The table below shows the demographic change in the African American population of Los Angeles, California, between 1940 and 1970:
| Year | African American Population in Los Angeles |
|---|---|
| 1940 | 63,774 |
| 1950 | 171,209 |
| 1960 | 334,916 |
| 1970 | 503,606 |
Based on the table and your knowledge of African American history, which of the following was a primary 'pull' factor that attracted African American migrants to Western cities like Los Angeles during the Second Great Migration?
- The expansion of defense contracts and industrial manufacturing jobs in Western cities during and after World War IIAnswer
- BThe outbreak of the boll weevil infestation that ruined cotton crops in Western states
- CThe introduction of sharecropping contracts in Western industrial centers
- DThe complete legal and social eradication of racial segregation in Western housing
Answer
The correct answer is the expansion of defense contracts and industrial manufacturing jobs in Western cities during and after World War II.
The correct option is correct because during the Second Great Migration (from the 1940s to the 1970s), the expansion of defense industries and manufacturing in Western cities like Los Angeles acted as a powerful economic pull factor, attracting hundreds of thousands of African Americans seeking jobs and escape from Southern Jim Crow segregation.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Pull factors of the Second Great Migration to the West
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