Great Migration
Serena Arvizu
Dayana Baez
Karina De La Rosa
Nik Rodriguez
The Great Migration
Beginning in 1815 people left ancestral lands
The first great wave of immigration begins, bringing 5
million immigrants between 1815 and 1860.
considered central experience of Western expansion
Great Migration played a large role in the West’s powerful
impact on world
The Pressure of Population
Birthrates declined due to higher standard of living
death rates decline to due to medical revolution
sanitation with treating wounds, improved sewage removal,
vaccines, etc.
pop. doubled from 188 million to 432 million (1800-1900)
more than 60 million people left Europe (1815-1932)
moved primarily to N & S America, Australia, New Zealand,
Siberia
contributed to rapid growth in population
population grew more rapidly in Africa and Asia than in
Euro and Americas
people of Euro origin, world wide, jumped from 22% to
38%
The chief sources of American immigration from 1882 to 1978
(from American Heritage magazine)
Country of Origin
Total Immigrants
Percent of Total
Peak Year
Germany
6,978,000
14.3
1882
Italy
5,294,000
10.9
1907
Britain
4,898,000
10.01
1888
Ireland
4,723,000
9.7
1851
Austria- Hungary
4,315,000
8.9
1907
Canada
4,105,000
8.4
1924
Russia
3,374,000
6.9
1913
Scandinavia
2,525,000
5.2
1882
Growing pop helped progress of Western expansion
rapid increase in population
put pressure on the land
inability to keep food production up with pop. growth
relative overpopulation in many areas
migrations normally started 20 years after a significant population increase
baby boomers grew up and migrated due to little opportunity and land availability
rapid pop. increases before great industrial development led to millions of country folk
moving abroad for work and better economic opportunity
number of men and women who left Euro increased rapidly after WW1
more than 11 million left in first decade of 20th C
different countries had different patterns of movement
people left Britain & Ireland in large numbers from 1840s on
less than half of all migrants went to U.S.
Asiatic Russia, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Australia & New Zealand also
attracted many migrants
migrants accounted for large proportion on populations
commonly and falsely by Americans that migration meant to U.S.
Who Migrated?
peasant landowners or village craftsman
why- life was threatened by little land, eastern agriculture and cheap factory
goods
German peasants left Rhineland & Southwestern Germany 1830-1854
why- they felt trapped by Friedrich List & his Dwarf Economy
Small farmers/ skilled artisans moved to stay ahead of poverty
Young, unmarried & wanted to maintain/improve status = good for country that
they went to
Immigrants within Euro
Jews from East Euro & peasants from Ireland migrated to Great Britain
Little land was available in Ireland
Russians and Poles went to Germany for work
Russia- land was held by non-jews, and jews migrated to leave competition in factory
latin people from Spin, Portugal, and Italy went to france
migrants as opposed to immigrants- they returned home
Balkans returned more than Jews and Irish
Italians
3/4 depended on agriculture
north america - cheap wheat
landowning peasants -> standards of living was falling
they went to U.S, Brazil, Argentina
Brazil had large coffee plants, black slavery collapsed so they promised high
wages, and provide travel
Swallows- didn’t want to settle permanently
harvested wheat and flax in Italy & traveled to Argentina to harvest during
Dec-April, returned in Spring
Radicals
people also left w/ spirit of revolt and for independence
Sweden, Norway, Jewish russia and Italy- frustrated w/
small privileged class that controlled church and gov’t
migration was the radical way to leave, and began to
decrease when people received political/social rights
Asian Migrants
Chinese, Japanese, Indians, & Filipinos left due to rural hardships
3 million
U.S estate owners hired asians to replace blacks
they went to Goldmines-Latin America/Southern Asia, Africa, California, Hawaii, and Australia
1840- Cuba and Spain’s Gov’t needed work on field- hired Chinese
130,000 went to cuba (1853-1873)
Peru- 100,000 chinese in 19th C.
Asians fled Goldmine/plantations when greater opportunities in towns and trades came up
Europeans began stopping Asian migration
1880- America & Australians created Great White Wall to keep Asians out
The New York Times carried the following story on New Year's Day 1892:
Gave Annie Ten Dollars
NEW YORK, Jan. 1. — Without any ceremony or formal opening the
immigration officials of this city to-day settled down on Ellis Island, in the
harbor, and the barge office is known to them no more. The steamship
Nevada was the first to arrive at the new landing place. Her immigrants
were put aboard the barge J. E. Moore, and amid the blowing of foghorn
and whistles approached the pier.
Charles M. Hanley, private secretary to the late Secretary Windom,
who had asked to be allowed to register the first immigrant, was at the
registry desk when there came tripping up a fifteen-year-old-girl, Annie
Moore, and her little brother. They had come from Cork to meet their
mother, who lives here.
Col. Webber greeted Annie, and then presented her with a crisp new
$10 bill.
Annie Moore is known for being the first
person to be registered at Ellis Island.
She is honored by two statues, one on
Cobh, formerly Queenstown, which is
the place of departure and one at Ellis
Island .
1. Ellis Island - FREE Port of New York Passenger Records Search ." Ellis Island - FREE Port of New York
Passenger Records Search . N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2012. <http://www.ellisisland.org/genealogy/elli
2. " IRISH IMMIGRANT ANNIE MOORE FIRST TO PASS THROUGH ELLIS ISLAND." The Statue of
Liberty- Ellis Island Foundation, Inc. . N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2012.
<http://www.ellisisland.org/genealogy/a
3. "Annie Moore." Mayo County Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Jan. 2012. <http://www.mayolibrary.ie/en/media/
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