Land of Hope: Chicago, Black Southerners, and the Great Migration

Land of Hope: Chicago, Black Southerners, and the Great Migration is a non-fiction book by James R. Grossman, published by University of Chicago Press in 1991. It received several positive reviews in the academic press, and was noted as a significant contribution to scholarly work on Black community experience of migration to Chicago from southern states.

Background and contents edit

The book is in two parts, with the latter describing how the Southerners had lived in Chicago.[1] The research included government records, manuscripts, and other archival material.[2]

Reception and analysis edit

Daniel Letwin of the College of the Holy Cross[a] stated that this book has "much in common" with Making Their Own Way: Southern Blacks' Migration to Pittsburgh, 1916-30,[5] although compared to the other book Land of Hope is more "comprehensive".[6] Jon C. Teaford of Purdue University compared the work to American Exodus: The Dust Bowl Migration and Okie Culture in California, in that African-Americans saw Chicago as an important destination for similar reasons that "Okies" escaping the Dust Bowl saw California as an important destination.[7]

Jacqueline A. Rouse of Georgia State University praised the descriptions of community organizing and giving agency to African-American migrants.[8]

Clarence E. Walker of University of California, Davis wrote that the work is "thoughtful, well-researched, and provocative".[9]

Vernon J. Williams, Jr. of Purdue University described the work as "authoritative and significant".[10]

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ Letwin was visiting history instructor at Holy Cross 1989–1991; later, he was appointed Associate Professor of History at Pennsylvania State University's College of the Liberal Arts.[3][4]

Sources edit

  • Letwin, Daniel (1990). "Land of Hope: Chicago, Black Southerners, and the Great Migration, by James Grossman (Book Review)". International Labor and Working-Class History. 38: 128−130. doi:10.1017/S0147547900010395. JSTOR 27671910.
  • Rouse, Jacqueline A. (1992). "Land of Hope: Chicago, Black Southerners, and the Great Migration". The Journal of Negro History. 77 (2): 97–99. doi:10.2307/3031486. JSTOR 3031486.
  • Teaford, Jon C (1990). "Land of Hope: Chicago, Black Southerners, and the Great Migration". Reviews in American History. 18 (2): 218. doi:10.2307/2702752. JSTOR 2702752.
  • Walker, Clarence E (1990). "Land of Hope: Chicago, Black Southerners, and the Great Migration". Agricultural History. 64 (4): 139. JSTOR 3743368.
  • Williams, Vernon J. Jr (1991). "Land of Hope: Chicago, Black Southerners and the Great Migration". Journal of American Ethnic History. 11 (1): 86. JSTOR 27500906.

References edit

Further reading edit

External links edit