Southerners passed several laws that severely restricted the rights of African Americans, and pretty much forced them back into living a life of slavery. This sparked African Americans interest to move North in search of a better life. Between 1890 and 1910 the population of Negroes in New York tripled, causing black neighborhoods to overflow. They became so overcrowded they threatened to burst, and wealthier African Americans began to search for housing outside of traditional black areas. The migration was large, yet there were many more African Americans on their way. After World War I broke out in 1914, thousands of American immigrants were quick to pack up their belongings and return to their homelands to fight. This event led to large employment opportunities; which spurred a large migration of Southern blacks to finally move North. All together between the 1900's and 1930's nearly 3 million African Americans picked up their belongings and moved North. Due to this the black population there soared 400 percent! "By 1910, less than 25 percent of the more than 60,000 blacks who lived in Manhattan had been born in New York. The majority of the remaining blacks had come from rural or non-urban areas of the South". (Chambers 29) Because of this large boom of black migration, New York's black neighborhoods were passed the point of surfeit, they were crammed pack with too many people, no more could add on. Finally, much needed black Realtors entered the scene. The main city they seemed to focus upon was Harlem. This city started out as farming land, yet as transportation to and from it improved it became desirable land for wealthy whites. But real estate agents inflated the housing properties in Harlem, until 1910 when Harlem caved in, and prices plummeted. When this happened many black real estate agents were quick to buy houses, and sell them to the wealthy black community. In a short period of time nearly all the white inhabitants had fled Harlem, and African Americans, along with their churches, social clubs, frats, lodges, and Negro YMCAs moved in.
