PREFACE 



Investigation of the conditions from which Negro migra- 

 tions rise throws new light on the vexing questions of land 

 tenure and rural organization in the South. Descriptions 

 of the movements reveal interesting and important social 

 processes. A full treatment of the effect of the migration 

 necessitates a review of all of the important problems of 

 Negro life, for migration places them against a new and 

 changing background. 



The greater part of this work is devoted to the first two 

 topics, namely: (1) The description of land tenure and the 

 organization of farm life in the Cotton Belt. (2) How this 

 organization results in the movements of population. One 

 chapter is devoted to city movements and one to the effects 

 of migration. While the writer is aware that the space 

 of one chapter is entirely inadequate for a full treatment 

 of the latter topic, it is not considered that the data are 

 yet available for an exhaustive treatment. The principal 

 effects are merely outlined so that students of special 

 Negro problems may be warned that they will do well, after 

 gathering their facts, to make allowance for population 

 movement before drawing conclusions. 



Negro migration, like the movement of any people, may 

 be associated with definite social and economic forces. 

 It is desirable that the student retain, in proper perspective, 

 this general significance of a population movement even 

 while examining its interesting details. With this in view, 

 the effort throughout the study has been to describe, in 

 terms of current usage in social science, the movements 

 of colored people in the United States, the conditions from 

 which they arise, and the consequences which attend them. 



