During Roosevelt's presidency, many African American migrated from the South to the urban North. In the North, they were able to vote and had more job opportunities. The South was a worse place for black Americans to live. Roosevelt spoke against lynching and met with African American civil rights leaders. He also claimed that helping black Americans would cost him too many Southern votes. During World War II, blacks found more jobs than ever before, and racial tensions grew. This tension led to violence, like the race riot in 1943 Detroit.
