1. Moving North

2. What do you know about the Great Migration?

3. Background In 1910 there are 8 million African-Americans in the US, 7 million live in the South. Over the next 15 years, 10% will move north

4. What reasons can you think of that might motivate African-Americans to leave the South?

5. Push Factors Boll weevil infestation begins in 1892 Cotton crops devastated Thousands of agricultural workers lose their jobs and farms Sharecroppers become deeper in debt to plantation owners Lower wages, few economic opportunities Violence and segregation become facts of life “Jim Crow”

6. Lynching becomes more common in the South

7. From 1892-1917, over 3000 African-Americans were lynched, mostly in the South Victims were: Hanged Shot Burned Castrated Maimed Dismembered Beheaded What does this newspaper tell you about lynching in the South?

8. Pull Factors WWI begins in 1914, severely slowing European immigration to America Northern factories increase production to supply Allied Powers leading to increased demand for workers When American enters the war, Whites leave factories for military service, further increasing demand

9. To fill the need for workers, Northern factory and railroad owners began recruiting Southern Blacks In many cases, Blacks are willing to work for less than Whites (but still more than they can make in the South)

10. Why Chicago?

11. Weekly paper founded in 1905 by Robert Sengstacke Abbott for African-American readers Published editorials, articles and cartoons lauding the benefits of the North Posted job listings and train schedules to facilitate relocation Never used the words “Negro” or “black”; used “the Race” instead

12. Distribution of the Chicago Defender

13. Circulating the Defender Two-thirds of Defender’s readership outside of Chicago Brought by train by Black Pullman porters and rail workers Read aloud in churches, restaurants, and barbershops for those who could not read Each paper was read and passed on by 4-5 different people

14. Southern Opposition Southern leaders fought to keep their politically powerless labor force Warned Blacks of harsh city life and deadly winters Feared loss of political power with population loss (and Northern gain)

15. A Migrant’s Story Create a 1 st -person narrative about the Great Migration Create a character from the South who has decided to move north. Use the source material in the provided packet. Your story must include the reasons why you are leaving and why you are going to Chicago