During the early 1970s, black southerners achieved certain significant gains outside the classroom. As a result of the integration of public facilities, many moved to the regions which saw these gains and this reversed the outmigration that occurred during the World War I era. African Americans were starting to show themselves as a fundamental and decisive political force. Southern blacks made progress in spite of the mixed economic indications, and a black middle class was evidently on the rise. The blacks, however, believed that there was still much to be achieved as they contested suggestions of recent economic strides. It is important to note, though, that the national economy was on a decline during these years, and the country had fallen into a recession that brought about significant yet devastating effects on the black community.