Chapter I · Introduction
Reading edition
Within the brief period of three years following the outbreak of the great war in Europe, more than four hundred thousand negroes suddenly moved north. In extent this movement is without parallel in American history, for it swept on thousands of the blacks from remote regions of the South, depopulated entire communities, drew upon the negro inhabitants of practically every city of the South, and spread from Florida to the western limits of Texas. In character it was not without precedent. In fact, it bears such a significant resemblance to the migration to Kansas in 1879 and the one to Arkansas and Texas in 1888 and 1889 that this of 1916-1917 may be regarded as the same movement with intervals of a number of years.
Much excitement characterized the movement. One description of this exodus says:
The exodus during the World War, like both of these, was fundamentally economic, though its roots were entangled in the entire social system of the South. It was hailed as the "Exodus to the Promised Land" and characterized by the same frenzy and excitement. Unlike the Kansas movement, it had no conspicuous leaders of the type of the renowned "Pap" Singleton and Henry Adams. Apparently they were not needed. The great horde of restless migrants swung loose from their acknowledged leaders. The very pervasiveness of the impulse to move at the first definite call of the North was sufficient to stir up and carry away thousands before the excitement subsided.
The greater mobility of whites than of negroes is shown by the fact that in 1910, 15 per cent of the whites and 10 per cent of the negroes lived outside of the States in which they were born. This greater mobility of the whites as compared with the negroes was due in a large measure to the lack of opportunities for large numbers of negroes to find employment in the sections outside the South. The World War changed these conditions and gave to the negroes of the United States the same opportunities for occupations in practically every section of the country, which had heretofore been enjoyed only by the whites. In 1900, 27,000 negroes born in the North lived in the South. In 1910, 41,000 negroes born in the North lived in the South. This indicated that there was beginning to be a considerable movement of negroes from the North to the South because of the greater opportunities in the South to find employment in teaching, medicine and business. The migration conditions brought about by the war have probably changed this to some extent. Previous to the World War, the States having the greatest gain from negro migration were Arkansas, 105,500, Pennsylvania, 85,000, Oklahoma, 85,000, Florida, 84,000, New York, 58,450 and Illinois, 57,500.
The point brought out here indicates that because of economic opportunities, Arkansas and Oklahoma, being contiguously situated in one section of the South and Florida in another section of the South, had received a greater migration of negroes than any State in the North.
Dr. William Oscar Scroggs of Louisiana calls attention to the tendency of negroes to move within the South, although, as, he points out, this tendency is not as great as it is for the whites. On this he says:
The subjoined tables show the intersectional migration of the negro population:
INTERSECTIONAL MIGRATION OF NEGROES
(As Reported by Census of 1910)
Number Born in Specified Divisions and Living In or Out of These Divisions
Division Total Born in the Division Number Living: Per Cent Living Without the Division in Which Born
Within division Without division
United States 9,746,043 8,782,890 963,153 9.9
New England 37,799 30,815 6,984 18.5
Middle Atlantic 212,145 189,962 22,183 10.5
East North Central 173,226 145,187 28,039 16.2
West North Central 198,116 162,054 36,062 18.2
South Atlantic 4,487,313 4,039,173 448,140 10.0
East South Central 2,844,598 2,491,607 352,991 12.4
West South Central 1,777,242 1,713,888 63,354 3.6
Mountain 7,342 4,122 3,220 43.9
Pacific 8,262 6,082 2,180 26.4
INTERSECTIONAL MIGRATION OF NEGROES
(As Reported by Census of 1910)
Number Living in Specified Divisions
Division Total Living in the Division Number Born in and Living in the Division Number Living in the Division and Born in other Divisions Per Cent Living in Divison Born in Other Divisions
United States 9,746,043 8,782,890 963,153 9.9
New England 58,109 30,815 27,294 47.0
Middle Atlantic 398,529 189,962 208,567 52.3
East North Central 292,875 145,187 147,688 50.4
West North Central 238,613 162,054 76,559 32.1
South Atlantic 4,094,486 4,039,173 55,313 1.4
East South Central 2,643,722 2,491,607 152,115 5.8
West South Central 1,971,900 1,713,888 258,012 13.1
Mountain 20,571 4,122 16,449 80.0
Pacific 27,238 6,082 21,156 77.7
Migration North to South, South to North and East to West
Race and Section of Residence Total Native Population Born in: State of Birth not Reported or Born in Possessions, etc.
The North The South The West
All Races
United States 78,456,380 46,179,002 29,010,255 2,906,162 360,961
The North 44,390,371 42,526,162 1,527,107 124,001 213,101
The South 28,649,319 1,449,229 27,079,282 38,230 82,578
The West 5,416,690 2,203,611 403,866 2,743,931 65,282
White
United States 68,368,412 45,488,942 19,814,860 2,766,492 316,118
The North 43,319,193 41,891,353 1,110,245 116,939 200,656
The South 19,821,249 1,407,262 18,326,236 34,523 53,228
The West 5,245,970 2,190,327 378,379 2,615,030 62,234
Negro
United States 9,787,424 621,286 9,109,153 15,604 41,381
The North 999,451 570,298 415,533 2,295 11,325
The South 8,738,858 39,077 8,668,619 2,412 28,750
The West 49,115 11,911 25,001 10,897 1,306
Net Migration Eastward and Westward and Northward and Southward
Population, 1910
Section Total White Negro All Other
Total Of Native Parentage Of Foreign or Mixed Parentage
Born east and living west of the Mississippi River 5,276,879 4,941,529 3,846,940 1,094,589 331,031 4,319
Born west and living east of the Mississippi River 684,773 616,939 417,541 199,398 63,671 4,163
Net migration westward across the Mississippi River 4,592,106 4,324,590 3,429,399 895,191 267,360 156
Born North and living South 1,449,229 1,407,262 1,156,122 251,140 39,077 2,890
Born South and living North 1,527,107 1,110,245 944,572 165,673 415,533 1,329
Net migration southward 297,017 211,550 85,467 1,561
Net migration northward 77,878 376,456