Week 4 Forum - Assignment Example

2. Some of the political effects that resulted include; many immigrants registered to vote almost immediately on arrival to the north, this is because they had a painful experience in the south. For many years they had received very little benefits from their tax dollar, they therefore sought political representation. As a result a number of their politicians rose to prominence in very defining moments. For instance Harold Washington became the first African American mayor in 1983.Some of the social effects included; As the African Americans started their lives in the urban northern industries, they were faced with many challenges.

They lived in poor neighborhoods famously known as ghettos, suffered indignities of racism, for example, whites segregated them in the industrial workplaces, and were mainly deployed in dangerous and labor intensive tasks. They were united and created communities within the big northern cities, and it was common to find several families from a southern state living in one northern state, for example in Chicago today. Economic effects included; Factory wage in the north was generally three times that of the south.

Even as housing was a bit expensive in the north, they still had better living standards. On the other hand, dwindling workforce led to economic struggle in the south (Gunnar, 2009).5. African American activist used religious language to encounter injustices and racism, they came up with movements that drew its members from different backgrounds and classes and were also keen on political organization such as voter registration. There was the Congress of Industrial Organization (CIO) which planned many number of black workers into labor unions for the first time ever.

Job discrimination against blacks compelled A. Philip Randolph, leader of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, to give threats of mass action on Washington. This caused Roosevelt to issue an Executive Order 8802 banning discrimination in the employment of black workers. To investigate any violations, a Fair Employment Practices Committee (FEPC) was issued.ReferencesGunnar, Myrdal. An American Dilemma,Volume 2:The Negro Problem and Modern Democracy. New York: Harper Collins,Publishers, 2009.