During the 1930s, Camden faced economic decline in the face of the Great Depression. It was due to Camden's thriving industry that they did not go bankrupt. The United States role in World War II made the New York Shipbuilding Company the largest and most productive ship yard in the world. World War II caused African American migration in and around Camden from the south as there was a need for factory workers for the war effort. Subsequently, Camden became ethnically and religiously segregated. On July 17, 1951, the Delaware River Port Authority, a bi-state agency, was created to promote trade and better coordinate transportation between the two cities of Camden and Philadelphia.