The great migration.Characters Hetty Robinson, a former slave Bob, Hetty's oldest son Hilda Sissy sis·sy n. pl. sis·sies 1. A boy or man regarded as effeminate. 2. A person regarded as timid or cowardly. 3. Informal Sister. two of Hetty's daughters Reverend Edward Perry Jones, a preacher * Janelle Clay, a black girl living in Vicksburg, Mississippi Vicksburg is a city in Warren County, Mississippi. It is located 234 miles (377 km) north by west of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and 40 miles (65 km) due west of Jackson, the state capital. Bob's boss, a white barbershop owner in Vicksburg Milt Hinton Milt Hinton born Milton John Hilton (Vicksburg, Mississippi, June 23, 1910; d. Queens, New York, December 19, 2000), "the dean of jazz bass players," was an American jazz double bassist and photographer. Milt Hinton is one of the greatest jazz bassists to ever live. , Hilda's son * Conductor, on a train Benny Goodman Noun 1. Benny Goodman - United States clarinetist who in 1934 formed a big band (including black as well as white musicians) and introduced a kind of jazz known as swing (1909-1986) Benjamin David Goodman, Goodman, King of Swing , a white bog living in Chicago Narrators A-E A-E, AE above-elbow; see under amputation. * An asterisk (1) See Asterisk PBX. (2) In programming, the asterisk or "star" symbol (*) means multiplication. For example, 10 * 7 means 10 multiplied by 7. The * is also a key on computer keypads for entering expressions using multiplication. indicates an imaginary character. All others were real people. PROLOGUE pro·logue also pro·log n. 1. An introduction or preface, especially a poem recited to introduce a play. 2. An introduction or introductory chapter, as to a novel. 3. An introductory act, event, or period. In 1865, the 13th Amendment freed millions of Southern blacks from slavery. But for most of them, life remained a struggle. They had little power to break the cycle of poverty. They also suffered from racial segregation Noun 1. racial segregation - segregation by race petty apartheid - racial segregation enforced primarily in public transportation and hotels and restaurants and other public places . In 1910, about 7 million African-Americans lived in the South; fewer than 1 million lived in all the rest of the U.S. Then an industrial and economic boom up North opened a path to opportunity. From 1915 to 1930, an estimated 1.5 million Southern blacks poured into Northern cities. Historians call that movement the Great Migration. Back then, people called it the exodus. SCENE 1 Narrator NARRATOR. A pleader who draws narrs serviens narrator, a sergeant at law. Fleta, 1. 2, c. 37. Obsolete. A: Hetty Robinson was born a slave, on a plantation near Vicksburg, Mississippi. She was freed while quite young. Nearly two decades later, though, she is still struggling to survive. Her husband has died, leaving her to raise a large family on her own. Narrator B: Like the rest of the Deep South, Vicksburg is deeply divided by race. Blacks live in the poor area near the Mississippi River Mississippi River River, central U.S. It rises at Lake Itasca in Minnesota and flows south, meeting its major tributaries, the Missouri and the Ohio rivers, about halfway along its journey to the Gulf of Mexico. , whites on higher ground. Hetty works for a wealthy white family. Hetty Robinson: I have to go to work. Come by around 2 o'clock and I'll give you kids some dinner. [She leaves.] Bob: I hate seeing Mama work so hard. She cleans that family's house, washes and irons their clothes, and cooks all their meals. Hilda: Well, she also does their food shopping, and makes sure that there is always enough left over for us. Bob: I hate living off their leftovers--and the $3.50 a week they pay her! I want to get a good job, and help us all. Hilda: No matter how hard black folks work, we can't get ahead. Even if we could, white folks here would never let us move to a nice part of town. SCENE 2 Narrator C: By 1910, Hetty's children are all grown. That June, Hilda's son, Milt Hinton, is born. One Sunday, during church services ... Reverend Edward Perry Jones: There is a better life for you and your children! But you won't find it in Vicksburg. [He holds up a newspaper.] This is the Chicago Defender The Chicago Defender was the United States’ largest and most influential black weekly newspaper by the beginning of World War I.