1879

Exodusters leave the South in search of security and land

Southern United States to Kansas

Thousands of Black migrants headed to Kansas during the Exoduster movement. Racial violence, restricted opportunities and exploitative labor conditions in the South helped drive the migration.

Dates preserve the source’s precision. This entry is part of a selected historical record; its qualifications and sources are retained below.

Context / qualification

1879 marks a major wave, not the beginning of Black westward migration. Migration did not itself guarantee land ownership, safety or equality in Kansas.

Sources

• Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States, chapter 9, pp. 209; supplied print pages, edition/year unidentified
• National Park Service: Exodusters ↗

Suggest a correction or send feedback about this event