To the right is an image
commissioned by the Future Outlook League by Charles in 1952. The image
was found on the wall of a barbershop in Cleveland. It now resides in
the Western Reserve Historical Society.
Read this image in the
context of the Great Migration. What do you see? What symbols are
prominent? How does it tell the story of the Great Migration? CLICK HERE TO LINK TO A LARGER VERSION.
Be prepared to discuss in class on Monday, March 20, 2006.
Click the image at right for a larger copy, in FLICKR; the photo at right is by Charles for the Future Outlook League, from the collection of the Western Reserve Historical Society.
To me, the picture seems to be of the established African Americans that have already lived in the North showing the newly arriving migrants the way to the city. The block that the man is standing on, which says “militancy, courage”, seems to suggest that these new immigrant will need both of these if they hope to survive in the North.
To me the picture displays how migrant blacks needed to be strong in order to survive up north. The muscular workers and the inscription on the monument “milantancy and courage” help support that. Another interesting observation is how a large bridge is pictured in the background and cleveland is a city that was founded with alot of bridges.
The man on the block appears to be a Moses figure, beckoning the migrants much like Moses leading the Hebrews out of Egypt. Hills and the river seem to further the Egypt motif. The block seems to represent foundational values which will elevate the black community if they are heeded. A reference to union solidarity is also possibly being made.
To me the bridge represents the cross between the South to the North, in other words from oppression into opportunity. The main focus of the picture is of the Moses-type charactor helping the rest of the people come towards freedom. However the block and the path that they are following indicates that it will not be an easy journey and that it will take courage to servive this journey.
After WWII automobile production increased dramaticly. This was a driving force behind the movement into the suburbs because people did not need to life close to their employment or public trasportation. The movement into the suburbs lead to the development and modifications of the freeway system. Construction of the freeway sometimes took a long time not just because of construction but deciding where the road would actually go and buying the land for it was a long process.
The design of the suburbs was not specificly consentrated and the auctual dwelling but also the surrounding landscape. Parks, schools, shopping centers, etc played a vital role in the development of the suburbs.