Migration

__**Essential Questions**__

How are population and migration related?

Why do people move?

What affect do those moves have on source location and destination?

- PUSH-PULL SYSTEM An ECONOMIC pull would be labor recruitment or job opportunity and push would be low wages or unemployment in previous location A NONECONOMIC pull would be family unification and the push would be fleeing war or government
 *  WHY DO PEOPLE MOVE? **

- International migration has increased due to advances in communications and transportation or mobility

Migration and the Global Recession (BBC commissioned report)

People migrate for many different reasons. Migration has been around for a very long time, and is still going on today. There are many pressures that push or pull people to migrate to a different location. One type of migration is when people migrate within their own country. Some reasons for this type of migration might be because of natural disasters, economic problems, or even a better chance at making more money.For example, Many people were moving out of Detroit because of the decline in the auto industry. Although, the Detroit metro may grow in population once more due to the upcoming movie industry. this brings more jobs to the area, which will cause people to move from other places. A different type of migration is international migration. Some of the reasons for this more dramatic type of migration may be differing religious views, war, slavery, famine, and even their current political situation.

__Internal Migration__
 * Economic Problems.** The economic problems of an area can cause people to migrate. Consider the tale of the French stonemason, who because of economic inflation and government politics in the early 1800s, could not find enough work to feed his family and his parents. On hearing of the growing housing development in upstate New York created by the opening of the Erie Canal, he sold everything and moved his entire extended family to America; there he began what became one of the most successful building concerns in what is now the Buffalo, NY area.
 * Forced Relocation of Native Americans.** As the colonies and states grew and expanded, Native Americans were deemed "in the way of progress." Armed conflicts between Native Americans and white settlers and their armies ensued. Ultimately, the Native Americans lost and were coerced or compelled to sign treaties with the government. These treaties called for the ceding of Native American lands and the permanent relocation of American Indians to parcels referred to as reservations. Many died in the relocation marches, such as the "Trail of Tears." Were any of your ancestors Native Americans who were forced to relocate to a reservation?
 * Great Financial Opportunity.** We've all heard tales of immigrants who came to America to see the streets that were "paved with gold." Many immigrants left family, friends, and everything familiar for the opportunity to make a new life and to prosper. Probably more than any other reason for migrating, this is the most common. Did your ancestor come to the United States to make a fortune?**Natural Disasters.** Drought, floods, earthquakes, volcanoes, fires, hurricanes, and other natural disasters were life-altering catastrophes that caused people to leave one place and move to another. Recent examples include the Johnstown Flood of 1889, the hurricane in 1900 that decimated Galveston, TX, the San Francisco earthquakes of 1906 and 1989, the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens, and this year's devastating wildfires near Los Alamos, NM. All of these calamities resulted in loss of life and destruction of property, and many survivors abandoned the area and migrated elsewhere. Were your ancestors victims of such a catastrophe?

In history, internal migration is also used to explore new lands. When America was still young people explored the West and were followed by many migrants who were looking for a fresh start. A good web link that explains this internal migration: http://www.answers.com/topic/internal-migration

__International Migration__
 * Religious or Ethnic Persecution.** The desire for the freedom to exercise one's religious beliefs, or to pursue the lifestyle of one's ethnic group, is one the most overwhelming reasons for migration of our ancestors. Protestants practiced their religion in secret during the rule of Catholic monarchs across Europe. You will recall stories of the Puritans, Quakers, and Huguenots and their migrations to establish some of the most successful settlements in the New World. In addition, the persecution of Jews throughout history forced many of them to relocate again and again, and many migrated again to settle in the newly formed nation of Israel after its formation in 1948. Were your ancestors persecuted, and as a result, did they migrate elsewhere?
 * Famine.** Drought and plant diseases are common natural causes of famine; wars, land mismanagement, and other human-caused disasters also result in famine. Whatever the reason for famine, people cannot withstand starvation for long, and they often migrate elsewhere. Consider the Irish Potato Famine, the Dust Bowl of the Great Depression in the United States, the accounts of Chinese famines in Jung Chang's book //Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China//, and the TV news accounts we frequently see of famine in Africa. Starving people will become refugees to seek sources of nourishment. Did any of your ancestors migrate because of famine?
 * War.** The conflict and destruction caused by war is a major cause for upheaval of persons. People may have been fleeing approaching armies, or the men may have been trying to avoid conscription in order to protect and provide for their families. They may have lost their homes and possessions as a result of bombing. They may also have been the targets of political or ethnic persecution. They may even have been like Anne Frank, the Jewish girl whose diary recounts her family's persecution, flight, and hiding in Amsterdam during World War II. Wars displace people and make them refugees. Were your ancestors participants in or victims of a war?
 * Political Strife/Turmoil/Oppression.** Political conditions may be too oppressive to be endured, and as a result, people may flee to other areas or countries. The United States has for centuries been a haven to Europeans emigrating to seek freedom from political oppression. German citizens emigrated during the 1930s to avoid the expanding Nazi menace; Russian athletes and dancers defected to the United States when they had an opportunity to visit; and Cuban refugees continue to attempt to flee the Castro regime. Were your ancestors trying to avoid political oppression when they came to North America?
 * Following Family and Friends.** Many people followed other family members or friends who had already moved somewhere else. Tales and promises of better living conditions, prosperity, or opportunity to start a new life were sometimes irresistible lures. Pioneers who went west in wagon trains to settle in California and Oregon wrote home with glowing descriptions that convinced families and friends to join them. And who can forget the irresistible lure of gold in California in the late 1840s and 1850s? Sometimes, too, people decided to accompany their family members or good friends when they decided to migrate. In my own ancestry, I can trace four brothers and their entire families and seventeen families that were their close friends, including their minister and his family, who all migrated from Cecil County, MD to Mecklenburg County, NC in the 1740s. This was not uncommon. Did your ancestors follow or accompany other family or friends to another location?
 * Slavery.** Unfortunately, the heinous institution of slavery was responsible for rending families apart and relocating tens of thousands of persons. The sale or exchange of human beings removed people from Africa to the New World, and then from place to place as a result of sale or barter. Were any of your ancestors slaves?A good example of an international migration: http://www.nidi.knaw.nl/en/projects/330106/