[1] The Defender was founded on May 5, 1905 by Robert S. , published by Mr. Robert S Robert, Henry Martyn 1837-1923. American army engineer and parliamentary authority. He designed the defenses for Washington, D.C., during the Civil War and later wrote Robert's Rules of Order (1876). Noun 1. . Abbott. He is a black man, the son of Georgia slaves! He went to Chicago and made something of himself. You can, too. The Lord helps those who help themselves. Narrator D: After the service ... Hilda: Reverend, do you really think black folks can live better up North? Rev. Jones: I get letters from young men and women who left the South for Chicago. They're making good money now, helping their families and improving themselves. Janelle Clay: I'm going to Chicago! Hilda: By yourself? You're only 15! Janelle: We know a lady there who'll let me stay with her. I'll make plenty of money for myself and my folks. Hilda: I want my son to grow up with that kind of opportunity--and dignity. SCENE 3 Narrator E: A few months later, Bob has news for his family. Bob: I've finally saved enough for my fare to Chicago. Hetty: But black folks here can't buy train tickets unless a white boss gives permission in writing, or goes to the station to OK it in person. Bob: I asked a friend who lives in Memphis to write a letter saying that my aunt is dying, and wants to see me while she still can. Hilda: We don't have a dying aunt. Bob: My boss doesn't know that! Narrator A: Bob works for a barber. His boss and all the customers are white. Bob's tasks include sweeping up hair clippings and bringing hot towels for shaves. One afternoon ... Bob: Have you read the letter, sir? Bob's boss: Yes. Your aunt is dying? I suppose you want to go to Memphis. Bob: Yes, sir, by the next train. Bob's boss: I'll OK one round-trip ticket Noun 1. round-trip ticket - a ticket to a place and back (usually over the same route) return ticket ticket - a commercial document showing that the holder is entitled to something (as to ride on public transportation or to enter a public entertainment) . But be back here in two days. Narrator B: Bob catches the next train to Memphis. Once there, he trades his return ticket for the fare to Chicago. He gets a job right away, earning $50 a day as a hotel bellhop. He sends home as much money as he can. SCENE 4 Narrator C: During World War I (1914-1918), Chicago and other industrial cities are booming. Demands for labor draw more and more Southern blacks north. In Chicago, Detroit, New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , and other big cities, the African-American population increases rapidly. Narrator D: In time, Bob manages to send home enough money for his brother Matt to move to Chicago. Sisters Pearl and Hilda follow. Hilda's son Milt stays in Vicksburg with his grandmother and Aunt Sissy. Then, in the fall of 1919, when Milt is 9 ... Hetty: Look at this, Milt. Your Uncle Bob sent us tickets to Chicago! Milt Hinton (thrilled). We're going? Hetty: We sure are. Now help us pack! Narrator E: A few mornings later, Hetty, Sissy, and Milt try to catch a train. But a rainstorm makes them late. Sissy (in tears): The train left without us--and we're soaked. This is awful! Hetty: Hush now. There's another train this evening. We'll catch that one. Narrator A: They do. Once aboard ... Conductor: Take your seats. Milt: But this car is noisy and crowded! Conductor: Sorry, but the rest of the train is whites-only. Hetty: Don't fret, Milt. We'll soon be in Chicago. Narrator B: The next evening, the train pulls into the station in Chicago. Sissy: Look, Milt! Uncle Bob, Uncle Matt, and Aunt Pearl came to meet us. Your morn, too--with a coat for you. Milt: Great! It's cold here. SCENE 5 Narrator C: Milt finds Chicago exciting. He has never seen buildings so tall, or streets so crowded. He also has never seen so many black people looking well-dressed and important. Narrator D: But the first day at his new school, Milt returns home in tears. Hetty: What's wrong? Milt: I was in fifth grade back in Vicksburg. But this school is making me repeat three grades! Hilda: That's because your old school was awful. That's partly why we came here--so you can get a real education. Narrator E: Milt soon starts making friends. For the first time in his life, he gets to know some white kids. Milt: Everyone here seems to be from someplace some·place adv. & n. Somewhere: "I didn't care where I was from so long as it was someplace else" Garrison Keillor. See Usage Note at everyplace. else! I'm from Mississippi. How about you? Benny Goodman: I was born here in Chicago, but my parents came from Russia. They were so poor and Jews were treated so badly there, they came here. All we want is a fair chance to make it. Milt: That's a lot like my family's story. Hey, is that a clarinet clarinet, musical wind instrument of cylindrical bore employing a single reed. The clarinet family comprises all single-reed instruments, including the saxophone. The predecessor of the modern clarinet was the simpler chalumeau, which J. C. case? Benny: Yup. I'm taking music lessons. Milt: Me too. Violin. Here, even poor kids get a chance to learn such things. Narrator A: The boys walk on, talking music. Neither knows that both will become famous jazz musicians This is a list of jazz musicians on whom Wikipedia has articles. Some of the most notable jazz musicians
