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Difficulty: MediumThe Great Migration and Demographic Shifts

Read the following excerpt from a letter written by an African American resident of Alabama to the *Chicago Defender* in 1917:

'Dear Editor: ... I am writing you to let you know there are many of us who want to come North. We are not afraid of the cold, but we are tired of the treatment we receive here. We want to go where we can earn a decent living in the mills and where our children can get a proper education.'

Based on the excerpt, which of the following best explains the interaction of factors that motivated the writer's desire to migrate?

  1. The writer balances Southern push factors, such as social mistreatment and inadequate education, with Northern pull factors, such as industrial employment opportunities.Answer
  2. B
    The writer focuses solely on Southern push factors, suggesting that the decision to migrate was based entirely on fleeing racial hostility rather than seeking Northern opportunities.
  3. C
    The writer describes the promise of industrial mill jobs as a Southern push factor that forced rural sharecroppers off their land.
  4. D
    The writer identifies educational access and mill wages as Southern push factors that compelled them to leave the South.

Answer

The writer balances Southern push factors, such as social mistreatment and inadequate education, with Northern pull factors, such as industrial employment opportunities.
The correct answer accurately identifies that the writer mentions both negative conditions in the South (push factors like poor treatment and educational limits) and positive attractions in the North (pull factors like mill jobs and better schools) to explain their motivation for migrating.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the primary source text to identify the motivations of the writer.
The writer expresses dissatisfaction with Southern social treatment and highlights the desire for Northern mill jobs and better schools.
To distinguish between the different variables influencing the decision to migrate.
2
Classify the identified motivations into historical categories of push and pull factors.
Social mistreatment and poor education in the South are classified as push factors; industrial jobs and superior education in the North are classified as pull factors.
To evaluate how these factors interact to drive the demographic shift of the Great Migration.
3
Select the option that correctly identifies and distinguishes these push and pull factors.
The option stating that the writer balances Southern push factors with Northern pull factors is selected.
It matches the historical framework of the Great Migration where both sets of factors worked in tandem to cause the demographic shift.

Key Concept

Analyzing the push and pull factors of the Great Migration using primary source evidence.
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Topics

The Great Migration and Demographic Shifts

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