Which major demographic shift occurred during WWI as African Americans moved from the rural South to industrial cities in the North?

• A. Emigration
• B. Westward Expansion
• C. Great Migration
• D. Urbanization

Answer: (C)

This is about the Great Migration—the large-scale movement of African Americans from the rural South to industrial cities in the North during the early 20th century, especially as World War I created a huge demand for factory labor. Northern factories offered higher wages and more job opportunities, drawing hundreds of thousands of Black workers who were seeking better economic chances and an escape from the oppressive Jim Crow system in the South. This shift changed the demographic makeup of Northern cities like Chicago, Detroit, New York, and Philadelphia and helped spur future civil rights activism. The other terms don’t fit as precisely: emigration means leaving the country, Westward Expansion refers to moving westward in the 19th century, and urbanization is a broad trend toward city living rather than this specific migration pattern tied to war-era jobs.