The famous play “A Raisin in the Sun” written by Lorraine Hansberry is a classic piece of literature which has played an important role in African American culture. “A Raisin in the Sun” was the first play that was written by a black woman. It was also the first play to be directed by a black person and feature an all black cast. All of these facts helped this play become an important piece of art for the African American culture in the US. To be considered as a classic one must be a work of art of recognized and established value ( Merriam Webster). “A Raisin in the Sun” is surely a classic because of its realistic drama, and the lasting historical impact One reason that “A Raisin in the Sun” is a classic is the fact that it was a play that was so realistic. This play was something that people back then could actually relate to. During and before the 1950’s the South was being ruled by the Jim Crow laws which forced many unconstitutional laws upon the the African Americans. The Jim Crow laws crippled the southern African Americans. They simply had no rights in the South and were treated poorly. That is what started the Great Migration. The Great Migration was a period of time ( starting in 1916) where the Southern African Americans were migrating to the North, Midwest , and West in hopes to get away from the Jim Crow South. Once the African Americans reached the North they saw that living in the North was not so different than living in the South. Yes they got away from the rising KKK, constant ridicule , and unemployment but once they reached the northern cities they say that people up north were almost the same as the Southerners. Since there was approximately 6 million African Americans migrating, space was running low and there was barely any housing. This is what caused all the migrants to get together and create their own cities within big cities such as New York, Detroit, Pittsburgh , and the setting of the play, Chicago. Since there was not a lot of jobs and these southerners were not qualified for specific jobs they were usually left to be the poorest in the cities. The towns that they would make would become the “slums” of the city. A Raisin in the Sun takes place in one of those slums