Interwar Northern Recruitment and the Great Northern Drive (1916–1925)

1. World War I cuts immigration and shifts labor needs

   Jul 28, 1914Labels: World War, Northern industry

   • Britannica
   • HISTORY

2. Northern employers intensify recruiting in the South

   Jan 1, 1916Labels: Northern employers, Black Southerners

   • National Archives
   • DOL History

3. Chicago Defender urges a “Northern Drive”

   Aug 5, 1916Labels: Chicago Defender, Northern Drive

   • Chicago History
   • MLB Feature

4. Wartime labor shortages and draft accelerate movement

   Apr 6, 1917Labels: U S, Meatpacking industry

   • National Archives
   • Britannica

5. Great Northern Drive campaign launches in print

   May 5, 1917Labels: Great Northern, Chicago Defender

   • Chicagology
   • Chicago History

6. East St. Louis massacre exposes Northern racial violence

   Jul 1, 1917Labels: East St, Racial massacre

   • PBS
   • EJI Calendar

7. NAACP leads the Silent Parade in New York

   Jul 28, 1917Labels: NAACP, Silent Parade

   • Silent Parade
   • UPI Archives

8. Postwar strikes heighten tensions over “strikebreaking”

   Jan 1, 1919Labels: Postwar strikes, Strikebreaking

   • DOL History

9. Defender circulation in the South expands recruitment reach

   Jan 1, 1919Labels: Chicago Defender, Southern circulation

   • Chicago History

10. Red Summer violence hits Chicago during peak migration

    Jul 27, 1919Labels: Red Summer, Chicago

    • Britannica
    • Chicago Riot

11. Immigration Act of 1924 locks in low immigration levels

    May 26, 1924Labels: Immigration Act, Federal policy

    • CBP Timeline
    • Immigration Act

12. Interwar recruitment wave gives way to later phases

    Dec 31, 1925Labels: Great Northern, Northern communities

    • Britannica
    • National Archives