exam HIST 318
THE GREAT MIGRATION: THE SECOND WAVE (1940-1970)
HISTORY OF AFRICAN AMERICANS IN AMERICAN CITIES
HIST 318
THE SECOND WAVE OF THE GREAT MIGRATION
THE SECOND WAVE
Much like the first wave of the Great Migration, the second wave had a major impact on the lives of African Americans
The second migration was much larger in scale
The effects of the second migration precipitated a more enduring transformation of American life, for both blacks and whites
The economy, jobs, and racial discrimination remained top factors for black migration to the North
THE SECOND WAVE OF THE GREAT MIGRATION
EXODUS
The advent of World War II contributed to an exodus out of the South, with 1.5 million African Americans leaving during the 1940s
This pattern of migration would continue at that pace for the next twenty years
The result would be the increased urbanization of the African American population
Fewer blacks worked in agriculture or domestic labor; occupations by which the black race had previously, and solely, been characterized
THE SECOND WAVE OF THE GREAT MIGRATION
THE WEST
During the Second Great Migration, not only the Northeast and Midwest continued to be the destination of more than 5 million African Americans, but also the West as well
Cities like Los Angeles, Oakland, Phoenix, Portland, and Seattle offered skilled jobs in the defense industry and attracted large black populations
Jobs in the West also offered higher pay, which, attracted even more migrants
ECONOMIC FACTORS
ECONOMIC DEPRIVATION
During the 1940s, many black southerners were still trapped in the predatory agricultural system of sharecropping
Because of segregation, black men were placed in unskilled jobs and women were placed in domestic services
The introduction of the mechanical cotton picker and other forms of farm mechanization reduced the demand for unskilled labor in southern agriculture
These conditions were a powerful incentive for African American southerners to leave and go look for opportunity elsewhere
THE IMPACT OF WORLD WAR II
WORLD WAR II
Resulted in labor shortages due to millions of people enlisting or being drafted into active military service
As a result of the labor shortage, northern and western employers began recruiting southern blacks to keep up with the country’s labor demands
Employers in the North and West offered competitive salaries to entice African Americans to help fill the labor shortage
THE IMPACT OF WORLD WAR II
THE WARTIME ECONOMY
The mobilization of the American wartime economy in 1942 produced more than $100 billion in government contracts in just 6 months
Created a plethora of new job opportunities in the North, the predominant area of manufacturing
Industrial hubs such as New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Detroit were attractive due to the number of jobs available to blacks
During World War II, over 1 million African Americans would join the workforce
THE IMPACT OF WORLD WAR II
THE TRANSFORMATION OF BLACK SOLDIER
World War II transformed black soldiers
Serving in the armed forces first exposed them to a world outside of the segregated South
Many soldiers returned from the war and became civil rights activists and freedom fighters
Many black soldiers also chose to participate in the second wave of the Great Migration, after finding it difficult to transition back into a Jim Crow, southern society after enjoy social freedoms overseas
The Tuskegee Airmen
THE WEST
HEADING WEST
The African American populations of the Northeast and Midwest continued to grow at a rapid pace, but it was the African American migration West that distinguishes the second wave
In just 30 years, the populations of Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Oakland grew ten times larger
The Los Angeles area needed labor to fill over $11 billion dollars in war contracts to produce automobiles and steel
The black population in San Francisco grew six times larger just from 1940 to 1945 due, in large part, to men coming to work on the naval shipyards
THE WEST
LOS ANGELES
During the second wave, tens of thousands of African American migrants, mostly from Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Texas, left the segregated South in search of better opportunities in Los Angeles
Black population significantly increased in Los Angeles as area factories received labor for the effort in World War II
As the black population in LA grew, black neighborhoods were often targeted by the Los Angeles Police Department, normally without provocation
Police Chief William Parker became police chief in 1952; he largely refused to hire Black police officers
Police Chief William Parker
THE WEST
OAKLAND AND SAN FRANCISCO
Blacks migrating North wanted to escape sharecropping and lynchings and unfortunately found discriminatory housing laws and meager weekly wages from jobs as cooks, dishwashers, maids, janitors and railroad porters
California’s Bay Area drew them to better paying unskilled and skilled jobs in the U.S. defense industry
The Bay Area’s housing discrimination against black residents received media attention when San Francisco Giants baseball legend Willie Mays attempted to buy a home in 1957, but was refused because of his race
In the 1960s many blacks with HBCU degrees found white-collar employment with companies like IBM
THE WEST
THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
World War II brought thousands of black newcomers to Washington state and Portland, Oregon to work in shipyards and airplane factories, to serve in the armed forces, and to work for government agencies
In 1950, Washington contained about 30,000 blacks, more than four times the figure from ten years before
Seattle’s black population had jumped from 3,800 in 1940 to 15,700 in 1950
Portland’s black population grew from 1,900 to 9,500 over a ten-year span
Many black jazz musicians also relocated to Seattle
THE NORTHEAST AND MIDWEST
