Final answer:
African Americans followed the Great Migration pattern northward post-Reconstruction for better economic opportunities, particularly in industrial sectors.
Step-by-step explanation:
African Americans pursued economic opportunities after Reconstruction mainly through the Great Migration. This movement saw nearly 350,000 individuals leave the post-Civil War South for northern urban areas between 1910-1920. They sought work in industries such as steel, mining, shipbuilding, and automotive, while African American women found employment beyond domestic work.
The exodus was motivated by the desire for political, legal, and economic freedoms that were denied in the South. These migrants, known as Exodusters, traveled to places like Kansas and Indiana, with an estimated 20,000 making the journey. The economic pull of industrial jobs, especially after World War I, drew over a million African Americans in a continued northward migration, shaping the demographic landscape in these regions.