MIGRATIONS
Pioneers to the Great Migration
Native American tribes have lived in the land now called the Midwest for some 10,000 years. Beginning in the 16th century, European colonizers began living in the region, largely peacefully at first and later removing Native Americans from their lands by violence, treaties, and other interactions. The colonizers included Afro-French and Afro-Spanish people of color, enslaved and free.
Early Midwest Migration & Free Black Settlements
Black migration to the Midwest began before the United States was even founded.
French-American people of color, enslaved and free, came to the region in the 17th and 18th centuries. Among them: Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, the free Afro-French-Haitian founder of Chicago. African Americans began migrating to the Early Midwest after slavery was banned under the Midwest Territory law called the Northwest Ordinance, founding over a hundred free communities in the 1800s.
Early Midwest Migration & Free Black Settlements
Black migration to the Midwest began before the United States was even founded.
French-American people of color, enslaved and free, came to the region in the 17th and 18th centuries. Among them: Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, the free Afro-French-Haitian founder of Chicago. African Americans began migrating to the Early Midwest after slavery was banned under the Midwest Territory law called the Northwest Ordinance, founding over a hundred free communities in the 1800s.
Pioneers, Homesteaders & the Exodus
After the Civil War, African Americans flocked to the Great Plains to become pioneers and homesteaders.
The Great Plains drew several waves of African Americans after the Civil War, in a migration known as the “Exodus” from the South. African Americans were drawn to the region by its free soil, anti-slavery legacy, the availability of free land under the Homestead Act, and the racial terror of the Jim Crow South.
Pioneers, Homesteaders & the Exodus
After the Civil War, African Americans flocked to the Great Plains to become pioneers and homesteaders.
The Great Plains drew several waves of African Americans after the Civil War, in a migration known as the “Exodus” from the South. African Americans were drawn to the region by its free soil, anti-slavery legacy, the availability of free land under the Homestead Act, and the racial terror of the Jim Crow South.
The Great Migration
The Great Migration was the largest migration — internal or external — in United States history.
During the Great Migration, some six million African Americans moved from the South, a plurality moving to the Midwest. It was a larger migration than the immigration of Italians, Irish, and other European groups through Ellis Island. And it transformed the Midwest, and America.
The Great Migration
The Great Migration was the largest migration — internal or external — in United States history.
During the Great Migration, some six million African Americans moved from the South, a plurality moving to the Midwest. It was a larger migration than the immigration of Italians, Irish, and other European groups through Ellis Island. And it transformed the Midwest, and America.