Summary: The Great Human Migration

The Journey of Man was an interesting non-fictional anthropological literary piece where the author sought to explain how modern humans came to inhabit the world we know today. He began by talking about the mitochondrial DNA passed from mother to daughter, or the maternal line. Using this it was discovered that all people had a common female ancestor who lived in Africa about 200,000 years ago. This was one of the first steps in supporting the out of Africa hypothesis. However, mtDNA could not give all the answers to how humans moved throughout the world, and for that he turned to the male Y chromosome. By examining this, he and many other geneticists discovered the different changes throughout populations, and could estimate how long ago they occurred. According to Wells, modern humans were in Africa 60,000 years ago, and from that point began to migrate outward. For each new area, such as Asia, the Middle East, Australia, and others, there were specific polymorphisms on the Y chromosome that defined each population. By using this technique, he was able to map out when modern

The progression of people into and within the United States has had an essential impact on the nation, both intentionally and unintentionally. Progressions such as The Great Migration and the Second Great Migration are examples of movements that impacted the United States greatly. During these movements, African Americans migrated to flee racism and prejudice in the South, as well as to inquire jobs in industrial cities. They were unable to escape racism, but they were able to infuse their culture into American society. During the twentieth century, economic and political problems led to movements such as The Great Migration and The Second Great Migration which impacted the United States significantly.

“Berlin, Ira. The Making of African America The Four Great Migrations. By Ira Berlin. New York: Penguin Group, 2011. Pp 289”

The Great Migration was a massive movement of African Americans from the South to the North from 1863 to 1960. The largest spike in this migration occurred from about 1910 to 1920.

The migration of European settlers and culture to North America is an often examined area. One aspect of this, however, is worthy of deeper analysis. The conquest of North America by Europeans and American settlers from the 16th to 19th centuries had a profound effect on the indigenous political landscape by defining a new relationship dynamic between natives and settlers, by upsetting existing native political, economic and military structures, and by establishing a paradigm where the indigenous peoples felt they had to resist the European and American incursions. The engaging and brilliant works of Andres Rensendez and Steve Inskeep, entitled respectively “A Land So Strange” and “Jacksonland”, provide excellent insights and aide to this analysis.

The Great Migration was a significant movement in history for the United States. The Great Migration was brought about for several reasons, many of them being factors that pushed African Americans out of the South, and pulled them up to the North. The harmless act of moving North was more than complicated and generated a lot of conflict in multiple aspects for both African Americans and White Americans. Despite the trouble and worry, a substantial number of African Americans migrated North to some of the most industrial areas looking for a better life and more opportunities.

Without The Great Migration, or the migration of African Americans from 1915 to 1970 from the south to the north, the north would have suffered economically (Wilkerson 8). Specifically, without the Great Migration, the north would have faced extensive job shortages, that would have eventually led to economic turmoil. One cause of The Great Migration was the need for southern African Americans to take industrial jobs in the north. Furthermore, during times of war, many men were removed from the workforce, meaning that the north needed additional workers to fill the now vacated spots. (The Great) The north needed the southern African Americans in order to fill these slots, and without them, the north’s economy would have suffered

The Great Migration brought about a massive redistribution of the African American population throughout the United States. It transformed black ways of life, art, and institutions, as well as the demographics and cultures of many American cities.

African American’s somewhat silent non war revolution of migration to the North and Midwest of the United States which started roughly in 1915. The Great Migration of African American’s was sparked by work labor shortages during World War I. Until this point of mass relocation to the north and west, the majority of African Americans have primarily resided in rural areas of the south. Thousands of opportunities arose in large urban cities and towns across the Northern and Western United States. This migration is also said to have sparked the civil rights movements as well as shaped sports and music. These opportunities and the

Thomas Jefferson believed that expanding westward was the key to a healthy nation. Forty percent of the population lived in trans -Appalachian west. Most people had left their homes from the East for a economic opportunity.

When war erupted in Europe in August 1914, most Americans, African Americans included, saw no reason for the United States to become involved. This sentiment strengthened as war between the German-led Central Powers and the Allied nations of France, Great Britain, and Russia ground to a stalemate and the death toll increased dramatically. The black press sided with France, because of its purported commitment to racial equality, and chronicled the exploits of colonial African soldiers serving in the French army. Nevertheless, African Americans viewed the bloodshed and destruction occurring overseas as far removed from the immediacies of their everyday lives.

The Multiregional Continuity Model states that after Homo erectus left Africa and spread into other parts of the Old World, regional populations gradually evolved into modern humans. In contrast, the Out of Africa Model states that modern humans evolved fairly recently in Africa, migrated into Eurasia and replaced all

The Great Migration brought about changes that would bring prosperity to most, but little did they know, it would come with a price. That price was endured through various social, economic, and political challenges that occurred during this harsh time in black history. Many opportunities were available for families that would travel far to take advantage of opportunities that would start a new beginning. The Great Migration was a movement of hope that there is a land that is free of oppression and strife. However, black families in the north faced issues that were troubling and contradicting to their belief of the north. Their thoughts of living racism free and gaining economic power was far fetch when they experienced the challenges of the north. The challenges blacks faced during the Great Migration paved the way for numerous opportunities and breakthroughs we have experienced and have not experienced today.

The Out of Africa Theory is a widely renown theory describing the origin of the human race and their early dispersal throughout the world. According to this theory, humans have a monogensis, or a single and common origin; Africa. The concept was first introduced in 1871 by Charles Darwin but was deliberated for years until further studies of mitochondrial DNA and evidence ”based on physical anthropology of archaic specimens” was added.

There has been a great deal of heated debate for the last few decades about where modern Homo sapiens originated. From the battle grounds, two main theories emerged. One theory, labeled “Out-of-Africa” or “population replacement” explains that all modern Homo sapiens evolved from a common Homo erectus ancestor in Africa 100,000 years ago. The species began to spread and replace all other archaic human-like populations around 35,000 to 89,000 years ago. The rivaling opinion, entitled the “regional continuity” theory or “multiregional evolution” model refutes this theory and states modern humans evolved from various species of Homo erectus who interbred with others that lived in