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Black
Towns
A significant number of blacks left the South
after the Civil War. Most went to the cities in
search of industrial jobs, but a small number
bought land in all black communities. During the
late 19th century, hundreds of black towns, also
called freedom towns, were created in the north
and the west. In these towns, blacks hoped they
could live peacefully without the burden of racism.
Some towns were more successful than others. The
towns were usually started by a group of investors
or speculators, who sold the land to the settlers
at a low price. Many of the prospectors originally
acquired the land for little or no money, so their
profits were large. Most of the towns that did
not have a nearby railroad failed to persevere.
Although many of the black towns did not survive,
they were an important step in black migration
and socio-economic independence.
One of the first black towns to be founded was
Brooklyn, Illinois. The beginnings of this town
are unclear, but oral histories credit the creation
of the town to eleven black families comprised
of free blacks and fugitive slaves who came from
Missouri in the late 1820s. These families were
in flight of slavery and racism and were looking
for a peaceful place to live. The town started
as an agricultural settlement, but its placement
in the Midwest allowed it to become industrialized
by the late 19th century. The industrialization
of the town enabled it to survive throughout the
19th century and into the 20th. Brooklyn became
a model for other black towns that were created
after the turn of the century, such as Urban Crest,
Ohio; Kinloch, Missouri; Allensworth, California;
and Robbins, Illinois.(15)
Another important black town founded in the 19th
century was Nicodemus, Kansas. Kansas was the
most popular destination for blacks who wanted
to flee the South after the Civil War because
of its proximity and availability of land. Blacks
from all over the South were represented in the
state, but most of the blacks who migrated to
Kansas were from Kentucky, Tennessee, or Missouri.
Promoters capitalized on this migration and set
up townsites for all black communities. Nicodemus,
located in the South Solomon River Valley, was
the first of these in Kansas. The promoters, which
were all black except for one, recruited the first
of their settlers from Topeka, Kansas. These settlers
had gathered in Topeka after hearing of available
lands nearby. They were brought to the land in
1877 and settled on farm homesteads. Nearly 150
more were recruited from Georgetown, Kentucky
the following year. Life in Nicodemus was hard
during the first year. Many of the settlers had
spent most of their money on the journey and land,
therefore they had nothing left to buy supplies.
Many took jobs in nearby towns or with the railroad
to get them through the winter. The following
year was more successful, and by 1880 the town
had a school, three churches, a hotel, three stores,
and a stable.(16)
This growth continued through the 1880s, but the
lack of a railroad connection stunted the town's
development. By the end of the decade families
started leaving in search of better opportunities.
A few would remain, but Nicodemus failed to compete
with businesses from nearby towns. This was typical
of many towns that did not have a railroad connection.
Today Nicodemus is seen as a place to celebrate
black heritage.
| Table 5: Black
Towns Created During the 19th and Early
20th Centuries(17)
|
|
State
|
Black Towns
|
| Alabama |
Cedarlake,
Greedwood Village, Hobson City, Plateau,
Shepherdsville |
| Arkansas |
Edmondson,
Thomasville |
| California |
Abila, Allensworth,
Bowles, Victorville |
| Illinois |
Brooklyn |
| Iowa |
Buxton |
| Kansas |
Nicodemus |
| Kentucky |
Camp Nelson,
New Zion |
| Michigan |
Idlewind,
Marlborogh |
| MIssissippi |
Expose,
Mound Bayou, Renova |
| New Mexico |
Blackdom |
| Oklahoma |
Arkansas
Colored, Bailey, Boley, Bookertee, Canadian
Colored, Chase, Clearview, Ferguson, Forman,
Gibson Station, Grayson, Landston City,
Lewisville, Liberty, Lima, Lincoln City,
Mantu, Mashalltown, North Fork Colored,
Overton, Porter, Redbird, Rentiescille,
Summit, Taft, Tatum, Tullahassee, Vernon,
Wellston Colony, Wybark |
| Tennessee |
Hortense,
New Bedford |
| Texas |
Andy, Board
House, Booker, Independence Heights, Kendleton,
Mill City, Oldham, Roberts, Union City |
Blacks in the Far West
Most of the blacks who left the South during the
late 19th century ventured north, but some made
it as far west as California, Oregon, and Washington.
The first blacks in the west came with the Spanish
explorers in the 1500s. Others had migrated north
from Mexico after slavery was abolished in 1821.
The first American blacks to arrive in the far
west came as settlers to Oregon Territory in the
1840s and 1850s. One of these men, George Washington,
migrated to Oregon in the 1850s and became a homesteader.
He went on to found the city of Centralia, Washington
in 1872.
Most of the blacks who were attracted to the far
west during the 19th century went to California.
Many free blacks and black slaves took part in
the California Gold Rush. By 1852, over 2,000
free blacks had migrated to the state, although
they were faced with much hostility. The California
State Constitution denied blacks the right to
vote or serve in the state's militia. Half of
all the blacks who migrated to California during
this time settled in Sacramento and San Francisco.
By 1849, the black population of San Francisco
had founded the Mutual Benefit and Relief Society,
and by 1854 the city had three black churches,
a black cultural center, and a library.(18)
The California Gold Rush offered an opportunity
for free blacks to move to a new place and try
a new profession. The Gold Rush was ultimately
responsible for creating an African American presence
in the far west.
