the early 1900s. This was a strong reason for African Americans to leave the South and look for better chances elsewhere.

In the 1930s and 1940s, new machines like the mechanical cotton picker were used on farms. This meant fewer people were needed for farm work in the South. So, many African Americans looked for new jobs in cities. Moving North and West was a way to improve their financial future. World War II also caused a shortage of workers. Millions of people joined the military. Because of this, employers in the North and West started hiring Black and white workers from the South. They needed help to keep up with the country's needs for the war. Other reasons for moving included better chances for education, unfair voting rules, and racial violence.

How Cities Changed

During World War II, many African Americans moved to Northern and Western cities. They looked for jobs in the growing factories that made war supplies. Black communities in the North, like Chicago and New York City, were already well-known from the first Great Migration. But moving to the West was new for many. They went to places like the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Portland, Phoenix, and the Puget Sound region in Washington.

When they arrived, they found that new communities of migrants were often separated from white communities. This led to areas in cities where most people were of one race. For example, in 1960, it's thought that less than 1% of Los Angeles's 461,000 Black residents lived in neighborhoods without a Black majority. This meant that people were separated by race, even if there were no laws forcing it.

To take advantage of the financial situation of many migrants, areas with lower-cost housing were set up. City planners wanted people to live in these specific places. For example, the South Side of Chicago and the South Central area of Los Angeles were set aside for African Americans as early as the 1920s and 1930s. Working-class Black people were drawn to the low housing prices. These prices were set to encourage Black people to live away from white people.

Highways were often built to keep racial communities separate. They helped to strengthen the lines of separation. This made it harder for different racial groups to mix in cities. The fear of racial violence and unfair treatment also made minority communities stick together. They looked for safety and fair treatment close to home. The limited number of homes, combined with the large number of migrants, led to very crowded conditions and housing shortages. This also caused property values to drop.

As property values in these communities fell, middle-class, mostly white residents moved out. This was called "white flight." When non-white residents moved into a traditionally white area, white families often moved quickly, usually to the suburbs. This is how the idea of white suburbs and diverse inner cities became common. Today, it's thought that over 70% of Black people in a city live in the city center. In comparison, only 30% of white people in the same city live in the inner city.

This movement was partly caused by a practice called "blockbusting." White property owners, afraid of minority groups, sold their homes to real estate agents at a low price. Agents would then encourage Black families, who were looking for homes away from crowded neighborhoods, to buy these empty properties. When one Black family moved in, white neighbors would often sell their homes to the real estate companies. These companies would then sell to more Black people at a much higher price.

Another problem for Black migrants was unfair housing laws. After World War II, some laws tried to stop discrimination. For example, the 1963 Rumford Fair Housing Act made discrimination in housing illegal. But in California, a new rule called Proposition 14 was passed in 1964. This rule said that property owners could refuse to sell or rent their property based only on race. The government quickly stopped funding housing in California. Both the California and United States Supreme Courts said Proposition 14 was against the law. It was officially removed in 1974. But while it was in place, it made it harder for Black migrants to find homes. It is seen as a direct cause of the Watts riots in 1965.

The communities formed by Black migrants were often very similar to the Southern culture they brought with them. The food, music, and even the presence of unfair white police in these neighborhoods were influenced by the experiences of these many African American migrants.

Statistics

See also

In Spanish: Segunda Gran Migración Afroamericana para niños