**The American Dream:** The term was first used by James Truslow Adams in his book //The Epic of America //  which was written in 1931. He states: "The American Dream is "that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position." The //American Dream// has been one of the greatest pulls to attract migrants to America. For a long time, many foreigners heard about the American Dream which was enough to have millions migrate into the country. But was the American Dream a myth? Many migrants came into the country in hope of becoming rich and happy, but in most cases this did not happen.  http://international.loc.gov/learn/lessons/97/dream/thedream.html

http://www.ancestry.com/learn/library/article.aspx?article=1436

Immigration is not a rare practice. In fact, nearly 220 million people are currently immigrants, both legal and illegal. Oftentimes, people immigrate because of economic factors, which consist of both “push” and “pull” factors. Push factors include a lack of jobs and bad quality of life, both reasons for the Mexican illegal immigration. Pull factors include a need for labor, better quality of life and higher pay, which are some of the factors that led to the Indian “brain drain.” While the reasons for immigration vary, one thing is certain, immigrants have a large effect on both source and destination countries. These effects, both positive and negative, will be outlined in the next section. = = =How migration can affect both source and destination countries= = = Year after year, immigrants leave their homes for a future in a different country. However, in certain countries so many people leave that it creates a problem. Sometimes there is something known as a “brain drain.” During a brain drain, the well-educated professionals in a region or a country leave for a country with a better quality of life, which includes a better education, higher pay and more access to technology. One of the best known examples of a brain drain is the Indian brain drain, which took place for decades, and, to some degree, is still happening. It began shortly after World War II, but did not become widespread until the early 1960s. Coined by the Royal Society of London, the term “brain drain” symbolizes the mass exodus of well-educated young people from India to North America, most notably the United States. Many of these young people earn degrees at Indian universities and eventually are admitted to prestigious American universities, where most of them also attend graduate school. Over the past few decades, it has become almost expected that an intelligent young Indian will get his or her degree in the United States, and oftentimes not return. Instead, many of these young immigrants build lives for themselves, becoming American citizens and raising their families in the United States. While coming to the United States has many economic and educational advantages, there are many disadvantages as well. One of the major disadvantages of all brain drains is the lack of family communication and unity. In the Indian culture family is involved in every facet of one’s everyday life. However, if someone moves from India to New York, it is very difficult and expensive to keep in contact with one’s family. Even with the worldwide proliferation of the Internet, both the time change and Internet expenses make communication difficult. This, as well as other factors, has led to what is quickly becoming known as the “reverse brain drain,” or “brain gain” in India. The brain gain is a recent phenomenon, probably starting no earlier than 10 years ago, and not seriously until the last few. Due to recent advances in available technology and recent increases in salary, some American-trained doctors of Indian descent are moving back to India. Many of them are making almost as much as in America, and have access to close to the same amount of medicine. This is a huge gain for India’s healthcare field, as it is beginning to retain some of its young professionals so that they may be under the tutelage of the very doctors who once left India.

