Change In Geographical Distribution Of Black People 1850-2009 Flashcards
What was the position of the black population prior to and in 1850?
1790 - 700k (19%)
By 1850 3.2 million slaves and 400k free black ppl
Explain the difference in northern and southern states in 1850?
(3 points)
- Slave states comprised of south eat including Texas Florida etc
- northern states were called free states and from 1777-1850 had slowly been abolishing slavery
- slaves mainly agricultural workers e.g cotton tobacco etc
Explain the process of the civil war?
6 points
Potential geographical expansion became an issue of conflict
- 1854 Kansas Nebraska act - opened the possibility of westward expansion of slavery as both states voted (popular sovereiggity )
Resulted in both pro and anti slave ppl moving in
- 1854 Republican Party made against slave states
1860 - Abraham Lincoln elected within month civil war began southern states saw him as threat to their income so they left the USA but he said this was not allowed. Southern states formed confederate states of America
1862: confederate congress ordered all former slaves who r caught to be executed. 300,000 blacks joined federal army(overall)
1863: emancipation proclamation
1865: 13th ammendment which ended war
What did the republicans issue during and after the war to help black Americans
1863: Lincoln issued emancipation proclamation which declared all slaves in confederate states free
1865: 13th amendment abolished slavery
1868: 14th amendment granted all us citizens protection of law
1870: 15th : made all us males equal
What was the effect of the acts passed after the civil war
3.5 million ppl removed from slavery and promised land in south.
Southern homestead act allocated land but hey couldn’t afford
Lead to share cropping for freed blacks and poor white
Really changed nothing
What geographical change happened to the distribution of black people because of the civil war?
After being freed they faced discrimination and harsh economic climates. They began to drift north and west
Before 1865 blacks had escaped and travelled north via the underground railway.
After the civil war they began to migrate to cities such as New York
Migration explained by push and pull factors
Outline push factors caused by civil war
3
- lack of jobs
- discrimination and intimidation from KKK etc
- introduction of racial segregation by southern state governments
What pull factors attracted blacks north and west after civil war
- north was promised land
- Abraham Lincoln Who made emancipation proclamation was president
- black news such as the Chicago defender wrote articles stating the benefits and job offers
- black Americans easily employed as they didn’t strike and worked for cheaper
Examples of how they migrated west after civil war? Also conclude cause of slow migration
In 1879 also migrated west : 6000 went to Kansas Missouri and Iowa
Conclusion: push and pull factors were main cause and northern life was far more attractive
Explain the great migration of 1915-1945
Slow migration began but escalated rapidly after ww2. In 1910 7 out of 8 million black Americans lived in cotton belt. In 10 years after this 10% voluntarily moved north.
By 1930, large numbers of black Americans lived in both south and north. From 1910-30 northern black population grew by 40%
Explain 3 push factors causing great migration 1915-45
- slump in the cotton industry, 1914 the boll weevil killed cotton crops causing thousands of black Americans into poverty.
- rise in discrimination after civil war. (KKK revived in 1915).
- Southern states began legal segregation and literacy tests, no civil rights in south
List 4 pull factors of the great migration 1915-45
- economic boom of 20s, car industry was developed and growth of mass production of goods caused general prices to drop
- the Great Depression from 1928-41 huge economical dip, new deal recovery from 1933. Caused federal government to make many agencies to help employ blacks.
- ww1, from 1916-18 400k moved as many jobs created. Also created lack of white migration (Europe) so created a job gap
- they moved from rural south due to advertisement from white employers such as the Chicago defender, who described improved standard of living
Impact of the 2nd world war on the economy? 3 points
- 2nd world war transformed the economy. National income, wealth and industrial production doubled. 1933/40 unemployment fell from 12.7mil to 8.1mil
- by conscription of 17million men, 17 million jobs opened
- 700k black Americans moved due to ww2
Explain migration post ww2
- By 1970, only 53% of black Americans lived in southern states. However after ww2, many began to migrate back due to 3 reasons:
A) return reasons (where born)
B) south and south east known as the sun belt offered more job opportunities
C) north known as the rust belt. Heavy industry began to decline. E.g Detroit jobs cut by 50% in the years post ww2
What is sectionalism?
Sectionalism refers to different social, economical and political structures of the two states.
It grew slowly from 1800-1860
- the north phased out slavery, and industrialised whereas the south focused on slavery and subsistence farming (for poor freedmen)
