3 Chapter 2 Heading North

Chapter 2 Heading North Cotton had long been the South's most important crop. In the 1910s, swarms of insects called boll weevils destroyed many acres of cotton. Farmers and sharecroppers like the Owens family suffered, with no crops to sell. At this time, factories were booming in the northern states. Hundreds of thousands of black Americans moved north to find work in these factories. Many moved to big cities in the midwestern states of Ohio, Illinois, and Michigan.

棉花长期以来一直是南方最重要的作物。 在20世纪10年代，一群被称为棉铃象鼻虫的昆虫摧毁了许多英亩的棉花。 像欧文斯一家这样的农民和佃农苦不堪言，因为没有庄稼可卖。 此时，北方各州的工厂正在蓬勃发展。 成千上万的美国黑人搬到北方，在这些工厂里找工作。 许多人搬到了俄亥俄州、伊利诺伊州和密歇根州等中西部州的大城市。

J. C.'s older sister Lillie was among those who headed north. After settling with cousins in Cleveland, Ohio, she wrote to her mother about the jobs there. As life got harder and harder in Alabama, Emma Owens convinced her husband that the family should try a new life. In 1922, Henry moved with his two oldest sons to join Lillie. A few months later, he sent for the rest of his family. Before Emma left, she sold nearly all their

j . C。她的姐姐莉莉也在向北行进的人群中。 在俄亥俄州的克利夫兰与表兄弟定居后，她写信给母亲，告诉她那里的工作。 当阿拉巴马州的生活变得越来越艰难时，艾玛·欧文斯说服了她的丈夫，全家应该尝试新的生活。 1922年，亨利带着他的两个大儿子搬到莉莉家。 几个月后，他把他的家人都叫来了。 在艾玛离开之前，她几乎卖掉了所有的

possessions to help pay for the trip. The sale brought in only $24 (about $300 today). Things were very different in Cleveland for the Owens family. In Alabama everyone they knew was black. Now their neighbors included many white people. These people were immigrants looking for a better life just like the Owens family.

用来支付旅行费用的财产。 这次拍卖只赚了4英镑(相当于今天的100英镑)。 在克利夫兰，欧文斯一家的情况大不相同。 在阿拉巴马州，他们认识的人都是黑人。 现在他们的邻居中有很多白人。 这些人和欧文斯一家一样，都是寻求更好生活的移民。

THE GREAT MIGRATION AT THE START OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, NINE OUT OF TEN AFRICAN AMERICANS LIVED IN SOUTHERN STATES. BY THE MIDDLE OF THE CENTURY, THE PROPORTION WAS DOWN TO LESS THAN ONE IN FIVE. THE GREAT MIGRATION LASTED FROM ABOUT 1910 UNTIL THE 1960S. MORE THAN SIX MILLION BLACK PEOPLE LEFT THE SOUTH FOR THE NORTH AND WEST. THEY WERE IN SEARCH OF BETTER JOBS AND BETTER LIVES. IN NORTHERN CITIES, THE NEW ARRIVALS LIVED IN NEIGHBORHOODS WITH OTHER BLACK PEOPLE. IN SOME OF THESE CITIES, MORE THAN HALF THE

在二十世纪初的大迁徙中，十分之九的非洲裔美国人住在南方各州。 到本世纪中叶，这一比例降至不到五分之一。 大迁徙大约从1910年持续到20世纪60年代。 600多万黑人离开南方，前往北部和西部。 他们在寻找更好的工作和更好的生活。 在北方城市，新来者和其他黑人住在一起。 在其中一些城市，超过一半的

RESIDENTS WERE AFRICAN AMERICAN. BLACK PEOPLE FILLED ASSEMBLY-LINE JOBS IN FACTORIES THAT MADE CARS, TRUCKS, AND STEEL. MANY WOMEN FOUND WORK AS MAIDS OR COOKS IN THE HOUSES OF WHITES WHO COULD AFFORD TO HIRE THEM. THE GREAT MIGRATION CREATED NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR MILLIONS OF FAMILIES.

居民是非裔美国人。 黑人在汽车、卡车和钢铁工厂的装配线上工作。 许多妇女在雇得起她们的白人家里做女佣或厨师。 大迁徙为千百万家庭创造了新的机会。

In Cleveland, J. C. went to school for the first time. At Bolton Elementary he was put in the first grade, though he was nearly ten years old. He soon improved his reading enough to move up a grade. When he moved to Cleveland, he was still called J. C. by family and friends. However, his teacher at Bolton misheard his name. She thought it was Jesse. The new kid in class, young J. C. was too shy

在克利夫兰，j.c.第一次去上学。 在博尔顿小学，他被安排在一年级，虽然他已经快十岁了。 他的阅读能力很快就提高了一个年级。 当他搬到克利夫兰时，他仍然被称为J。 C.家人和朋友。然而，他在博尔顿的老师听错了他的名字。 她以为是杰西。新来的小J。 C.太害羞