The Great Migration and World War I’s Impact on African Americans

Long after World War I and the Great Migration, the impact of these events on modern history and US politics is hard to underestimate. People were willing to make great sacrifices to get the freedom they had long dreamed of and therefore sought a better life elsewhere where their work could be valued and they could get more money. Nevertheless, migration could harm the mental health of African Americans, and various sociocultural and structural factors in the new society caused it.

African Americans have been discriminated against for years, and because of the Great Migration, not everyone has been able to find peace. Specifically, “from 1915 to 1930, 1.5 million African Americans migrated from the US South to urban centers in the North and West” (Fouka et al., 2021, p. 1). These figures seem significant, but not every migrant has been able to settle down and get used to living in a new place. Because of the impossibility of fast accepting the structural changes that were supposed to increase the number of African Americans in society significantly, Northerners and Westerners resisted new residents. From a socioeconomic point of view, migrants were offered lower wages and worse working and living conditions. Such people often faced racism in society, and the country’s economy did not prioritize ensuring their quality of life. It also affected the psychological health of African Americans, as even without such social resistance, migration is a complex process that can lead to depression. Despite the scale of immigration, not all migrants have been able to cope with sociocultural pressures and become part of the new society, leading to mental problems.

The experience of the First World War has not only shown the importance of African American participation but has also demonstrated how wartime has contributed to the development of American identity, culture, and social structure. In fighting for freedom in the world, upon their return to America, African Americans realized that in their own country, they had been deprived of the democratic, economic, and cultural freedoms for which they had fought. In some interpretations, they are presented as marginals who did not influence the course of the war of 1914-18 or who allegedly did not participate in it (Williams, 2018). Having lost their physical and mental health during the war, the soldiers finally realized the need to fight for their civil rights. On the one hand, by toughening and, on the other hand worsening the health of black people, these events pushed Americans to change the structure of society to be more tolerant. The war prompted African American soldiers, who had sacrificed their health, to keep the peace and fight for their social and economic rights, which also influenced modern attitudes.

In conclusion, the Great Migration and World War I have been a time of significant change for African Americans, not just tricky times. The then structure of society contained racist tendencies that prevented the black race from living the entire and healthy lives they sought elsewhere. In addition to the negative impact of migration on mental health, socio-economic factors have also oppressed African Americans and used them as cheap labor. The above was not a healthy way of life, and it brought a lot of problems and inconveniences that needed to be fought. Despite these factors, black people are still famous for their excellent health and resilience, as past events forced them to adapt to existing realities but did not prevent them from changing for the better.

References

Fouka, V., Mazumber, S., & Tabellini, M. (2021). From immigrants to Americans: race and assimilation during the Great Migration. IZA Institute of Labor Economics. ISSN: 2365-9793

Williams, C. (2018). World War I in the historical imagination of W. E. B. Du Bois. Cambridge University Press, 1(1), pp. 3-22. Web.

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StudyCorgi. "The Great Migration and World War I’s Impact on African Americans." January 9, 2024. https://studycorgi.com/the-great-migration-and-world-war-is-impact-on-african-americans/.

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StudyCorgi. 2024. "The Great Migration and World War I’s Impact on African Americans." January 9, 2024. https://studycorgi.com/the-great-migration-and-world-war-is-impact-on-african-americans/.

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