State Historical Society of Iowa

"Great Migration Railroad Strike 100 Years Ago Brought an Influx of African-Americans to Waterloo" Newspaper Article, February 1, 2011

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Courtesy of Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Kinney, Pat, "Great Migration Railroad strike 100 years ago brought an influx of African-Americans to Waterloo," Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, 1 February 2011

Description

This Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier newspaper article was written by Pat Kinney in 2011 about African Americans who migrated to Waterloo, Iowa, as strikebreakers in the 1911 Railroad Strike. Many had originally been excluded from this line of work by racial discrimination in labor unions. The African Americans who moved to Waterloo during the strike faced danger and animosity but they became an integral part of the community.

Transcript of "Great Migration Railroad Strike" Newspaper Article

Source Dependent Questions

  • According to this source, what "pushed" many African Americans out of the South? What "pulled" them to the North, and in particular, to Waterloo, Iowa? Are these reasons born out of home, fear, or both?
  • How can the history of African American migrants to Waterloo be used to understand the role economics plays in migration?
  • According to Roosevelt Taylor, when the Illinois Central went South to recruit African Americans, it advertised the North as "The Promised Land." Given the evidence found in other sources in this source set, why would that label have been persuasive? To what extent did working and living in Waterloo live up to that standard for those like Taylor and his grandfather?

Citation Information

Kinney, Pat, "Great Migration Railroad strike 100 years ago brought an influx of African-Americans to Waterloo," Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, 1 February 2011. Courtesy of Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier Courtesy of Library of Congress