Question

it was during the first world war that a silent pilgrimage took its first steps within the borders of this country.... it would not end until the 1970s.... over the course of six decades, some six million black southerners left the land of their forefathers and fanned out across the country for an uncertain existence in nearly every other corner of america....
-isabel wilkerson, the warmth of other suns: the epic story of americas great migration, 2010
what was a primary reason for the demographic shift described in this excerpt?
○ limited economic opportunities for african americans in the south
○ a lack of educational institutions for african americans in the south
○ increased availability of manufactured goods in the north
○ increased demand for sharecroppers in the north

Explanation:

The Great Migration of Black Southerners was mainly driven by economic factors. In the South, African Americans faced limited economic opportunities due to discriminatory practices like sharecropping (which trapped them in debt - labor cycles) and lack of access to well - paying jobs. The North offered more industrial job opportunities (even though they were often still discriminatory, but relatively better than the South's agricultural - based, exploitative economic system for Black people).

• Limited economic opportunities for African Americans in the South: This was a primary reason. The South's economy, post - Civil War, was based on a system that kept Black people in a disadvantaged economic position.
• A lack of educational institutions for African Americans in the South: While education was a problem, it was not the primary driver of the mass migration described. The text focuses on their search for a better "existence" which was more about economic survival.
• Increased availability of manufactured goods in the North: This is not relevant to why people would migrate. Migration is about seeking livelihoods (jobs, income), not just the availability of goods.
• Increased demand for sharecroppers in the North: Sharecropping was a Southern agricultural system. The North was more industrial, so this option is factually incorrect.

Answer:

Limited economic opportunities for African Americans in the South