Which event marked the beginning of the Great Migration?

The event that marked the beginning of the Great Migration was the First World War. This massive movement of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North began during the war in response to various push and pull factors. Factors pushing them away from the South included oppressive Jim Crow laws, widespread racial violence, and limited economic opportunities. The North offered the promise of jobs, especially in wartime industries that were booming due to the war effort, as well as generally more favorable social conditions.

The impact of World War I accelerated the migration process as factories in Northern cities sought labor to fill the gaps left by men who went to fight in the war. This period led to significant demographic changes, transforming the cultural and social landscape of both the North and the South in the United States. While the other events listed had substantial effects on African American life, they occurred either after this period or in different contexts that did not directly initiate the Great Migration.