M&E 1 - Reasons for Scottish Migration

Question 1

Highland Clearances

Answer 1

Landlords forcibly evicted Scottish Tenants as it was more profitable to have sheep on the land instead of crofters

Question 2

‘bright light’ effect

Answer 2

people were attracted to the cities for a better social life

entertainment included football games, music halls, pubs and cinemas

Question 3

cheaper and more efficient transport

Answer 3

developments in technology allowed shorter journeys for example, the journey across the atlantic to America was shortened from 6 weeks in the 1850s to just one week in 1914

this allowed emigrants to not lose out on too much money whilst travelling

Question 4

the education act 1872

Answer 4

every Scot between the ages of 5 and 13 now had the right to an education so many families moved to the cities for better access to schools

Question 5

transportation

Answer 5

after serving their sentence, many convicts chose to stay in Australia where they were sent to prison

there is also evidence of families moving to join their relative abroad

Question 6

low-wage economy of Scotland

Answer 6

Scots knew that they could earn much more money abroad

For example, a granite worker only needed to work 1.5 days in America to earn what would take a week in Scotland

Question 7

industrialisation

Answer 7

many workers were no longer needed or were economically valuable as machines began to be introduced into jobs to replace workers

for example, many handloom weavers lost their jobs and many farm workers were replaced as steam power was introduced

Question 8

tied cottages

Answer 8

farm workers rented tied cottages from landowners which meant that they also lost their homes when they lost their jobs and had no choice but to look for a home elsewhere

Question 9

scots being popular emigrants

Answer 9

Scots were popular emigrants because they had skills such as farming, shipbuilding and making railway and steam engines which could be used to grow the economies of the Empire in countries such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand

skilled workers were attracted to opportunities to earn more money and work in safer environments

Question 10

letters home

Answer 10

emigration was encouraged by the successful experiences of other Scots who were living considerably better in a stable financial position

letters homes encouraged emigration as they described how much their lives had improved

Scots knew that there was a network of fellow Scots who had already moved

Question 11

working conditions of farm workers

Answer 11

farm workers worked long days with few breaks and did not have many holidays

migrating gave them the opportunity to have a more comfortable work life in safer environments

Question 12

growth in highland population

Answer 12

due to the growth in population in the highlands, the land was unable to cope and land available was constantly being divided between increasing numbers of tenants and crofters

families were getting much less to survive on and poverty became a huge problem

Question 13

blackhouses

Answer 13

Scots lived in blackhouses in the highlands which were made of rough stone and turf. They did not have a ceiling, paved floor, chimney or windows and animals lived with them

this caused diseases like typhus to spread easily and overcrowding was a huge issue

Question 14

potato blight 1846

Answer 14

the potato blight of 1846 resulted in 150,000 Scots being at risk of starvation and huge financial pressure were put on landowners

Scots heavily relied on the potato crop to survive

Question 15

Emigration Agencies

Answer 15

The governments of countries in the Empire such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand employed emigration agents to convince Scots to emigrate and established offices throughout Scotland

They offered various incentives such as free/cheap land which many Scots found hard to resist