Essay Questions
For
“Black Protest and the Great Migration: A Brief History with
Documents
By
Eric Arnesen
Please answer each of the following questions in complete sentences.
You must write a 1,500-word essay in MLA style with citations.
1. Discuss the events that initiated the migration of southern blacks to
the north?
2. Explain several reasons why some blacks found life in the south
undesirable enough to relocate north?
3. Cite the time frames and provide statistics for the numbers of those
who relocated north.
4. What metaphor was used to describe the migration?
5. Explain what “Jim Crow laws” were and how they contributed to
the migration of blacks (you may also provide references from your
textbook).
6. What opportunities did southern blacks find when they arrived in the
north?
7. What were the political and social ramifications of the idea and
reality of both “The Old Crowd Negro” and “The New Crowd
Negro?”
8. Discuss the response to Black Activism after the war?
9. What do you believe were some long-term impacts of “The Great
Migration?”
10. Which document from the text did you find most interesting and/or
meaningful? Discuss why?