SCENE 6 Narrator B: One day on his way to high school, Milt runs into Janelle Clay. Janelle: Aren't you Hilda Hinton's son? Milt: Yes, ma'am. Janelle: I knew your folks back in Vicksburg. How's the family? Milt: Can't complain, ma'am. Janelle: Oh, I can. That's why I'm moving back to Vicksburg. Chicago is too big, too fast, and way too cold for me. I just never got used to it. Plus, the North has its own share of racism. Milt: That's true. But there's still a lot of opportunity here. Janelle: Sure. Some black folks from down South became doctors, social workers, teachers, and lawyers. But some are like me. I was an illiterate ILLITERATE. This term is applied to one unacquainted with letters. 2. When an ignorant man, unable to read, signs a deed or agreement, or makes his mark instead of a signature, and he alleges, and can provide that it was falsely read to him, he is not bound by servant in Vicksburg, and I'm the same here. So I'd rather be home. Well, I have a train to catch. Good luck, Milt. Milt: Thanks. Same to you! Narrator C: For every black Southerner who returns home, there are many more who stay. Milt Hinton is one of the success stories. Narrator D: Hinton switches from violin, to tuba tuba (t  `bə) [Lat.,=trumpet], valved brass wind musical instrument of wide conical bore. , and then to stand-up stand·up or stand-up adj. 1. Standing erect; upright: a standup collar. 2. Taken, done, or used while standing: a standup supper; a standup bar. bass. It is as a bassist that he makes his mark, performing and recording with many of the world's greatest jazz musicians. The move from Vicksburg to Chicago became the first step toward a career that takes him all across America and around the world. EPILOGUE ep·i·logue also ep·i·log n. 1. a. A short poem or speech spoken directly to the audience following the conclusion of a play. b. The performer who delivers such a short poem or speech. 2. In 1929, the Great Depression began. Millions of Americans lost their savings, and jobs disappeared. African-Americans, often the last hired and first fired, were especially hard-hit. The Depression wiped out the gains of many urban blacks, and deepened hardships from which some never recovered. But while they had the chance, some children of the Great Migration--like Hinton--got far enough ahead to outlast out·last tr.v. out·last·ed, out·last·ing, out·lasts To last longer than. outlast Verb to last longer than Verb 1. the hard times. From them came a growing black middle class who paved the way for future generations. * Word to Know * exodus: the departure of a great many people from one place. Exodus (from a Greek word meaning "road out") is also the name of the book in the Bible in which the Jews flee from slavery in Egypt. * Think About It 1. Why did so many poor blacks leave the South? Would you have done the 2. Why were African-Americans often "the last hired and first fired Is racism still a problem today? Explain. CHRONOLOGY 1914-1918: World War I. Fighting in Europe cuts the flow of immigrant workers to U.S. industries. Demand for black workers from the South increases. 1915: African-Americans start moving north in large numbers, seeking a wag out of poverty and racism in the South. 1919: After the war, there are fewer jobs for industrial workers. White fears lead to attacks on blacks. During "Red Summer," 27 riots erupt in major U.S. cities. In Chicago alone, 23 blacks and 15 whites are killed, and more than 500 people are hurt. c. 1923-1929: Harlem Renaissance Harlem Renaissance, term used to describe a flowering of African-American literature and art in the 1920s, mainly in the Harlem district of New York City. During the mass migration of African Americans from the rural agricultural South to the urban industrial North . New York City's community of Harlem becomes a cultural center for African-American artists, authors, and musicians, most of whom are from the South. 