While many African Americans moved from one part of the South to another, those who wanted their own land went West where they were often welcomed by Native American tribes because of their knowledge of English.
Hundreds of blacks moved into the Southwest, an easy change for those who had lived among horses all their lives. Within ten years, 100,000 African Americans had migrated to Texas.
The largest movement of blacks from the South after Reconstruction was the exodus to the Middle West in August 1879. Earlier that year, Benjamin “Pap” Singleton, a former slave from Tennessee, had distributed flyers describing the opportunities in “Sunny Kansas.” He gave them to train porters and steamboat workers to pass along.
As a result, hundreds of exodusters packed their belongings in bags, bundles, and red bandannas and headed to Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, and Nebraska. In Oklahoma, the all-black towns of Boley, Langston, and Summit were formed. Black Buffalo Soldiers fought Native Americans to open up much of the Southwest for white settlement. Many African Americans also moved to cities.
Benjamin “Pap” Singleton, a former slave, encouraged blacks to migrate westward. He led several groups from Tennessee and Kentucky into Kansas where they established all-black towns.
Related Posts
-
What else did the government do to help African Americans during Reconstruction?
On March 13, 1866, Congress passed an act, called the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which stated that all persons born in the United States were citizens with full rights and privileges of…
-
How did African Americans take advantage of their new freedom after Reconstruction?
When the Fifteenth Amendment was passed, the large numbers of new black voters meant that blacks were finally participating in government. The Freedmen's Bureau helped African Americans build schools, small businesses, and churches.…
-
How many African Americans were elected to political office during Reconstruction?
Because Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Georgia had the largest African American populations, those states had some of the first black elected politicians beginning in 1867. John Willis Menard of Louisiana and Jefferson…
-
How did the participation of African Americans in politics after Reconstruction change the political system?
As more blacks participated in politics, the black vote became important. African Americans filled many elected and appointed positions, including those of sheriff, mayor, prosecuting attorney, justice of the peace, and county superintendent…
-
What kinds of jobs did African Americans get after Reconstruction?
African Americans in rural areas lived by farming. In the cities, the most common jobs were carpenters, janitors, drivers, stonemasons, barbers, and cooks. Farm workers earned an average of $60 per year. Carpenters…
-
What was the period of Reconstruction in the United States and How did it get its name?
Between 1865 and 1877 the U.S. government passed laws that helped protect the rights of all free people in the United States. This period was called Reconstruction, because it was supposed to lead…
