Final answer:
The Great Migration was a mass movement of around 1.5 million African Americans from the South to the North of the US, primarily between 1910 and 1930, seeking job opportunities and escaping racial injustice. Several key cities witnessed significant demographic changes as a result. It led to increased racial tensions and the growth of civil rights campaigns.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Great Migration refers to the relocation of approximately 1.5 million African Americans from the rural American South to the urban North between 1910 and 1930. A significant portion of this demographic shift occurred during World War I, with about half a million African Americans moving to take advantage of job opportunities in Northern factories. This period saw a substantial need for workers, prompting African Americans to migrate in search of better employment prospects and to escape the oppressive Jim Crow laws of the South. The impact of the Great Migration is evident today, with a geographic spread of African American populations throughout various regions of the United States.
Urban centers such as New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Detroit were among the primary destinations where African Americans established themselves, significantly reshaping the demographic and cultural landscapes of these cities. This period in history also saw the rise of racial tensions and the start of civil rights movements, including the NAACP's campaign against lynching, driven by the alarming increase in race riots.