1925: A. Philip Randolph Asa Philip Randolph (April 15 1889 – May 16 1979) was a prominent twentieth century African-American civil rights leader and founder of the first black labor union in the United States. Early Years Randolph was born in Crescent City, Florida. founds the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP) was a labor union in the United States organized by the predominantly African-American Pullman Porters. Organized in 1925, it struggled for twelve years before winning its first collective bargaining agreement with the Pullman Company. to help African-American railroad workers fight for fair wages and better working conditions. 1930: The Great Depression halts the Great Migration. Urban blacks are among the hardest hit. * Objective Students should be able to: * describe and discuss the reasons many Southern blacks took part in the Great Migration, and how the shift changed their lives and the cities they moved to. * Background In many ways, the lives of three generations of Milt Hinton's family reflect the larger African-American experience. Hetty Robinson was born a slave. She raised her children in the South of Jim Crow Jim Crow Negro stereotype popularized by 19th-century minstrel shows. [Am. Hist.: Van Doren, 138] See : Bigotry , where racist practices denied blacks their constitutional rights to vote and live as free Americans. Her grandson, Milt Hinton (1910-2000), was part of the black migration from rural to urban America. * Critical Thinking COMPREHENSION: How did World War I open "a path to opportunity" for Southern blacks? (Demands for workers increased as the war cut the flow of European immigrants to industrial centers.) MAKING COMPARISONS: In the play, Milt Hinton says that the reasons his family and Benny Goodman's moved to Chicago are similar. How so? Do you think newly arrived African-Americans and Eastern European Jews met the same opportunities and obstacles? Explain. (Answers will vary.) * Activity "PLEASE TELL ME": Imagine that you are a poor black farmer living in the South of the 1920s. Write a letter to someone up North. What is the most important thing you would want to know before moving there? Why? (See seven such letters at historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5332.) STANDARD SOCIAL STUDIES, GRADES 5-8 * Global connections Global Connections is a charitable organisation acting as a UK network of mission agencies, churches, colleges and support agencies involved in evangelism around the world. Amongst the several hundred organisations and churches that are members of the Global Connections network are many : Among the results of war in Europe were profound changes in the lives of black and white Americans The term white American (often used interchangeably with "Caucasian American"[2] and within the United States simply "white"[3]) is an umbrella term that refers to people of European, Middle Eastern, and North African descent residing in the United States. , in both the rural South and the urban North. RESOURCES * Cooper, Michael L., Bound for the Promised Land: The Great Black Migration (Penguin, 1995). Grades 6-12. * Halpern, Monica, Moving North (National Geographic, 2006). Grades 5-8. WEB SITES * A Black Migrant mi·grant n. 1. One that moves from one region to another by chance, instinct, or plan. 2. An itinerant worker who travels from one area to another in search of work. adj. Migratory. Recalls Life in Philadelphia historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5338 * Milt Hinton milthinton.com * Put the events below into correct chronological order by writing the appropriate number (1st-5th) in front of each. -- 16. Southern blacks moved to Northern industrial areas in large numbers. -- 17. The U.S. entered World War I. -- 18. The Great Depression began. -- 19. Slavery was abolished in the U.S. -- 20. The flow of immigrant workers from Europe fell off. ANSWERS 16. 4th 17. 2nd 18. 5th 19. 1st 20. 3rd DOCUMENT-BASED QUESTIONS DBQ redirects here. For the airport, see Dubuque Regional Airport. A document-based question (DBQ), also known as data-based question, is an essay or series of short-answer questions that is constructed by students using one's own knowledge combined with support "I JUST BEGUN TO FEEL LIKE A MAN During the years of the Great Migration (see play, pp. 16.19), African-Americans transplanted from the South to Northern cities wrote letters home. Those letters described a complicated reality. Read the following excerpts from three of those letters, then answer the questions below. Letter #1 "I was promoted on the first of the month. I was made first assistant to the head carpenter.... You know I know my stuff.... I should have been here 20 years ago. I just began to feel like a man. My children are going to the same school with the whites.... I have registered--will vote [in] the next election."