The organization of NAACP grew from 50,000 to 450,000 by the end of the war. These organizations would fight for desegregation in theatres, restaurants, schools, army and in equality in work. In the North, blacks could usually vote and in Chicago the Democratic party tried to gain the black vote by promising equal employment policies. The percentage of blacks who were able to vote in the South had risen from 3% in 1940 to 12% by 1947. Education improved because of Truman, as Black Americans got education from Jews in North and also thanks to the G.I Bill which ensured that all soldiers returning from the war are to get free higher education.
According to Elsa Barkley Brown and Thomas C. Holt, editors of Major Problems in African American History, “Between 1910 and 1930 more than a million African American men, women, and children left their homes in the south and took up residence in mostly urban areas throughout the country” (126). Within that period, an estimated half-million African Americans migrated between 1916 and 1921. “This period of rapid population shift is known as the Great Migration” (Brown and Holt 126). Also, thousands of black immigrants from Caribbean countries entered the United States during this time period to settle in urban areas. Because of the huge impact of these migrations on African Americans and on the nation at large, it is important to understand the causes and patterns of migrations, why migrants decided to relocate and how they organized, how migrants were received by African American already living in urban areas, how migrants expectations were met, and institutional and cultural changes as a result of this movement.
Tara Spaulding Professor Dawson English 101 April 13, 2013 1930’s Chicago Slums Living in Chicago in the 1930’s was not easy, especially for the black population, which started off small and then rapidly increased during the Great Migration. “Between 1916 and 1920, almost 50,000 Black Southerners moved to Chicago, which profoundly shaped the city's development.”(Wikipedia) By 1930, the black population was in the hundred thousands, of which many migrated to the south side of Chicago in need of Housing and employment and the familiarity of being with their own people. Their intended goal was to “build a community where blacks could pursue life with the same rights as whites.”(Wikipedia) And was in no way surprising given the treatment blacks were forced to deal with around that time. Although a law had been passed in 1885 against discrimination in public places, it was rarely enforced, and did nothing for the widespread employment discrimination. White people were not only the majority, they were also given many more employment opportunities then blacks as well as immensely better living conditions.
It is evident that the Black Americans have long been considered a large and significant ethnic minority of the United States population. The African-American ancestors were mostly brought to America to work as slaves to serve the White Americans who at that time were considered the superior race. These slaves were mainly shipped from West and Sub-saharan Africa bringing with them polyrhythmic songs from hundreds of African ethnic groups. That is when African music was introduced to Western music, creating at first a fusion from both worlds and evolving through the decades which developed into today's most popular music, listened and appreciated all around the globe. Our main goal and focus is to trace the development of Afro American musical styles and learn about their pioneers.
‘Making of a Negro Ghetto’ Review Black Chicago: The Making of a Negro Ghetto is book written by Allan H. Spear in 1967. The specific chapter, “The Making of a Negro Ghetto” specifically addresses the topic of the growth of a ‘black belt’ in Chicago where most African Americans lived in the early 1900’s. The chapter tries to explain how these African Americans came to live in this area. This chapter also tries to compare the experience of the African American in Chicago to the experience of whites in the same city. Spear tells of how the Negro population increased dramatically on the eve of and after World War 1, although it was mostly through African Americans moving north from states such as Kentucky and Missouri.
Additionally, Africans American created an impact on the Great Migration that led to Southern black to move to cities. Du Bois believed that blacks should support the war effort, along with African Americans to strengthen to calls for racial justice. The Great Migration impacted the first World War on African Americans lives by accelerating it, bringing hundreds to thousands blacks of the South to cities of the North. In World War I's outbreak and the drop of European's immigration became a success for blacks by increasing job opportunities, where they received jobs in steel mills, munition plants, and stock yards. Reveals that Southern blacks jumped on trains to move to the cities, hundreds to thousands moved to Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia, in the 1915 to 1925.
How far did the position of Black Americans improve in the years 1945-1955? During the decade after the Second World War, many political, social and economic changes took place in the USA. Some of these were influential in improving the position of Black Americans whereas others were not so effective. The Second World War transformed the American Economy and had extensive effects on both North and South. In the South, $4.5billion was spent creating factories that produced war goods.
This fall from American attention also led to a new form of music that was just developing in the streets of New York City during the same time period, a new form of music that derives from the same culture, spirit, and same principles as jazz music. A form of music that in time became accepted and integrated into the jazz community. This form of music was Hip Hop. Growing up amidst terrible discrimination within society, many African American’s channeled their pain and suffering into a musical movement. In the 20’s this music was Jazz.
Jazz music of the 1940’s and 1950’s was defined by a history of change since its beginning at the dawn of the 20th century. Almost every decade brought a new flavor to the movement, and by the 1940’s jazz had developed into a mature, complex form of music, with many nuances and avenues for continued change. It is important to trace the early movements in jazz to better understand the innovations of the Bebop and Cool jazz eras of the 40’s and 50’s. The first appearance of jazz was at the turn of the century in New Orleans and is called “Dixieland Jazz,” or “Classic Jazz.” It developed out of music for street parades in the black community. It also had deeper roots in a style of music called “Blues,” which was used to express the daily experiences of the community (History).
The Africans, meanwhile, were also enslaved, first by their own people, then by the Arabs, then by the Europeans. The slavery of African people in the last millennium was one of, if not the greatest tragedies in human history. It is also known as the African diaspora. (Diaspora literally means “A removal of a people from their original homeland”.) Thousands of people died and it started racial tension that still exists today.