Causes & Effects of Migration (College Board AP® US History)
Study Guide
Summary
The economic boom of the post-war years directly contributed to the changing migration patterns of White Americans. Veterans who took advantage of the GI Bill’s education and housing benefits were able to afford the new homes popping up in subdivisions all across the suburbs.
Thanks to the Highway Act of 1956, Americans no longer had to live close to their place of employment; they could drive from suburb to city on one of the nation’s new highways. Highways also facilitated the migration of Americans from the North and Midwest to the Sun Belt, where the climate was warmer, taxes were lower, and jobs were plentiful in the post-war years.
Growth of the Suburbs
Suburban cities grew rapidly after World War II
In 1945, the United States had a housing shortage of approximately 5 million homes
Veterans returning from war lived with family members, friends, and roommates
The federal government addressed this problem with new policies related to:
homebuilding and lending
subsidized home ownership
suburban infrastructure
mortgages
Long-term, low-interest loans became the national standard
This helped make home loans less risky for banks
Many of these policies were biased toward those who wanted to live and build in the suburbs
It was much easier for a White family to get a loan than a Black family
Federal government policies allowed segregation in housing
The construction industry changed to incorporate mass-production techniques
Floor plans were standardized
Doors and windows were pre-assembled
Labor was subdivided so that fewer skilled and/or union workers were needed
A builder who could produce 25 homes per year before the war could produce several hundred after the war using these new methods
The GI Bill had a direct effect on people’s ability to afford suburban housing
Interstate Highway System
The interstate highway system changed where people lived and how they traveled from place to place
The Highway Act (1956) authorized the construction of 42,000 miles of interstate highways throughout the United States
The highways connected all American cities with populations greater than 50,000
Highways contributed to the growth of the suburbs
They connected cities and their suburbs, which meant that people didn’t have to live in the same city in which they worked
In many places, highways cut directly through cities
This was done to segregate communities by race
As cities were split into pieces, people who had the money to do so fled the cities for the suburbs
These people were usually White, as many suburban communities did not allow Black residents
The highway system allowed people to travel across the country by car
The Sun Belt
After the war, many veterans and their families moved to the Sun Belt
The Sun Belt encompasses the southern part of the United States. It includes:
Alabama
Arizona
Florida
Georgia
Louisiana
Mississippi
New Mexico
South Carolina
Texas
the southern two-thirds of California
the southern parts of Arkansas, North Carolina, Nevada, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Utah
People were attracted to the warm climate, cheap housing, and lower taxes in these states
Air conditioning units had become widely affordable by the 1950s, which made life in the region more comfortable
There were jobs in defense-related industries
The region’s politicians won government contracts and brought military installations to Sun Belt states during the Cold War
Many other industries moved to the Sun Belt from the North and Midwest
Sun Belt states weren’t as pro-Union as states in the North and Midwest
American workers followed industries–and the jobs they provided–into the Sun Belt
As the number of Americans living in the Sun Belt grew, so did the amount of taxes paid, which improved roads, schools, and health and emergency services
This improvements made the Sun Belt attractive to even more Americans
By 1972, the Sun Belt’s population was greater than the Northeast and Midwest combined
This gave the Sun Belt more electoral college votes than the other regions of the country
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Belt#/media/File:Sun_belt.svg
Examiner Tips and Tricks
You may encounter questions on the AP US History exam that ask you to examine an event or aspect of American life through a particular lens. In this case, a "lens" is a specific point of view or way of thinking. For example, you might be asked to assess how the interstate highway system changed the United States in terms of the economy. You could then write about how highways provided faster and more direct shipping routes, which saved money for producers and merchants. You could also be asked to examine the same question—How did the highway system change the United States?—through a racial lens. In that scenario, you could point out how American cities were more blended before the introduction of the interstate, which was often used to create and enforce racial segregation.
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