--from East Chicago, Indiana East Chicago is a city in Lake County, Indiana, opposite Chicago, Illinois. The population was 32,414 at the 2000 census. Geography East Chicago is located at (41.638885, -87.462140)GR1. , October 1917 Letter #2 "'My dear Pastor and wife: It affords me great pleasure to write you this. [I am] well and OK.... I like the money [here] OK, but I like the South better.... This city is too fast for me.... People are coming by carloads every day.., begging for somewheres some·wheres adv. Informal Somewhere. to stay.... I am going to stay here until fall if I don't get sick. It's the largest city I ever saw, 45 miles long and equal in breadth. [It is] a smoky Smoky, river, c.250 mi (400 km) long, rising in Jasper National Park, W Alta., Canada, and flowing generally NE to the Peace River. It receives the Wapiti and Little Smoky rivers. It was explored (1792) by Alexander Mackenzie. city--so many mines of all kinds. Some places look like [hell] ... and some places look like Paradise in this great city." --from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania “Pittsburgh” redirects here. For the region, see Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area. Pittsburgh (pronounced IPA: /ˈpɪtsbɚg/) is the second largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. , May 1917 Letter #3 "With the aid of God I am making very good [money]. I make $75 per month.... I don't have to mister every little white boy comes along.... I can ride in the electric street and steam cars anywhere I get a seat."--from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November 1917 QUESTIONS 1. How does the writer of letter #1 show pride in his professional ability? 2. What things in letter #1 would be new to a transplant from the South? 3. Which of these letter writers is the most likely to return home? Why? 4. What regret does the writer of letter #1 state? 5. On which one point do all three letter writers agree? 6. Which problem associated with the Great Migration does letter #2 refer to? 7. What does "I don't have to mister every little white boy" in letter #3 mean? 8. Why do you think the writer of letter #1 says, "I just began to feel like a man"? 9. What great contrast does letter writer #2 make in describing Pittsburgh? 10. If you were writing to worried family members, you might not mention your worst experiences. What negative things do you imagine might be happening to these letter writers? ANSWERS 1. "You know I know my stuff." 2. promotion; his children going to school with whites; voting 3. #2; likes "the South better"; staying only until fall 4. "I should have been here 20 years ago." 5. The money is good up North. 6. overcrowding overcrowding overcrowding of animal accommodation. Many countries now publish codes of practice which define what the appropriate volumetric allowances should be for each species of animal when they are housed indoors. Breaches of these codes is overcrowding. :"People are coming by carloads" and "begging for somewheres to stay." 7. In the South, blacks had to call every white male "mister," even children. 8. pride in his work; new freedoms; other answers OK 9. Pittsburgh can look like hell, but also like Paradise. 10. discrimination in workplace; high prices; cold weather; loneliness; other answers acceptable 1. True or False? Two Civil War battles took place at Bull Run. (true) 2. What language was spoken in ancient Rome Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew from a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula circa the 9th century BC to a massive empire straddling the Mediterranean Sea. ? (Latin) 3. Name the black-run newspaper that encouraged thousands of blacks to move north. (Chicago Defender) 4. What ended the Great Migration of 1915-19307 (Great Depression) 5. Which army won the 1861 Battle of Bull Run? (Confederate/Southern) 6. In ancient Rome, what was a plebeian plebeian (Latin, plebs) Member of the general citizenry, as opposed to the patrician class, in the ancient Roman republic. Plebeians were originally excluded from the Senate and from all public offices except military tribune, and they were forbidden to marry patricians. ? (member of working class) |
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