The Great Northern Migration, Chicago, IL

As Northern U.S. industrialization took off during the late 1800s and early 1900s, the demand for labor was met by extensive immigration from Europe. World War I produced yet another economic boom while at the same time closing the seemingly endless supply of labor. Pulled by the economic opportunities in the North and pushed by the segregation and discrimination of the South, many black families, like the one pictured above, migrated from rural areas in the South to urban, industrial areas in the North. Chicago was one such destination. By 1920, just over 50% of Chicago’s African American population was migrant. The cultural and economic contributions of these families to the urban landscape cannot be overlooked.