MigrationWhen America joined WWII, many people started to migrate to the West Coast. People moved to the west because of economic opportunities and to expand industrial working. Industries stopped building their own materials like personal cars, bedspreads, and more. Instead, they started building tanks, planes, boats, command cars, aircraft carriers, and more. Most of this production happened in places like California, Oregon, and Washington. The migration of African Americans during this time was known as the Second Great Migration. Oklahoma lost 23,000 African Americans for the industrial work since most of the white men had gone to war. The defense industry booming during the time of war helped many black workers escape years of unskilled and harsh employment. Between 1910 and 1940, about 1.5 million African Americans left the South for Northern cities. After the stock market crash of 1929, emigration slowed to a trickle. Between 1940 and 1950, another 1.5 million African Americans left the South. By 1970, about 5 million African Americans had made the journey to California. Okies were also making their way to California. California had up to 7,000 new immigrants a month.
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