Abstract

The internal migration of the African American in the United States has had an impact on the social and economic structure of the United States. This impact was especially felt in this century. The migration was from the rural communities in the Southern States to the urban communities in the South, and to the urban communities in the Northern and Western States. The African American responded to both pull and push factors in motivating the migration from their home communities. These factors were the macro factors pertinent to this dissertation. ;This internal migration experience also changed the lives of the African American individual. The rural African American population became an urban population. The extended family structure that was common in the southern rural communities did not survive the migration for many African Americans, and this put added pressure on the African American family. Other factors also made the integration of the African American into the their new homes difficult. These are some of the micro factors that are pertinent to this dissertation. ;This research studies the effects of the macro factors of migration as they impacted on the micro situation of the families in this study. ;The concept of "Incorporated Racism" has been introduced in this dissertation. The author argues that "incorporated" into the families of some of these migrants is the results of the racism that they have experienced. This situation seems to cause the African American family that is effected by "Incorporated Racism" not to succeed even when the racist institutions and policies have been removed. One of the families in this dissertation seems to have experienced this phenomena. ;Two families have been studied in this dissertation, they are the Allen and the Wenger families. Three generations were interviewed, and their story is told in these pages. Their story explains how the migration to the Northern States changed their lives. These two families have also been compared in order to find some factors in determining their success or failure in social and economic mobility. Finally, the anti-poverty programs that assisted them in adjusting to their new environment were analyzed