The epic mass exodus of African Americans from the South had been on for a decade, and it was on in such numbers now that it could not be ignored.
Up until 1910, 90% of the black population of the United States lived in the South, a legacy of slavery. Starting in the 1910s, after twenty years of the restoration of die hard segregation following the collapse of Reconstruction, followed by the rise of Southern racism in the form of The Lost Cause myth, and aided by improved transportation, they began to leave for Northern cities. European immigration collapsed during World War One, and employment opportunities increased, boosting the departure rate.
The massive social trend continued up into the early 1970s, by which time it had transformed the ethnic map of the country.
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