Although not the far west, Oklahoma and Texas
became important destinations for blacks in the
19th century. By 1890, there were 500,000 blacks
living in the two states.(19)
Many blacks took part in the Oklahoma land
rushes (claiming of former Indian lands), and
by 1910, 25 black communities had been established
in the state. It was not uncommon for blacks in
the Southwest to become cowboys. Over 5,000 black
men were cattle drivers in the years following
the Civil War.
| Table 6: Growth
of the Black Population in the West, 1840-1900(20)
|
|
State
|
1840
|
1850
|
1860
|
1870
|
1880
|
1890
|
1900
|
| Arizona |
---
|
---
|
---
|
26
|
155
|
1,357
|
1,848
|
| California |
---
|
902
|
4,086
|
4,272
|
6,018
|
11,322
|
11.045
|
| Colorado |
---
|
---
|
48
|
436
|
2,435
|
6,215
|
8,570
|
| Idaho |
---
|
---
|
---
|
60
|
53
|
201
|
940
|
| Iowa |
---
|
333
|
1,069
|
5,762
|
9,576
|
10,485
|
12,693
|
| Kansas |
---
|
---
|
627
|
17,108
|
43,107
|
40,710
|
52,003
|
| Minnesota |
188
|
29
|
259
|
759
|
2,564
|
3,683
|
4.950
|
| Montana |
---
|
---
|
---
|
183
|
346
|
1,400
|
1,523
|
| Nebraska |
---
|
---
|
82
|
789
|
2,385
|
8,913
|
6,289
|
| Nevada |
---
|
---
|
45
|
367
|
488
|
242
|
134
|
| New Mexico |
---
|
22
|
85
|
172
|
1,015
|
1,936
|
1,160
|
| North Dakota |
---
|
---
|
---
|
94
|
113
|
373
|
495
|
| Oklahoma |
---
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
21,000
|
55,000
|
| Oregon |
---
|
207
|
128
|
346
|
487
|
1,186
|
1,106
|
| South Dakota |
---
|
---
|
---
|
94
|
113
|
373
|
455
|
| Utah |
---
|
50
|
59
|
118
|
232
|
588
|
672
|
| Washington |
---
|
---
|
30
|
207
|
325
|
1,602
|
2,542
|
| Wisconsin |
196
|
636
|
1171
|
2113
|
2702
|
2444
|
2542
|
| Wyoming |
---
|
---
|
---
|
183
|
346
|
1,400
|
1,523
|
|
Total
|
384
|
2,179
|
7,689
|
33,109
|
72,575
|
115,598
|
165,432
|
Twentieth Century Migration
The greatest amount of African American migration
took place during World War One and continued
through the Second World War. It took the heavy
labor demands of World War One to finally provide
an opportunity for a large number of blacks to
leave the South. The industrialized north received
many government contracts for building war goods,
as did the shipbuilding and airplane building
centers of the west. These labor demands created
by the war enabled blacks in the South to leave
for greater opportunities in the North or the
West. In 1900, 90% of African Americans lived
in the South. This changed dramatically during
the war; between 1915 and 1920, half of a million
blacks (10% of the South's black population) migrated
to the North or the West. The Midwest received
the most migrants, especially the cities of Philadelphia,
Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago, and St. Louis.(21)
Sometimes entire communities or church
congregations would migrate together. This chain
migration was important in building strong communities
in their new cities. Many blacks also left the
South as members of the Armed Forces. During WWI,
370,000 African Americans served in the military.(22)
The migration of blacks out of the South was even
greater during and after the Second World War.
During this time (between 1940 and 1970) over
five million blacks migrated away from the South.(23)
The increase in service jobs during and after
the war permitted the migration to continue. Most
of the blacks settled in large cities. The West
received more African American migrants than ever
before and its black population grew by 33%. These
migrants usually settled in the industrial cities
along the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington.
This migration caused a major demographic shift
throughout the United States and has remained
fairly steady throughout the 20th century.
Conclusion
The history of African American migration in the
United States shares many parallels with the population
as a whole, but the unfair regulations placed
on blacks, mainly slavery, made the African American
story of settlement unique. By following the history
of the slave trade, the shifts in slave economy,
and the mobility of free blacks, we can piece
together the narrative of black mobility in the
United States. Although it shares common threads
with white migration, such as the abandonment
of rural farm work for industrial labor, it also
has its own unique patterns, such as the tendency
to form separate settlements. By following the
specific movements of African Americans throughout
the country, we can gain a better understanding
of how social, political, and economic situations
affected the African American population on a
personal level.
|
|
(15)Sundiata
Keita Cha-Jua, America's First Black Town: Brooklyn,
Illinois, 1830-1915, (Urbana and Chicago: University
of Illinois Press, 2000), 2.
(16) Kenneth
Marvin Hamilton, Black Towns and Profit: Promotion
and Development in the Trans-Appalachian West,
1877-1915, (Urbana and Chicago, University of
Illinois Press, 1991), 22.
(17) Hamilton,
153.
(18) William
Loren Katz, The Black West, Third Edition, Revised
and Expanded, (Seattle: Open Hand Publishing Inc.,
1987) 127-128.
(19) Katz,
144.
(20) W. Sherman
Savage, Blacks in the West, (Westport, Connecticut:
Greenwood Press, 1976), 201.
(21) Roark,
595.
(22) Roark,
598.
(23) Nelson
Lichtenstein, et. al., Who Built America? Working
People and the Nation's Economy, Politics, Culture,
and Society, Volume II, 1877-Present, (New York:
Worth Publishers, 2000), 581.
|
By
Rickie Lazzerini
Historian
Kindred Trails Worldwide Genealogy Resources
BA History
University of California, Santa Barbara
Index
of Historical Reviews
© 2006 Rickie Lazzerini,
All Rights Reserved
This page may be freely linked to but may not
be reproduced
in any form without prior written consent from
the author.
|
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