The Great Migration was one of the largest movements of people in United States history. Approximately six million Black people moved from the American South to Northern, Midwestern, and Western states roughly from the 1910s until the 1970s.

What was the great migration and why did it occur?

The Great Migration was the movement of some six million African Americans from rural areas of the Southern states of the United States to urban areas in the Northern states between 1916 and 1970. It occurred in two waves, basically before and after the Great Depression.

How did the great migration affect the population of the north?

Between 1910 and 1930, the African-American population increased by about forty percent in Northern states as a result of the migration, mostly in the major cities.

What was the result of the Great Migration?

The Great Migration also marked the beginning of a new age of increased political activism among African Americans, who, after being rejected in the South, found a new position in public life in the cities of the North and West. This activism assisted the civil rights movement directly.

Why was the great migration so important?

The Great Migration also began a new era of increasing political activism among Black Americans, who after being disenfranchised in the South found a new place for themselves in public life in the cities of the North and West. The civil rights movement directly benefited from this activism.