HIS 206 Immigration in the Colonial Era
Dec 18, 2015
Colonial Population Diversity
Population increased tenfold:1700: 250,0001775: 2.5 million75% due to natural increase
Population grew more diverse25% due to immigrationMany came as redemptioners
1761-1775: 221,500 arrivals (10% of 1775 population)55,000+ Protestant Irish40,000+ Scots30,000+ English12,000+ Germans & Swiss84,500 African slaves
9,662 British emigrants recorded between Dec. 1773 – March 1776Almost half under 25; almost a quarter 21-243 out of 4 were maleAlmost half were indentured servants1/3 came from SE England; ¼ from London2/5 came from Scotland (mostly Highlands)
Pre-Revolutionary Immigration
Metropolitan Pattern: young men in early 20’s, acting individuallyNot desperately poorUsually artisan who finished apprenticeship
but was unable to find work as journeymanWent as redemptioner to preserve savingsWent overwhelmingly to Penn., Maryland &
VirginiaProvincial Pattern: farm families with small
childrenRarely indentured servantsOften raised passage money by selling off all
possessionsUsually sought out new settlements in back
countryWent to Nova Scotia, New York & North
Carolina
Patterns of British Immigration
Pre-industrial English population mobility consisted of 3 interwoven patterns:Short-distance movements in countryside
Result of pop. growth, decline in real wages, extension of commercial farming, & uprooting effect of cottage industry
2 out of every 3 children left home parishes (3 out of 4 boys) Longer-distance movements from countryside to
provincial towns & citiesBetterment migration of young sons from stable families for
apprenticeshipsSubsistence migration of poor people seeking casual labor
Superimposed flow of people into catch basin of LondonPop. grew from 200,000 in 1600 to 575,000 by 17001/3 of London’s pop. were recent arrivals1 out of every 6 English people had lived in London at some
point
Transatlantic Migration & Domestic Migration
Boston was a nursery - pop. remained constant after 1740 because exporting to surrounding towns
Philadelphia was a warehousePop. increased 6.5 times, despite high mortality
rateMost newcomers stayed short time, then moved
on to back country New York was a staging area – dispersed
immigrants to northern frontier
Colonial Settlement Patterns
Labor Demand Stimulated Immigration
378,000 emigrants from England to western hemisphere in 1600s – 155,000 to mainland colonies
50,ooo convicts shipped to colonies in 1700s
18th century emigrants more skilled because slaves took over unskilled work
Indentured servants barred from marriage & mobility during term of service
Indentured Servants, 1654-1680