CONCLUSION 



SUMMARY 



On the whole, there is no cause for pessimism regarding 

 the shift of Negro population, nor can the recent rapid 

 migration be said to indicate the influence of any essentially 

 new forces. The movements arose in the Black Belt in 1865, 

 precipitate d the breakdown of the old gang la bor plantations, 

 and have continued in more or less s teady streams of mi- 

 grants f rom the origina l Cottnn Kelt rnnn ties. The break- 

 down of labor plantations has progressed with varying rap- 

 idity in the different parts of the South. Though many of 

 the old plantations are still owned by one man, most of them 

 are subdivided into tenant farms and cultivated only in part 

 by labor. The remainder are cultivated entirely by tenants. 

 Many Negroes have also become independent owners of 

 farms. 



The only group of rising Negro farmers which is distinctly 

 dangerous to the economic life of the community is the 

 independent Negro renter on the land of absentee landlords. 

 In farming efficiency there seems to be little difference be- 

 tween the community of gang labor, or share tenant plan- 

 tations, and the community of Negro owners or supervised 

 renters. The social structure of the community is, on the 

 other hand, greatly strengthened by the element of inde- 

 pendent Negro farmers with their higher standard of living, 

 greater attachment to the land, and greater ability to act 

 as leaders. 



The movement of rural population before 1910 was pre- 

 dominantly a shift from the plantation area to other rural 

 districts of greater agricultural opportunity. Incident to this 

 movement, however, there has been a growth of Negro 

 town and city populations. The growth in villages and 



