Examkin

Question

Difficulty: EasyThe Great Migration and Demographic Shifts

Read the following excerpt from an editorial published in the African American newspaper The Chicago Defender in 1917:

"The great northern drive is on. Every train from the South brings its quota of people who are fleeing from the land of discrimination and lynching to a place where they can live like men and women. The factories of Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Detroit are open to you. There is work for everyone who wants it, and at wages you never dreamed of in the cotton fields."

Which of the following best describes the primary "pull factor" for the Great Migration referenced in the excerpt?

  1. The availability of industrial employment and higher wages in northern citiesAnswer
  2. B
    The rise of racial terror, discrimination, and lynching in the South
  3. C
    The devastation of southern agriculture by the boll weevil
  4. D
    The implementation of Jim Crow segregation laws and disenfranchisement

Answer

The availability of industrial employment and higher wages in northern cities
The correct answer is the option stating that the availability of industrial employment and higher wages in northern cities was the primary pull factor. The excerpt specifically mentions that northern factories are open and offering wages far greater than what was earned in southern agricultural labor, which acted as a powerful incentive drawing migrants to the North.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus for mentions of northern opportunities.
The text references factories in northern cities (Chicago, Pittsburgh, Detroit) offering higher wages than those in the cotton fields.
Identifying these references helps determine what drew migrants to the North.
2
Distinguish between push factors and pull factors mentioned in the text.
Discrimination and lynching are reasons to leave the South (push factors), while jobs and higher wages are reasons to go to the North (pull factors).
The question specifically asks for a 'pull factor', so we must isolate the attractions of the destination.
3
Match the identified pull factor to the correct option.
The option focusing on industrial jobs and higher wages matches the northern opportunities cited in the text.
This confirms the correct choice based on direct reading of the text and historical definitions.

Key Concept

Distinguishing between push and pull factors of the Great Migration
Rate this question

Topics

The Great Migration and Demographic Shifts

More questions from this topic