5.3) emigration 1688-c1730

Question 1

what were the main reasons for emigration in the late 17th and early 18th centuries?

Answer 1

• banishment
• convict transportation
• volunteer indentured servants
• the ulster scots
• adevnturers

Question 2

how many english, irish and scottish emigrated and why?

Answer 2

hundreds and thousands of them left to find a better life in other parts of the world

Question 3

how was banishment a reason for emigration?

Answer 3

• 1259 scottish rebels were bought to london to stand trial. many of them were persuaded to petition for transportation to avoid execution (to be shipped out the americas to live out their sentences as labourers)
• upon arrival, most were sold as field workers, others as soldiers
• banishment was started by oliver cromwell in the 1640s

Question 4

why was convict transportation a reason for emigration?

Answer 4

• 1718 transportation act allowed the shipment of convicted criminals across the atlantic to ease the pressure on overcrowded prisons
• over 60 years, 50000 people were transported in convict ships particularly from ireland
• the system was used to get rid of people seen as undesirable; like romani gypsies, prostitutes, highlanders and political enemies
• sold on arrival, most would end up at tobacco plantations -> the trade in convicts was twice as profitable than that in enslaved africans

Question 5

who were the ulster scots?

Answer 5

• they were a group of scots who emigrated to ireland to take advantage of its better weather and soil for cultivation
• after the treaty of limerick in 1691, scottish protestants were given offers by the english to settle in ulster on land that the irish had been forced to leave

Question 6

why did the adventurers emigrate?

Answer 6

• they roamed asia and the caribbean lookin for opportunities to trade
• many scots served as mercenary soldiers in european wars and the irishmen in the french army
• after the 1707 act of union, many scots served as administrators for the EIC. between 1720-1757, all the medical officers in madras were scottish

Question 7

why did many people choose to travel as indentured labourers?

Answer 7

• this was due to a high death rate because of poverty and a lack of opportunity in their native countries
• 1690s - there were many harvests failures which led to famine in ireland and scotland
• england and scotland were affected by land enclosures which meant that there was no longer enough work in the countryside
• many irish families had also been forced off their land by the ulster plantations

Question 8

why was volunteering as an indentured servant dangerous?

Answer 8

• conditions were harsh and about a quarter of them did not survive the period of indenture
• some lived well off and had skills they hoped would be useful to the region but the majority sold themselves to the ships’ captains and were auctioned on arrival
• in the end, many died before gaining freedom due to climate, disease or maltreatment