The Great Migration is often cited as beginning during World War I, when millions of African Americans relocated from the rural South to urban areas in the North and West.

This movement was driven by various factors, including the search for better job opportunities in war-related industries, escaping oppressive Jim Crow laws, and the desire for improved living conditions. The migration significantly transformed the demographic landscape of American cities, particularly in places like Chicago, Detroit, and New York. It also laid the groundwork for cultural developments such as the Harlem Renaissance, shaping the social and political dynamics of the era.