Field To Factory
Afro-American Migration
1915-1940
In 1876, after the end of the Reconstruction, southern
Afro-American's lives encompassed enormous hardships. Work in the cotton
fields, which is what most southern black men and women depended upon
for survival, was full of long hours, hard work, as well as economic
unstability, which was mainly due to the fact that many sharecroppers
cheated Afro-Americans out of their due reward for their labor.
Afro-Americans also had very limited access to medical treatment,
electricity, running water, nutritious food and quality education.
They were persecuted and effectively placed on the lowest rungs of the
societal ladder. At the start of World War I, though, economic
opportunities for black workers began to open up in the North, filling
Afro-American's heads with dreams of higher wages, economic independence
and personal satisfaction. While the decision to move north to attempt
to create a better life, was a difficult one, due to strong family ties
and uncertainty within the new environment, many Afro-Americans decided
to make the move and by 1940, more
than a million had left to search for
greater opportunity and freedom in northern cities. What these people
found in the north, unfortunately, was not as promising and full of
opportunity as they expected, although many agreed that it was better
than life in the south. The new northern cities did provide
substantially better education, running water,
electricity,
access to world news and also gave some economic independence. While some of the blacks enjoyed a much better life,
most were packed unto over-crowded dilapidated black neighborhoods and
were often given backbreaking, monotonous,low paying, industry jobs in the cities' factories.
These hardships of the Afro-Americans were not in vain, though.
They led to victories against restrictive legislation, growing
Afro-American confidence, as well as better job opportunity for blacks.
The great Afro-American migration continues to influence modern-day
American Society, as well, which is one of the main reasons that it is so
important to study this migration. Because the migration is so
influential, and, in fact, still continues to influence modern day
society, it is important to understand. That is why the National Museum
of American History has chosen to create the exhibit entitled "Field to
Factory: Afro-American Migration 1915-1940". The exhibit delves into
many aspect of this migration, from the farm life in the south, to the
difficult factory work in the north.
Through the careful analyzation of a number of items pertaining
to the exhibit, such as organization, critical assessment, and
interpretation, one can determine how well the story is presented, how
effective it is, and what the exhibit means to American Society today.
Edie Phillips
