Civics & Coffee: The Exodusters – The Great Migration You Haven’t Heard About
Host: Alycia Asai
Air Date: February 21, 2026
Episode Overview
In this compelling episode of Civics & Coffee, Alycia Asai shines a spotlight on the Exoduster Movement—a lesser-known but crucial chapter in the history of African American migration. Well before the widely studied Great Migration of the 20th century, thousands of Black families left the South for Kansas in the late 1870s, seeking refuge from racial violence and political and economic oppression during the turbulent Gilded Age. Alycia traces the origins, key figures, obstacles, and legacy of this movement, dispelling myths and illuminating the courage and agency of the Exodusters.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Senate Investigation and National Awareness
- Opening Context (00:30–02:30)
- Alycia introduces the 1879 Senate investigation spurred by Indiana Senator Daniel Voorhees to explore the motivations behind the "peculiar phenomenon" of large-scale Black migration from the South.
- Quote (from the Senate resolution):
“Whereas large numbers of Negroes from the Southern states are immigrating to the northern states, and whereas it is currently alleged that they are induced to do so by the unjust and cruel conduct of their white fellow citizens…”
- The episode sets out to answer: What was the Exoduster movement? How did it start? Who was involved, and what did it achieve?
2. Roots of Displacement: Broken Promises and Escalating Violence
- Causes of the Exodus (02:30–06:30)
- Black Americans’ hopes after Emancipation were dashed:
Unfulfilled promises of land, restricted voting rights, and the rise of white supremacist groups; economic bondage through tenant farming. - Highlighting systemic violence:
In Tennessee alone, 179 murders (mostly of Black victims) occurred between 1867–1869, with only 11 cases tried and no convictions. - Quote (Alycia, 05:50):
“...this is unfortunately all too representative of what millions of newly emancipated Black Americans faced throughout the South and no doubt contributed to their desire to relocate.”
- Black Americans’ hopes after Emancipation were dashed:
3. Who Were the Exodusters? Routes and Key Figures
- Movement Structure & Agency (06:30–11:00)
- Migration was typically grassroots, not centrally organized.
- Two main groups:
- Texodusters: From Texas, often by train.
- Those from Louisiana/Mississippi: By steamship via St. Louis.
- Benjamin “Pap” Singleton—the "Moses of the colored exodus":
- Escaped slavery, established a homestead association, organized relocation to Kansas, and advocated for Black economic self-sufficiency.
- Quote (Singleton via Nell Irvin Painter, 09:30):
"By taking the Black people out of the South, he would show southern whites that they must live with their Black brothers in tranquility."
- Henry Adams & the Colored Men's Protective Union
- 500 Black Civil War veterans assessed Southern conditions, petitioned President Hayes and Congress, and even considered relocation to Liberia if America failed them.
4. Why Kansas? The Lure and Reality
- Destination Choices (11:00–14:00)
- Kansas was logistically accessible, and the Homestead Act made land ownership seem attainable.
- Kansas's reputation as a freer territory (dating back to Bleeding Kansas) made it symbolically attractive, even if reality was harsher.
5. Obstacles: Opposition and Resistance
- Southern Backlash and Northern Aid (14:00–20:00)
- Southern elite, reliant on Black labor, feared economic loss and accused Northerners of poaching labor for political gain.
- St. Louis became a flashpoint:
Mayor threatened quarantine, attempted legal blockades on steamboats, propaganda campaigns in newspapers, debt imprisonment, and violence. - Community Support:
In St. Louis, local Black communities and allies formed aid committees for food and shelter, though overcrowding and lack of shelter caused crises.
6. Internal Divisions: Debate Among Black Leaders
- Not All Supported the Exodus (20:00–21:30)
- Figures like Frederick Douglass opposed the movement, fearing it would weaken the broader struggle for civil rights in the South.
7. Senate Committee Investigation Outcomes
-
Hearings and Reports (21:30–26:30)
- Committee (3 Democrats, 2 Republicans) interviewed 153 witnesses.
- Democrats' Majority Report: Dismissed complaints, cited no testimony, argued problems were not racial or were unverifiable.
- Republicans' Minority Report: Cited evidence, emphasized lived experiences of Black migrants, highlighted violence and oppression.
- Notable Testimony (Henry Adams, 25:30):
"We said that the whole South... had got into the hands of the very men that held us slaves... there was no hope for us and we had better go."
-
Notable Quote from Minority Report (Alycia, 26:15):
“Southern Democrats may regret the violence and crimes by which American citizens are prevented from voting, but they rejoice in the Democratic victories which result therefrom. So long as they shall continue thus to accept the fruits of the crime, the criminals will have but little fear of punishment or restraint and the lawless conduct which is depopulating some sections of their laboring classes will go on.”
8. Legacy and Significance
- Enduring Importance (27:00–End)
- Although small in numbers compared to later migrations, the Exodusters demonstrated resilience, agency, and the human longing for dignity and opportunity.
- Alycia underscores that their journey was not passive:
Quote (27:45):"They were not passive or submissive individuals who were silently accepting the loss of their earned rights. They cared deeply about the future for their children and wanted to make sure they received the best chances at success as possible."
- The Exoduster movement is framed as a critical pivot in post-Reconstruction America, foreshadowing the ongoing pursuit of equality and justice.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- Alycia (02:00):
- “So this week I am diving into the Exoduster movement. What was it? How did it start? Who was involved, and what did it achieve? Grab your cup of coffee, peeps. Let's do this.”
- Nell Irvin Painter via Alycia (09:30):
- “By taking the black people out of the South, he would show southern whites that they must live with their black brothers in tranquility.”
- Testimony of Henry Adams (25:30):
- “We said that the whole south, every state in the south, had got into the hands of the very men that held us slaves from one thing to another. And we thought that the men held us slaves was holding the reins of government over our heads in every respect... Then we said there was no hope for us and we had better go.”
- Minority report summary (26:15):
- “Southern Democrats may regret the violence and crimes by which American citizens are prevented from voting, but they rejoice in the Democratic victories which result therefrom…”
- Alycia (27:45):
- “They were not passive or submissive individuals who were silently accepting the loss of their earned rights. They cared deeply about the future for their children and wanted to make sure they received the best chances at success as possible.”
Important Timestamps
- (00:30–02:30): Senate commission and introduction to the Exoduster movement
- (03:00–05:50): Lived experiences in the South post-Reconstruction
- (06:30–09:30): Benjamin "Pap" Singleton’s role and the movement’s grassroots nature
- (11:00–14:00): Why Kansas became the destination of choice
- (16:30–18:30): Obstacles in St. Louis and community aid efforts
- (21:30–26:30): Senate investigation, testimonies, and partisan clash
- (27:00–End): Legacy and what the Exodusters tell us about Black agency and the Gilded Age
Summary and Tone
Alycia’s tone is warm, accessible, and compassionate—balancing scholarly rigor with a storyteller’s heart. She makes the complexity of the Exoduster movement vivid, revealing both the systemic cruelty faced by Southern Blacks and the extraordinary courage with which they sought freedom and opportunity. The episode is rich with historical context, sharp analysis, and moments of moral clarity, inviting listeners to see the Exoduster migration as essential to understanding both the failings and the aspirations of the post-Civil War United States.