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Unit 6

6.6 Causes of Migration from 1750 to 1900

7 min read•june 18, 2024

Eric Beckman

Riya Patel

AP World History: Modern 🌍

577 resources

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Overview

There were many factors that contributed to migration from 1750 to 1900. Some of the main causes of migration during this period include:

Economic opportunities: Many people migrated in search of better economic opportunities, such as higher wages or access to land. For example, many people migrated to the United States during this period in search of work or the opportunity to start their own farms.
Political instability: Political instability or persecution in one's home country could also drive people to migrate. For example, during this period, many European Jews migrated to the United States to escape persecution in Eastern Europe.
Natural disasters: Natural disasters, such as droughts, famines, and earthquakes, could also lead to migration.
War and conflict: War and conflict could also displace people and lead them to migrate. For example, during this period, many people in Europe and Asia migrated to the United States to escape the violence and turmoil of World War I and World War II.
Family reunification: Some people migrated to be reunited with family members who had already migrated to another country.

These are just a few examples of the factors that contributed to migration during this period. Migration has always been a complex and multifaceted process, and the reasons for migrating can vary widely from person to person.

Long-distance migration expanded greatly during this time period. The reasons in some ways were simple: the world population grew and transportation methods advanced. More people, bigger 🛳 = more migration. Most migrants were moving within or from Europe and Asia and many were laborers.

🎥Watch: WHAP - Causes and Effects of Migration in the 19th Century

Transportation

Transportation refers to the movement of people, goods, or information from one place to another. Transportation plays a vital role in the functioning of societies and economies, as it allows for the exchange of goods and ideas, the movement of people for work, leisure, and other purposes, and the creation of links between different parts of the world.

There are many different modes of transportation, including:

Road: Road transportation includes cars, trucks, buses, and other vehicles that travel on land.
Rail: Rail transportation includes trains that travel on tracks.
Water: Water transportation includes ships, boats, and other vessels that travel on oceans, rivers, and other bodies of water.
Air: Air transportation includes planes, helicopters, and other aircraft that travel through the air.
Pipeline: Pipeline transportation refers to the movement of liquids or gases through pipelines.

Each mode of transportation has its own advantages and disadvantages, and the choice of transportation method depends on various factors such as cost, speed, reliability, and the type of goods being transported.

Industrial transportation--steam!--made longer distance travel more affordable via ships and railroads. Some Italian migrants crossed the Atlantic twice a year from southern Europe to Argentina and back, working harvests in the northern and southern hemispheres. Laborers from Japan crossed the Pacific and worked in sugarcane fields in Hawai’i. Merchants moved, too, such as Lebanese business owners in the Americas.

Global urbanization was a significant factor in the movement of people during the period of 1750-1900. Millions of people, especially from rural areas, moved to cities in search of employment and better economic opportunities.

In Ireland, for example, many rural migrants moved to cities in the United Kingdom, such as London and Manchester, in search of work in the industrial economy. This movement was driven by a number of factors, including population growth, economic changes, and the displacement of people from their land due to the enclosure of common lands and the expansion of commercial agriculture.

Similarly, many people also migrated across the Atlantic to cities like Boston, Buenos Aires and New York in search of better economic opportunities. This migration was driven by a number of factors such as poverty, unemployment, and political unrest in their home countries. These immigrants were often seeking work in the growing industrial economies of their new countries.

It's worth mentioning that these migrations were not always voluntary, many people were forced to migrate due to war, persecution, and famine. The migration process was often challenging and risky, and many immigrants faced discrimination, poverty, and other forms of hardship upon arrival.

🎥Watch: WHAP - Global Migrations

Image Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Labor

Labor refers to the work that people do to produce goods and services. Labor can be physical, such as manual labor, or mental, such as professional work. Labor is an important economic resource and a key factor in the production of goods and services.

Labor is often divided into two categories: skilled labor and unskilled labor. Skilled labor refers to work that requires specialized training or education, while unskilled labor refers to work that does not require specialized skills or training.

Examples of labor during the period of 1750-1900 include:

Agricultural labor, such as farming and ranching
Industrial labor, including factory work in industries such as textiles, steel, and coal mining
Domestic labor, such as housekeeping and childcare
Construction labor, including building and infrastructure development
Transportation labor, including work on ships, railroads, and roads
Mining labor for resources such as coal, gold,silver and other minerals
Labor in the service industry such as retail, restaurants, and hotels.
Labor for trade such as blacksmiths, carpenters, and other skilled trades.

It should be noted that the nature of labor during this period varied greatly by region and by social class. Additionally, this period saw the rise of the Industrial Revolution, which brought significant changes to the nature of labor in many parts of the world.

Coerced labor continued during this period. Coerced labor refers to labor that is obtained through force, threat, or deception. This can include forms of forced labor, human trafficking, and modern slavery.

The late 1700s were the peak decades for the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. Even after the British and the US banned the slave trade in 1807, other nations continued through the 1800s.

The transatlantic slave trade did decline in the 1800s, but coerced labor did not. The use of indentured labor, particularly of migrants from India and China, was a significant form of coerced labor during this period. These migrants were often brought to work on plantations in the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean, as well as in other forms of labor such as mining and construction. The conditions of their labor were often harsh, and they had limited rights and protections.

In addition, convicts were also used as a source of labor by the British in their colonies in the Indian Ocean and Australia. This system, known as penal transportation, was used to punish criminals and also provide a source of labor for the colonies. The United States also used a form of coerced labor known as "convict leasing", in which convicts, mainly African American, were leased out to private companies to work on plantations and in other forms of labor.

It's important to note that these forms of coerced labor were often intertwined with systems of racial and social oppression, and the people who were forced into these forms of labor were often from marginalized communities.

Imperialism

Imperialism refers to the policy of a country or group of countries extending its power and influence over other territories, often by establishing colonies or maintaining a system of economic and political control. Imperialism has played a significant role in shaping world history, with many countries, particularly European powers, establishing empires in various parts of the world during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Imperialism can take many forms, including military conquest, the establishment of colonies, the exploitation of resources and labor, and the imposition of cultural, economic, and political systems on other societies. Imperialism has often been driven by a variety of factors, including economic interests, the pursuit of power and influence, and ideological beliefs.

There are both supporters and critics of imperialism, with different perspectives on the benefits and drawbacks of this policy. Some people argue that imperialism has brought benefits such as economic development and cultural exchange, while others argue that it has led to exploitation, oppression, and cultural imperialism. The legacy of imperialism continues to shape global politics and economics today.

Here are a few examples of imperialism in history:

The British Empire, which at its height controlled a vast network of territories around the world, including India, Australia, and parts of Africa
The Spanish Empire, which controlled large parts of the Americas, as well as the Philippines and other territories in Asia and the Pacific
The French Empire, which controlled parts of Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean, as well as territories in the Americas
The Russian Empire, which controlled a vast territory that stretched from Europe to Asia, including parts of Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Caucasus
The Japanese Empire, which controlled parts of China, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands
The United States, which expanded its territory through imperialism and colonization, including the colonization of Native American lands and the acquisition of territories such as Puerto Rico and Hawaii
The Ottoman Empire, which controlled a vast territory that included parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa
The Portuguese Empire, which controlled territories in South America, Africa, and Asia, including Brazil and parts of India and China

🎥Watch: WHAP - Causation in an Age of Imperialism and Global Migration

Browse Study Guides By Unit

🐎Unit 1 – The Global Tapestry, 1200-1450

🐫Unit 2 – Networks of Exchange, 1200-1450

🕌Unit 3 – Land-Based Empires, 1450-1750

🍕Unit 4 – Transoceanic Interactions, 1450-1750

✊🏽Unit 5 – Revolutions, 1750-1900

🚂Unit 6 – Consequences of Industrialization, 1750-1900

6.0Unit 6 Overview: Consequences of Industrialization

6.1Rationales for Imperialism

6.2Expansion of Imperialism

6.3Indigenous Responses to Imperialism