Great Migration

In “Harlem Summer” there many blacks described located in Harlem. The reason being was because of the “Great Migration”. The article “The Great Migration” discusses that African Americans were migrating to the north; this was based on their belief that there were better opportunities in the north. For former slaves the south was a harsh place even though slavery had been abolished. They was a terrorist group called the “Ku Klux Clan”, they were very violent about African-American's freedom. The Ku Klux Clan hung, beat, and tortured blacks. There were not many jobs for blacks in the south, some stated with their plantation masters and worked.

The Jim Crow laws had a strong racial division for blacks in the south. Many tried to migrate upward to the north and southerners stopped people who attempted to. African Americans were convinced to try to move up, the south was very dangerous and brutal. “The Chicago defender” was a newspaper that convinced southern African Americans that they should move to cities up north and that the conditions for blacks were much better.

Many people started moving and when they landed in the North they discovered that there were many job positions available. Quickly the north was filled with many blacks especially the Harlem part of New York. In the ABC- Clio article “Harlem Renaissance” it discusses that there was a cultural landmark that African Americans created through music, art, and beliefs. During the Harlem Renaissance there were many black activists, musicians, and intellectuals. African Americans literature, culture, and art grew vigorously. During that period of time it blossomed to an age of Jazz. There was a rise in black publishing projects and jazz clubs, because there now was more freedom for the blacks that moved north.