Introduction The first Great Migration underscores the relocation of over one million Negroes from the rural areas of Southern parts of the United States to the urban areas, which were mainly located in the North between 1910 and 1930 (Cassedy par.14). The aftermath of the 1876 Reconstruction heralded the restitution of white supremacy in the south, which then saw the passing of the Jim Crow segregationist policies. The black community in the South suffered greatly under these policies, as they could not access meaningful economic activities. Also, even after its dissolution in 1898, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) continued to execute its oppression against the Blacks and attacks were widely spread even though the group was operating as an underground organization. The southern environment was hostile to Blacks in all aspects. Fortunately, the First World War created a shortage of workers in the north, which presented an opportunity for the blacks to move from the south and provide the much-needed labor force in the urban industries. This paper explores the causes of this migration from the South to the North, and it centers on the first Great Migration, which occurred between 1910 and 1930. The causes Disenfranchisement, violence, and natural disaster The Reconstruction brought good news to African Americans as the Congress, through the Fifteenth Amendment, allowed Black men to vote (Tolnay and Beck 114). Unfortunately, most states in the South came up with new rules seeking to disenfranchise Blacks and curtail their freedom. Jim Crow’s segregationist laws made life difficult for the Blacks in the South, and an opportunity to leave was welcome. The rules brought educational, economic, and social disfavors for African Americans living in the South (“United States: Department of Labor” 46-68). The Blacks lost civil rights and liberties, and thus, life became unbearable. The legal doctrine of ‘equal but separate’ authenticated white supremacy, and thus when the opportunity to leave emerged, the blacks moved in large numbers to the north for better living opportunities (“South Unable to Put a stop to Negros Exodus” 1). With Jim Crow at the helm and white supremacy dominating a majority of the southern states, the Blacks had to contend with racial violence every day. Appiah and Gates note, “With white supremacy challenged throughout the South; many whites sought to protect their former status by threatening African Americans who exercised their new rights” (1011). Organizations like the Ku Klux Klan continued to operate underground after being banned in 1898. Widespread lynching of Blacks by white supremacists was a commonplace in the South as 3,446 Blacks died during that time (“Lynchings: By State and Race” par.1). The KKK abducted Blacks across the South, burned churches affiliated with the Blacks, and executed all manner of evils in the quest to intimidate African Americans and prevent them from enjoying the gains of the Reconstruction period. The outbreak of the Boll Weevil, which ravaged the South for over a decade starting from 1910, had multifaceted impacts on the Blacks living in the region. Earlier after the abolishment of slavery in 1865, African Americans needed to survive in a foreign land as liberated people. Unfortunately, the only available opportunity for them to make a living was through agriculture. The majority of Blacks depended on sharecropping for their survival. Another