Analysis Paper: Migration As Tactic/Solution (Isabel Wilkerson’s book as main resource) (4 pages)
Millions of African Americans escaped or ran away from their homes in the South to seek refuge in the North, and Isabell Wilkerson’s book, The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration, tells the stories of hundreds of them, with emphasis on 3 individuals in particular. Explore how one or more of Wilkerson’s 3 profiles/characters faced socio-economic problems (racial terrorism, limited opportunities, etc.) in the South and orchestrated escape or migration as the solution. Explore how the individual character’s migration story connects to or compares with the general Great Migration “push” and “pull” factors which motivated so many African Americans to leave the South. To help draw these connections, identify and compare the “pull” and “push” factors of the Great Migration as well as other related course themes such as leadership tactics, African American socioeconomic and cultural status/state, protest; demographic shifts/changes, etc.
STEP 1
Read/review: F&H chapters 1, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 23; Williams, Schomburg, etc. -Begin reading Isabel Wilkerson’s Warmth of Other Suns, and related resources.
Step 2
-Read the entire Wilkson book.
-Decide on which of her three profiles/”characters” you will focus your analysis paper.
-Complete progress report discussion forums for feedback from Dr. Giddings and classmates.
Step 3
-After reading the Wilkerson book, focusing on the preferred “profile/s” or “character/s”, write up your 4 page project summary paper – results of your interviews, following the guidelines provided.
-Construct your 4 page analysis paper, following the guidelines provided in the resources section of the Unit V folder.
PAPER GUIDELINES
“Identify connections between individual lives and national historic events”
Proofread Review your final draft for adherence to the project goals,
objectives and directions; review the SafeAssign tool on Blackboard to guard against plagiarism; and have a tutor or friend review a draft of your analysis paper
Title Be very descriptive, i.e., “More Push Than Pull: Walker’s protest move from Jackson, MS to Chicago.”
Title
should say something about migration and about your particular focus.
Introduction
Define the Great Migration. What is your thesis or focus; what central lesson did you draw from your research/investigations? Entice your reader/audience (think beyond just Dr. Giddings reading your paper!) into your paper with a summary of your findings/discoveries; introduce your interviewees or Wilkerson’s “character/s” (Starling, Gladney and/or Foster) by their full names and/or relationship to you; why were these interviewees/character/s selected; when did the interviews take place? Summarize what you learned/discovered.
Body
What were the problems identified by the migrants; what facts/stories from interviews or the book support your paper’s thesis; what were the specific “push” and “pull” or motivating factors responsible for the problem which caused the move/migration to occur; who moved; who remained behind and why; did anyone move head first; what familial connections remain in the south/place of origin; what information gathered surprised you; had you any related documents which helped to tell or describe the problem/issues; was the problem or the push factors more or less of the motivation for the move; what were the consequences of the migration – were the problems resolved, i.e, was life better in the new location? In what ways was the Great Migration similar or dissimilar to the more unpopular Emigration movements in antebellum (pre-Civil War) period; what are some comparisons between the personal stories you discovered (uncovered or read about) and those events/stories presented about the Great Migration – for example, what if any role did the Black Press play in the individual’s decision to move/migrate; how different do you imagine your (interviewees’/Wilkerson’s characters’) life would have been, were it not for the migration; what is you analysis of whether the identified problem was resolved by the migration/move …?
Conclusions
Overall value of this project; what is your analysis/assessment of the problem faced by your interviewee(s)/character(s) and did they make the right move to resolve same? Did you accomplished our targeted learning outcome; and what would you change to improve this assignment as a learning tool?
Sources
(4 requred) Personal Interviews: i.e., “Davis, Eugene. Personal Interview, July 20, 2019. Sag Harbor, NY.” Book: i.e., “Wilkerson, I. The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of …. NY: Random House, 2010. Websites: Hyperlink Family documents, etc.: list and describe each object with an approximate date it was created.