Keywords

National Urban League, Great Migration, American Dream, citizenship, Tampa, African American history

Abstract

The American Dream is loosely defined as a universalist rhetoric that promises any American the opportunity to succeed in life. However, for African Americans this has not always been guaranteed. Historiography around the mantra uncovers a gap in consideration for Black Americans’ unique marginalization in American society despite their long history within the nation. This paradox inspired a myriad of proposed solutions towards racial disparities, with the early twentieth century favoring ideas of racial uplift as a panacea for prejudice. This thesis examines the use of racial uplift as a solution by the National Urban League during the first half of the Great Migration.

The central argument addresses how in the early twentieth century the National Urban League’s standards of conduct attempted to shape the social conditioning of Black migrants and how these standards were influenced by enduring, nationalistic traditions. The work of the National Urban League, chronicled through their annual reports from 1911-1930, illuminated complicated dynamics between Black migrants and the Black middle-class, southern cultural ties and northern societal expectations, and citizenship and racial inequality. Ultimately, the thesis evaluates a specific institutional approach towards racial uplift and posits that the very nature of the National Urban League’s efforts to “adjust” or mold the migrant contradicted ideas of an American Dream of innate equality and opportunity.

Completion Date

2025

Semester

Spring

Committee Chair

Lester, Connie

Degree

Master of Arts (M.A.)

College

College of Arts and Humanities

Department

History

Identifier

DP0029360

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

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