Since the first arrival of Africans in America there has always been the search for a better life. Through the institution of slavery, the denial of natural rights, and the use of dehumanizing practices by slave owners made African Americans socially invisible in America. To survive such depressing conditions, the slaves were seen to have a vivid imagination of a better life, which was expressed through rituals and songs. After the Civil War and the Union victory, African Americans finally gained freedom allowing them to begin their lives as Americans, attempting to find the dream world they once sang about. African American life was deeply rooted in the farms and plantations of the Deep South. The lack of contact with most African Americans allowed them to have an idealistic view of everything they had not seen, such as the North and urban areas. During the 20th century, America began to transform from an agriculturally dependent nation to an industrial superpower. This change fueled African Americans' optimistic view of urban life. American industrialization became the catalyst for the migration of thousands of blacks from the rural South to the urban North during the 20th century. The industrialization of the United States indirectly fueled the idealistic vision of the city present in the imagination of most African Americans who demanded urban housing, leading to the Great Migration. The great movement of African Americans from rural to urban areas allowed blacks to become an important part of American industry. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The black imagination has been a powerful tool within the African American community, especially among families. Lorraine Hansberry shows the meaning of dreams in her play A Raisin in the Sun. The play tells the story of a family, the Youngers family, who lives on the south side of Chicago in a white neighborhood. The only dream of the head of the family, the mother, was to own a house and for her family to be happy. The mother strongly believes in the value of dreams, for her dreams and the commitment to make them come true are more important than any material possession. Dreams are an essential aspect of this highly autobiographical work. A Raisin in the Sun accurately portrays the role dreams play in African American families. The title of the work is directly linked to what happens to the dreams of most African Americans; eventually they dry up like raisins in the sun. The dreams and imagination of African Americans were a major factor in the Great Migration that went hand in hand with American industrialization. Many African Americans had the same dream and determination as Mama to make their dream of a profitable life in the city a reality. The Journal of Negro History, edited by African American historian Carter G. Woodson, published many letters from migrants to the South. One man wrote in his letter: “I notice in the Chicago Defender that you are working to improve the condition of the colored people of the South. I am a member of the race and I also want to come to the north to improve the conditions of my fame. Most African Americans had no experience or knowledge of the North and cities, all they knew was what they had heard or hoped it would be. The mostly Northern cities received an ideal perception in the eyes of most Southern African American families striving for something better. Northern cities seemed to have everything most African Americans hoped for andhe had been dreaming for many years. The rural South was the root of African American life in America. These northern cities began to represent a “promised land” or a “land of hope.” The lifestyle between the north and the south was very different apart from appearance. The South offered very depressing conditions, not far from those experienced during the solemn times of slavery. Southern radicals were once again at the top of Southern society, placing African Americans in a position of economic dependence, removing rights, placing them in a position of social invisibility. Many practices to control slaves, such as lynching, were practiced long after slaves were granted freedom and legal forms of discrimination arose. In an effort to prevent immigration, a Southern newspaper wrote: “We have long learned that racial prejudices and problems are not local, sectional, or even national, but are worldwide, and as such must be handled with that patient sanity and wisdom." This newspaper called for patience and wisdom, which most African Americans had demonstrated for many years and had little to prove. Most of those who opposed the Great Migration tried to persuade the African American community of discrimination also practiced in the North, but the Great Migration was not only an attempt to escape racial discrimination, but was also the product of the struggle for economic prosperity that most African Americans had dreamed of. The oppressive conditions of the rural South and the new American industrial movement of the North required change in the African American community. As America changed from an agriculture-dependent nation to what would eventually become an international industrial superpower, the underdeveloped South caused decline and industrial cities flourished. This ideal perception of the north and big cities was seen in the eyes of most Africans. Americans in the rural South. Most beliefs about the North held by most Southern African Americans had no primary basis. The best known source of information about the North was the Chicago Defender, this newspaper reported on all the job opportunities available in the factory and questioned the Southern way of life. The North was believed to be a way for African Americans to escape the extreme racism they had received in the South. The North and the Union were the deliverers of freedom for all blacks, making it natural for African Americans who are still struggling to reap the benefits of their newfound freedom to migrate to live with the people who fought to protect them. Northern cities, such as Chicago, did not have legally protected racial institutions, as in the South. The focal point of this migration was the plethora of jobs and higher wages offered in northern cities. A young black man, Percy H. Stone, wrote in Outlook: “Our plans for economic independence have been thwarted in these abnormal times, and the higher wages, the novelty of new surroundings, and other things which attract some of us away from Southland.” In the imagination of the African American community of the rural South, the urban North was the “promised land” seeking freedom and economic independence. These beliefs about northern urban areas were not entirely unrealistic. Urban areas would become the most important aspect of the American economy. In the early 20th century, in the early stages of the Great Migration, there were many job opportunities. This was a result of the start of World War I (WWI). James Grossman wrote in the Chicago Online Encyclopedia: “The factories opened their doorsto black workers, providing opportunities for Southern blacks eager to claim full citizenship through their role in the industrial economy.” This war created many job opportunities that most African Americans hoped to fill. The First World War caused an urgent need for manpower and workers. This was a time of economic prosperity for most African Americans who moved to northern cities. The driving force behind the determination of African American communities for the great migration of African Americans from the rural areas of the South to urban cities, mainly in the North, was the perfect vision of the North and the industrialization of the United States. In the 1930s the political program, the New Deal, paid farmers to reduce the cultivated area, inviting them to reduce their production. The North offered more opportunities for African Americans, and there were many more of them. rThe human rights of immigrants in America