Chicago Race Riot of 1919-- Part 5: The Results and Reasons

When the rioting ended five days later, 38 were dead (23 Black and 15 White), 520 injured (2/3 Black) and some 1,000 black residents had had their homes torched by Whites.

Chicago became a popular destination for Southern Blacks during the Great Migration and World War I.  Jobs were plentiful and opportunity abounding.  The black population of Chicago grew quickly.

Part of the problem was that of jobs.  Blacks were getting jobs that Whites had previously held.  And then there were all the white soldiers returning from World War I and looking for jobs.  Racial tensions grew until exploding in the most violent week in Chicago history (even more violent than present-day Chicago's woes).

It was among a string of nationwide outbreaks of racial and labor conflicts collectively known today as "Red Summer."

There is now a tour of some major sites pertaining to the riot.