CHICAGO
During the first wave of the migration many blacks from the deep South settled in Chicago, seeking better living conditions and job opportunities
During the second wave, this trend continued
At one point in the 1940s, 3,000 African Americans were arriving every week in Chicago—stepping off the trains from the South and making their ways to neighborhoods they had learned about from friends and the Chicago Defender
During the second wave, black migrants tended to be already urbanized, from southern cities and towns
They were better educated with more urban skills and highly ambitious
THE NORTHEAST AND MIDWEST
PHILADELPHIA
World War II would unleash a Second Great Migration far larger than the first
Philadelphia’s African American population soared from 250,000 in 1940, to 375,000 in 1950, then peaked at 655,000 residents in 1970
Despite Philadelphia’s reputation of workplace discrimination, the city attracted tens of thousands of migrants seeking jobs in the textile, metal manufacturing, and electronic production industries
THE NORTHEAST AND MIDWEST
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK
During World War II, the Brooklyn Navy Yard attracted many blacks to the neighborhood as an opportunity for employment
The prosperous war economy enabled many of Brooklyn’s Jewish and Italian residents moved to Queens and Long Island
By 1950, the number of blacks in Bedford–Stuyvesant had risen to 155,000, comprising about 55% of the population of Bed–Stuy
By 1960, 85% of the population was black
THE NORTHEAST AND MIDWEST
DETROIT
From 1940 to 1950, more than 66% of the African American population in Detroit had migrated from the South
Many blacks sought jobs in Detroit’s booming auto industry
The increase in population strained city schools and ushered in competition in employment and housing spheres
Mass black migration to Detroit also led to social tensions in the city among blacks and whites
Police brutality against black citizens also increased
THE NEW YORK RACE RIOTS (1964)
The riots began in Harlem, New York following the shooting of an unarmed 15-year-old James Powell by a white off-duty police officer on July 18, 1964
After this act of police brutality, an estimated 8,000 Harlem residents took to streets and launched a large-scale riot, breaking widows, setting fires and looting local businesses
The riot spread to the nearby neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant and continued for 6 days; resulted in the death of 1 resident, over 100 injuries, and more than 450 arrests
Highlighted the racial injustice and growing civil unrest in northern cities and served as a powerful indicator of the tension that existed between black citizens and the police
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BLACK MIGRANT COMMUNITIES AND THE POLICE
PHILADELPHIA COLUMBIA AVENUE RIOTS (1964)
Began in August of 1964 after an argument between an African American husband and wife
Police arrive on the scene and assault woman
A bystander attempts to stop the police from assaulting her
Bystander and the woman are beaten and taken into police custody and a crowd began to form
Rumors spread stating that the woman had been killed
Led to 2 days of civil unrest
Looting white-owned shops where blacks were disrespected and exploited; some white businesses were protected
Demonstrations against the police and the evil tactics of Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Rizzo
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BLACK MIGRANT COMMUNITIES AND THE POLICE
WATTS RIOTS (1965)
Chain of violent confrontations between Los Angeles police and residents of Watts and other predominantly African American neighborhoods of South-Central L.A. that began August 11, 1965
Lasted for six days
Cause by the arrest and police beating of a black man by a white California Highway Patrol
Also caused by the use of excessive force by white police officers against black citizens
The riots resulted in the deaths of 34 people, while more than 1,000 were injured and more than $40 million worth of property was destroyed
BLACK MIGRANT COMMUNITIES AND THE POLICE
CHICAGO RIOTS (WEST SIDE RIOTS) (1966)
The uprising began on July 12 after police and African American youth clashed over the youth opening fire hydrants and playing in the water
Outside of the incidents related to the hydrants, police habitually harassed and brutalized black citizens
African Americans complained that the police were singling them out while in the nearby Italian neighborhood, police did not interfere with open fire hydrants
Police continued to harass black citizens regarding the hydrants, which ultimately led to rioting and looting
Led to 3 days of civil unrest; Illinois Governor Otto Kerner Jr. ordered 1,500 National Guardsmen to Chicago’s West Side with orders to shot looters on sight
BLACK MIGRANT COMMUNITIES AND THE POLICE
THE DETROIT RIOT (1967)
Series of violent confrontations between residents of predominantly black neighborhoods of Detroit and the police department that began on July 23, 1967
The immediate cause of the riot stemmed from illegal, frequent and random police raids of black neighborhoods and constant brutality by the police
Led to five days of civil unrest
The riot resulted in the deaths of 43 people, including 33 African Americans and 10 whites
The riot is considered one of the catalysts of the militant Black Power Movement
BLACK MIGRANT COMMUNITIES AND THE POLICE
1970
The movement of Africa Americans to the cities of the North and the West did not decline until the early 1970
Due to the impact of the modern Civil Rights Movement, conditions began to improve in the South, which slowed down migration
The passage of desegregation laws including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968 also reduced the number of African Americans seeking to leave their homes in the South
THE END OF THE SECOND WAVE