"The Promised Land"

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the thesis about migration and its effects in Nicholas Lemann's book "The Promised Land: The Great Black Migration and How it Changed America". It looks at how Lemann shores up his thesis, through the use of intertwined personal stories. It also evaluates the strength of Lemann's positions, especially those related to the ghetto's continuity and how the federal government could institute policies geared towards ending the problems associated with a permanent, ghetto-based black underclass. Additionally, the paper evaluates the implications of Lemann's findings in light of critical race theory and the sociology of minority group relations. Finally, the paper argues that, 15 years after its initial publication, Lemann's book and propositions remain relevant.

From the Paper:

"The regrouping of this culture in the inner city therefore meant that many of the old problems were resurrected, and often intensified. As Uless Carter's later experiences show, black unemployment continued to be a problem in urban areas as well. The black migrant's dream of the promised land of economic opportunity therefore collided with the ugly reality of Chicago's south side. By the 1960s, the problem of joblessness had loomed large. Residents had to contend with slum housing conditions that had skyrocketing crime rates. Ruby Lee Haynes shows how black families struggled with dysfunction and welfare dependency. The racial crisis that loomed in the south had moved northward, and policymakers in Washington did not know how to handle or avert the crisis."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Graham, Lawrence Otis. Our Kind of People: Inside America's Black Upper Class. New York: HarperPerennial. 1999.
• Gregory, James. The Southern Diaspora: How the Great Migrations of Black and White Southerners Transformed America. North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press, 2005.
• Lemann, Nicholas. The Promised Land: The Great Black Migration and How it Changed America. New York: Knopf, 1991.

More papers on "The Promised Land":

• Book Review # 40218 : " "The Promised Land"
• Book Review # 92174 : "Manchild in the Promised Land"
• Analytical Essay # 58509 : "Claude Brown's "Manchild in the Promised Land"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: