Contributing Factors to European Immigrants in the 19th and 20th Centuries - Case Study Example

Contributing Factors to European Immigrants in the 19th and 20th Centuries Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Date Introduction The influx of European immigrants into the Newfoundland and neighboring regions in the 19th and 20th centuries prior to World War II emanated from several push and pull factors. Prior to their arrival, Labrador and Newfoundland acted as a seasonal fishing stations for foreigners emigrating from Europe. Moreover, the arriving population did not inhabit the land permanently but rather used it on a fleeting basis. The incoming group consisted majorly of three categories, mainly the English, Scotts, and Irish. The early years of the 19th century were marked by a dramatic shift from migratory fishery to resident migration as immigrants moved to settle in coastal colonies (Higgins, 2008).A rise in population exhibited in their mother countries coupled with economic hardship also played a part in this. Factors such as low harvests, the failure of local industries and loss of jobs due to rising levels of mechanization are some of the push factors that motivated early immigrants into moving into Labrador and Newfoundland. The first section of this essay covers the significance of the various factors that contributed to large-scale migration from Europe in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. The second part on the other hand, discusses the economic consequences of such migration to the target countries. The Push Factors In day to day living, push factors compel individuals to move from their original habitats and settle in new and unchartered territories. These are contrary to pull factors on the basis that the said factors are those at the target point that lure people to move into such areas. Push factors on the other hand are compelling forces from the point of origin that drive individuals away from their initial locations in search of better livelihoods. It is quite evident that the first three decades of the nineteenth century witnessed a massive influx of European immigrants into both Newfoundland and Labrador. In 1803, the population of Labrador and Newfoundland stood at approximately 19,000 individuals. This however quadrupled to almost 75,000 in 1836 (Higgins, 2008). It is evident that the region continued to record new incidences of immigration with this experienced in the latter part of the century. The scale was however not equivalent to the one noted in the first quarter of the century. Europeans formed a significant proportion of the number of immigrants. It was quite evident that a huge percentage of the moving population originated from either Southeast Ireland or Southwest England. The paper therefore concentrates on the push factors prevalent at the time in both Ireland and England that compelled individuals to move out of the two regions in massive numbers. Economic and social stress suffices to be one of the significant push factors that drove both English and Irish residents to seek new habitations in Newfoundland and Labrador. Expanding populations and high rates of unemployment experienced in both countries caused tremendous amount of pressure on both the social and economic fabrics of this lands. In England for example, the loss of jobs emanated mainly from the impact of industrialization and centralization on the economy. The artisan class situated in the Southwestern section of the country turned out to be the group worst affected by the twin problems of industrialization and centralization. The Napoleonic Wars that took place between 1803 and 1815 also contributed to the increase in rates of unemployment and eventual job loss (Higgins, 2008). The negative contribution of the wars towards the employment sector stemmed from the collapsed trade duopoly that existed between Continental Europe and Britain under the French Foreign policy. One of the biggest consequence of this action is that, many English and Irish residents found themselves out of work. The few opportunities that were available locally compelled both tradesmen and their families to move to both Labrador and Newfoundland. During this period, Ireland also exhibited comparable social and economic stress. The Southeast region for instance, witnessed the collapse of the textile industry, leading to a massive loss of jobs previously available within the sector. The country also experienced poor farming seasons between 1770 and 1830.This factor strained its economic conditions with ramifications especially felt by members of the working class who were the predominant force in society at the time. During the course of this events, Ireland also witnessed an implosion of its population with the number rising from about four million in 1771 to seven million towards the end of the first quarter of the nineteenth century. This growth in residents heralded an increase in pressure on already existing jobs while at the same time, stretching the already strained resources. The first quarter of the nineteenth century, consequently witnessed the immigration of approximately 35,000 Irish residents to Newfoundland and Labrador (Higgins, 2008). The reason for the movement to these lands were motivated by a number of reasons, among them the need to evade hunger, deplorable living conditions and escape from poverty stricken livelihoods. The Pull Factors During the first three decades of the nineteenth century, the economies of both Labrador and Newfoundland were versatile and booming. Moreover, the population at the time was able to sustain the inhabitants of the region. It was therefore possible for both areas to accommodate new residents with relative ease. In essence, this explains the genesis of the massive emigration to the said areas which was witnessed in the first quarter of the nineteenth century. A combination of this two factors convinced emigrants to move to the new areas with the main aim of escaping life in overcrowded conditions being experienced by people dwelling in both England and Ireland. This was also boosted by the added reasons of alleviating poverty and by extent coupled with the need to curb hunger. The economic prosperity witnessed by Labrador and Newfoundland resulted from the Anglo-American and Napoleonic wars witnessed in the early years of the nineteenth century. Historical facts argue that the war transformed the inshore fisheries into a resident industry. The decline of both the American and French fisheries in the period spanning 1804 and 1815 exposed the vulnerability of both Labrador and Newfoundland to the international scene. In relation to this, the areas recorded a drastic increase in fish exports with the figure rising from a previously projected 625,519 quintals to about 1.2 million quintals during the same period. In respect to kilograms, a quintal is equal to 50.8 kilograms. In order to profit fully from the trade that was booming at the time, fish merchants from Europe established their premises on the land (Higgins, 2008). They also dabbed into other trade items such as groceries, clothes, and other equipment in order to serve the needs of the ever-growing populations of Labrador and Newfoundland. The emergence of new industries besides summer fishery increased the attractiveness of the areas to emigrants. Some of the new industries that set up shop included ship building, the winter trapping season, and the spring seal hunt. It is evident that these industries made it possible for residents to live in the areas for close to a year. Moreover, the emergence of new supplementary industries also played a role in encouraging other residents to move to less populated areas situated along the Northeast coast of the island and the southern part of Labrador. British migrants meanwhile, found the colony attractive because of the already established shipping routes between the United Kingdom, Newfoundland and Labrador. The UK shipped goods to the coastal regions on a regular basis. These routes also provided a means of transport of workers to the region. The Anglo-American war that lasted between 1812 and 1814 prevented British ships from docking on American ports thereby leaving the ports of Labrador and Newfoundland as the best alternatives (Higgins, 2008). A new wave of immigrants also entered Newfoundland and Labrador after 1840. Highland Scots that lived in Cape Breton are one example of agricultural families that moved to the Southwest coast of Newfoundland in search of agricultural lands (Glynn, 2011).Among the reasons that compelled these agricultural families to move out of their original points was that of absentee landlordism which caused problems with the land tenure system (Grada, 1975). Farmers would also pay penalties for unutilized land because of the confederation with Canada. The farmers decided to immigrate to Newfoundland and Labrador since they found the new land policy unfavorable to their traditional practice of using land for both farming and woodcutting. There were two pull factors for such farmers. In the first instance, there was no such expensive land use policy in Newfoundland and Labrador. As a result, farming would be an appropriate venture in the areas. The reasonable travel distance between Labrador and Newfoundland was the other reason for the decision taken by the agricultural Scottish families to move to this areas. A substantial percentage of the Scots settled in the Codroy Valley which in essence possessed good quality land with a strong fishery for salmons proving to be the other pull factor. Lowland Scots were the other group of Scottish immigrants that moved to Newfoundland and Labrador. They settled on the eastern shores in the last quarter of the eighteenth century and first quarter of the nineteenth century. The lucrative fish industry in Labrador and Newfoundland was the pull factor in their migration. Lowland Scots therefore, moved into the areas with the primary objective of participating in the fishing industry. One group of this Scots comprised of wealthy merchants that intended to capitalize on the growing salt fish trade that was thriving in both Newfoundland and Labrador. The other group comprised of laborers, tradesmen, and artisans who moved into the area in search of employment in the commercial centers and merchant firms (Higgins, 2008). The mass European Migration that took place between 1800 and 1950 also involved immigrants from other European nations such as Sweden and Italy. Even though Swedes had been migrating to North America since the 17th century, they moved to the region in large numbers from the 1870’s onwards. The crop failure crisis in their motherland in the 1870’s prompted this movement from their original land to North America. The Swedes exodus from the region and settlement in the new locality continued until World War I. Upon arrival in North America, a substantial proportion set up farmsteads in the Midwestern section of the continent. The emigration of Italians commenced in 1876, a few years after the country’s unification. The immigrant population comprised of Italians undertaking various fields such as merchants, students, military personnel, members of religious orders in addition to both politicians and exiled activists. Immigration across the Atlantic started at the onset of the twentieth century (Glynn, 2011). The Italians favorite destination was North America in search of higher wages. Culture too played a part in influencing this migration. The advancement of different cultures was quite evident in the move of indigenous people from their natural habitats. As the new inhabitants came in new and previously unrealized type of living was established brought in part by the fusion of two dissimilar styles of living. The Economic Consequences of the Migrations Apart from moving to the Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada, early migrants also moved to countries such as the United States and Australia in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Early immigrants into the countries played a massive role in the economic growth of the target areas (Peri, 2013). The last quarter of the nineteenth and the first decades of the twentieth centuries witnessed massive electrification and industrialization of the host countries. This was brought about by the immigrants who provided the labor force required to implement different developments. The restrictive immigration laws introduced in 1929 accounted for the end of the wave of migration (Hirschman, 2006). In essence, immigrants have played a massive role in the industrialization of countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The settled regions exhibited an over-representation of the immigrant workforce in mining and skilled trade. Early immigrants also worked as laborers, merchants, and peddlers in urban areas. Immigrants also formed the largest composition of workers in the stockyards of Chicago, the coalfields of Pennsylvania and the sweatshops of New York. According to Gibson and Jung (2006), they formed a substantial proportion of individuals working in cities across the United States. The rapid expansion of the industrial economies of the Midwest and North regions resulted in the influx of immigrant labor between 1880 and 1920. In 1900, approximately three-quarters of the population in American cities comprised of immigrant heritage. Apart from improving the economic status of cities through industrialization and electrification, migration has also improved the economic wellbeing of both immigrants and their children. It is evident that individuals move from their initial points of origin to target areas in the quest to improve their living conditions. Immigration however, has also influenced specific macro-economic sectors of the economy negatively. The fact that it affects both the demand and supply aspects of the economy implies that the costs and benefits associated with immigration offset each other. For instance, emigrating into the USA, Canada, and Australia strained the existing jobs thereby giving rise to new rates of unemployment. The link between immigration and job loss emanates from the fact that immigration results in the influx of additional workers into an economy. Moreover, it is proper to state that immigration results in the loss of jobs by local residents in favor of immigrants. Apparently, the presence of a large population gives rise to a large economy (Withers, 2002).With this in mind, immigration results in an increase in the population of individuals in a given area which in turn results in a subsequent increase in the demand for goods and services provided The additional workforce provided by the immigrants is viewed as a boost for the increase in services. This boost is required in order to produce the added amount of goods needed to meet the demand (Hirschman & Mogford, 2009). In essence, immigration spurs the growth of an economy. A large percentage of growth of the population therefore can be credited to the influx of immigrants flowing into the lands of Newfoundland and Labrador as well as other cities in Australia and the USA. Conclusion The last decades of the nineteenth century and the early decades of the twentieth century witnessed a massive influx of Europeans into North America. This was especially common in the United States, Newfoundland, and Labrador. Other European immigrants also travelled to various cities in Canada and Australia. Several push and pull factors accounted for the visitors decision to vacate their original locations and head to new locations. The need to avoid hunger, overcrowding, and poverty turned out to be the push factors that compelled immigrants out of their homelands and into foreign nations. Increased industrialization and centralization in Europe eliminated a large percentage of manual jobs in existence at the time. One example of this jobs is that of artistry. This move, though widely perceived as popular, rendered a substantial proportion of the population jobless. Improved economic growth of the host countries suffices to be the most important economic significance of immigration. References Gibson, C., & Kay, J. (2006). Historical Census Statistics on the Foreign Born Population of the United States: 1850 to 2000. Population Division Working Paper No. 81. Washington, DC: U.S. Bureau of the Census. Glynn, I. (2011). Emigration Across the Atlantic: Irish, Italian, and Swedes compared, 1800 – 1950. Retrieved from: http://ieg-ego.eu/en/threads/europe-on-the-road/economic-migration/irial-glynn-emigration-across-the-atlantic-irish-italians-and-swedes-compared-1800-1950 Gráda, C. Ó. (1975). The Investment Behaviour of Irish Landlords 1850-75: Some Preliminary Findings. The Agricultural History Review, 23(2), 139-155. Higgins, J. (2008). Push and Pull Factors. Heritage. Retrieved from: http://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/society/push-pull-factors.php Hirschman, C. (2006). The Impact of Immigration on American Society: Looking Backward to the Future. Retrieved from: http://borderbattles.ssrc.org/Hirschman/printable.html Hirschman, C., & Mogford, E. (2009). Immigration and the American industrial revolution from 1880 to 1920. Social science research, 38(4), 897-920. Peri, G. (2013). Immigration: The Economic Benefits of Migration. Berkeley Review of Latin American Studies. Withers, G. (2002). The economics of immigration. Graduate Program in Public Policy, Australian National University. Read More