Final answer:
The Exodusters were African American migrants who left the South for the Great Plains after Reconstruction in search of political, legal, and economic freedom. Their migration prefigured the later Great Migration to the North and was a significant factor in African American history.
Step-by-step explanation:
Who Were the Exodusters?
The “Exodusters” were African American migrants who left the Southern states and moved to the Great Plains, especially Kansas, seeking political, legal, and economic freedoms after the end of Reconstruction. An estimated 20,000 of these migrants, driven by a desire for a new start and freedom from the oppressive conditions in the South, undertook this journey. The term “Exodusters” draws a parallel to the biblical exodus, symbolizing their escape from the harsh realities of their lives in the South.
Their movement prefigured the later “Great Migration,” which saw over six million African Americans leaving the South to head to the Northern cities between 1916 and 1970, driven by the hope for better opportunities and to escape Jim Crow laws and racial violence. Both movements were significant in shaping the African American experience and demographics within the United States.
Despite facing challenges such as crop failures, environmental hardships, and tensions with Native American communities, many Exodusters thrived in their new homes. They created mutual aid societies and were self-supporting shortly after their arrival. The Exodusters' migration to the West not only influenced future movements but also demonstrated the resolve and resilience of freed African American individuals seeking to build their own communities and claim their place in American society.