====The most controversial type of immigration today is illegal immigration. When most people think of illegal immigration, they mainly think of Mexicans, and that is understandable, as Mexico has the largest amount of illegal immigrants in the United States. However, El Salvador, a tiny Central American country has about 286,000 immigrants in the United States today, nearly a fourth of its population. Most of these immigrants are illegal and work in the same types of jobs that Mexican immigrants do.==== ====The relationship between El Salvador and the United States started in the early 1980’s during El Salvador’s civil war. Aid to El Salvador was nearly doubled, and soon after many El Salvadorans immigrated to the United States. While some El Salvadorans in America today are legal, most are illegal. Many Americans feel that El Salvadorans, along with all other illegal immigrants, should be deported, but the situation is much more complicated than that. In fact, nearly 17% of the gross national product comes from remittances from the illegal immigrants. Besides that, El Salvador is one of the United States’ most vocal supporters. They were the first Central American country to sign CAFTA, and they are the only Central American country with troops in Iraq.==== ====Obviously, immigration is quite important to the El Salvadorans, and correspondingly is constantly covered in the El Salvadoran media. However, immigration reform is almost never mentioned in the media. Most media outlets do not want to take a side on the argument so as to not upset their main ally, the United States. El Salvadoran government officials, on the other hand, support immigration reforms. Many of them believe that many El Salvadorans will be granted citizenship through possible work visa extensions. Most normal El Salvadorans, though, hope that immigration remains the same in the United States, so that the flow of cash does not stop.==== ====Immigration from El Salvador is much different than “brain drain” immigration, as many of the El Salvadoran immigrants use their money to support family in El Salvador. In addition, almost none of El Salvador’s immigrants are educated, and therefore are forced to work as day laborers in most cases. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/worldopinionroundup/2006/05/el_salvador_ducks_us_immigrati.html- A site about El Salvadoran immigration====

Immigration studies- http://www.cis.org/immigrants_profile_2007 **Regional Origins of Immigrants to the United States, Selected Years**
 * Migration inside the United States-**** It is well documented that there is a great amount of migration to the United States. However, there have also been significant migrations inside the United States. The most notable is known as the "Great Migration." The Great Migration was the movement of several million African Americans from the deep south. It occurred from the 1910's up until the 1930's. Some reasons the African American's migrated north was to escape racism, find better employment and to get their children a better education. From 1916 to 1918 many jobs became available in the north because of World War One. African American's migrated to cities like Chicago, Detroit and Cleveland. The migrants helped to shape the cities culture for the 20th century. Some quick facts- In 1910, the African American population of Detroit was 6,000. By the start of the [|Great Depression] in 1929, this figure had risen to 120,000. In 1900 Chicago had a total population of 1,698,575. By 1920 the population had increased by more than 1 million residents. During the second wave of the Great Migration (from 1940-1960), the African American population in the city grew from 278,000 to 813,000. The South Side of Chicago was considered the black capital of America. Just as they had to deal with massive amounts of racism and discrimination in the south, African Americans were discriminated against by White European Americans in the north. **** http://www.uic.edu/educ/bctpi/greatmigration2/dataviewer/usa/USAcounties.html - A link to map data about the African American population at different time periods in the late 19th and 20th centuries. **It is agreed among historians that after the first great migration, there was a second. Just as in the first great migration, the second involved African Americans leaving the south and migrating to Northern, more industrialized cities. Unlike the first great migration, the second also involved a migration to the west to states like California. The stimulus for the migration, was because of the availability of jobs. The jobs were created because of America's involvement in World War Two.
 * Effect migration has on its destination-**** Migrants have many effects on the destination they move to. Reasons for people to migrate to a country is because of better labor conditions, higher wages or more opportunities. After arriving in the country migrants can help to stimulate the economy, work in jobs that many other people are unwilling to work in. The most prominent example of migration is illegal migration into the United States. Illegal immigrants work jobs in the United States that many American's are unwilling to work in. There are many views on the economic impact of migration but most times, the impact is positive for both the host and destination countries. In fact, remittances, are a major source of money in the countries people migrate from. A remittance is when an immigrant sends money back to their home. Migration also effects the culture of the destination countries. The effect migrants have on the destinations culture is very obvious. The migrants leaving their source country bring with them a different culture than their destination country. Culture plays a large role in the reception of immigrants. In Europe migration is becoming a hot topic in elections and politics. Some European countries are unwilling to welcome new cultures. Politics ties in with migration. Migration is always a hot topic in presidential debates. Certain candidates must change their views in order to cater to a migrant group. Also in the United States illegal immigration plays a very important role in political debates. Illegal immigration is a very touchy subject. **** link to interesting article on economic impact of migration- http://www.unhabitat.org/downloads/docs/Media/WHD%20B5%20-%20Labour,%20Wages%20&%20Employment%20-%20Destination.pdf **** Barack Obama's views on immigration- http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/Barack_Obama.htm#Immigration **

Source: Immigration and Naturalization Service, //1998 Statistical Yearbook//.

**Destination of Migrants From Less Developed Countries, 2005** **Destination of Migrants From More Developed Countries, 2005** **Sources:** United Nations (UN), Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, //International Migration Report//2006; and UN, //International Migration 2006// (Wall Chart).
 * OUTLINE OTHER IMPACTS, TOO... ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, POLITICAL, ETC. A GOOD START, BUT INCOMPLETE.**