The first appearance of African Americans in Chicago dates back to the 1780s with John Baptiste Point du Sable’s trading activities(Christopher 2005). Du Sable, of African American and French descent, is regarded as the first permanent resident of Chicago. The first black community in Chicago is documented by the 1840s, with the community consisting mostly of fugitive slaves and freemen(Christopher 2005). The population nearly reached a thousand by 1860. In the 1860s, with the Reconstruction era coming to an end, increasing numbers of black southerners fleeing the south migrated to Chicago. Eventually the population of African Americans tripled and by 1890 the city’s African American population reached 15,000(Christopher 2005). As a result of the Great Migration (the movement of 6 million African Americans out of the southern United States) Chicago’s African American population rose to 40,000 by 1910.  The increasing number of African Americans permitted empowerment and social mobility, and led to the founding of important African American establishments -Provident Hospital, the YMCA, and African American newspapers including the Chicago Defender. Furthermore, several African Americans became politicians, helping African Americans secure power in government.
        During World War I the job market opened more widely to blacks allowing them to take advantage of industrial situations.  However, there was still a racial divide between whites and blacks in Chicago. By 1910, 78% of African Americans lived on the South Side of Chicago, known as the black belt(Best, Wallace 2007). Eventually the black belt became too crowded and some blacks moved into white neighborhoods. The movement of blacks into white neighborhoods created racial tension. The summer of 1919 was marked by five days of rioting leaving 300 African Americans wounded and 23 dead(Christopher 2005). In spite of the riots, blacks continued to gain power and access to city jobs in Chicago. At the the same time, Chicago jazz started to gain in popularity. The Stroll, located on South State street, was where nightclubs, cafes, and hotels were located, attracting both blacks and whites. Royal Gardens, located on the Stroll, had prominent jazz musicians such as Louis Armstrong and Joseph King Oliver perform there.  However, with the Great Depression many blacks became impoverished and dependent on government aid and audiences for jazz diminished. 
        The second wave of African Americans migrating from the south, still part of the Great Migration, occurred during the 1930s. With World War II ongoing, many new jobs were created. From 1940 to 1960 Chicago’s African American population increased from 278,000 to 813,000(History of African Americans 2015). With the Great Migration and the development/advancements of African Americans in Chicago, the South Side of Chicago became the capital of black America.  Even though African Americans made up a large part of Chicago’s population and had access to jobs, there was still racial discrimination. Black communities suffered from violence, prostitution, and various other crimes. In addition, black communities started to become overcrowded, leading politicians to create public housing projects in Chicago. By 1990, racial issues were still prevalent, marked by cases of police brutality toward African Americans. With controversy over discrimination in the workforce and allegations of racial profiling in predominantly white neighborhoods, attempts to fix the problems created by the mass public housing projects were met with mixed reactions and results.

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