Push and Pull Factors

African Americans came to Hartford for many different reasons during World War I. Some moved North in search of respite from Jim Crow laws, racial animosity, and vigilante violence in the Southern States. Others were seeking economic opportunities and alternatives to agricultural work. Many simply wanted to be reunited with friends, family, and fellow church members who had arrived earlier.

What made some African Americans choose Hartford and nearby locations specifically, though? Certain individuals were offered specific employment opportunities in agriculture and transportation. Additionally, as the home to companies such as Pope Manufacturing Company, Underwood Typewriter Company, and Colt’s Patent Firearms Manufacturing, Hartford was a manufacturing center. African Americans arriving in Hartford hoped to find employment with these companies, as well.

The Great War and a Labor Shortage

One of the primary industries that initially attracted African Americans to the Hartford area during World War I was the tobacco industry. Even before the United States entered the conflict in April 1917, certain American industries, such as the Connecticut Tobacco industry, experienced labor shortages because of the war. This labor shortage was mainly due to foreign-born European Americans – such as Polish, Lithuanian, and Czech immigrants – returning to Europe to fight in the Great War. Tobacco growers turned to several demographics in order to address this crisis, including women and children. Another demographic was African-American migrant workers from the South. For instance, the Connecticut Leaf Tobacco Association and the National Urban League sent inquiries to several historically black colleges in the South. Morehouse College’s John Hope recognized that migrant workers who answered this call would be able to escape the situation in the South and seek better economic and political fortune in New England. He agreed to send twenty-five of his students.