The Great Migration

The Great Migration was a time period when African-American left the fields of the Deep South and headed North to the Promised Land.  Although, institutionalized slavery didn’t exist, former slaves and their descendants were not truly free.  They faced extreme prejudice from all sides of the United States government and its Caucasian citizens.             

                The Deep South was a region in the United States known for their demonic brutality against slaves.  Slaves were often tortured, burned, lynched and castrated.  With the lack of protection from the United States government or local officials, their descendants of slaves were facing the same harsh treatment.  Southern had set a of laws known as Jim Crow.  These were laws were put in place to keep the races separate, but “equal.”  The true reality of these forced African-Americans to live in constant fear and extreme poverty. 

                Tired of the unjust treatment and slumping economy, African-Americans migrated en masse to Northern States and Canada.  In the North, the people were known to be tolerable of the African-American population.  There they believed that they had finally reached the promised land.

                In this land, they hoped to find jobs and equal treatment.  They expected the whites in the north to be more tolerable than those of the South.  Sadly, their dreams were squashed and hopes were crushed as they found out the truth.  Yes, the Jim Crow laws didn’t apply here, but discrimination still existed.