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In every town Negroes were leaving by the hundreds to go North and
enter into Northern industry.
The Migration of the Negro,
panel 3, 1940-41. Casein tempera on hardboard, 12 x 18 in. (30.5 x
45.7 cm). The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.
Artwork © Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence, courtesy of the Jacob and
Gwendolyn Lawrence Foundation
Click here to view a larger image |
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Many blacks in the South first learned about work opportunities in
the North from labor agents, who were intermediaries between northern
companies and potential laborers. These agents were paid a fee for
each worker they were able to produce. Agents often promised southerners
money and a better life if they signed contracts with northern companies.
News of northern opportunities also filled the pages of newspapers
such as the Chicago
Defender. This paper printed photographs, cartoons, and even poems
about the great advantages awaiting those who went north. Migrants'
letters to their relatives were perhaps most effective in generating
"moving fever," particularly if the letter contained money
or other concrete evidence of success in the North. Once migration
began, it became a self-propelling movement. However, migrants rarely
left on the spur of the moment; for most, moving to the North required
time, planning, and money.
In this painting, Jacob Lawrence has shown the viewer a glimpse of
the journey. People carry large packages and follow the direction
of the flying birds, emphasizing the idea of migration. The people
are grouped into a triangular shape, creating a dynamic composition
within the simple, barren landscape. The line of birds connects the
earth to the sky. |
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• Imagine that it is the early part of the
twentieth century and you are an African-American migrant who recently moved
to the North. Write a letter to a family member or friend who has remained
in the South. You may want to tell them about your trip north, your first
impressions of a northern city, or the things you like and do not like about
your new home. Like many migrants, you may also want to try to convince
people back home to migrate north to join you. |
