Migration and Empire: Issue 1

Question 1

What is the meaning of Internal Migration?

Answer 1

Human migration within a country

Question 2

What is the meaning of Emigration?

Answer 2

The act of leaving one’s country to settle in another

Question 3

What is the meaning of Migration?

Answer 3

General movement of people

Question 4

What is the meaning of Immigration?

Answer 4

The action of coming to live permanently in a foreign country

Question 5

What were the economic reasons for Scottish Migration?

Answer 5

• Failure of the kelp Industry
• Highland Clearances
• Better career opportunities abroad
• Collapse of the Herring Industry
• Empire Settlement Act 1922
• Agricultural Revolution

Question 6

Failure of the Kelp industry

Answer 6

The Highland economy had collapsed due to reduced income from several industries. Using kelp to make soap was very labour intensive so when people began using chemicals to make soap the kelp industry died out meaning that there were lots of people who had lost their job.

Question 7

Highland Clearances

Answer 7

Highland clearances of late 1840’s to early 1850’s was when landlords forcibly evicted their Scottish tenants as it was more profitable to have sheep on their land than people. This caused many highlanders to become homeless and unemployed at once so were forced to move elsewhere in order to survive.

Question 8

Famine

Answer 8

Potato blight of 1846 was when the potato crops of Western Scotland failed and could not be used as food meaning that the people didn’t have enough food to sustain themselves and were starving. Left 150,000 people at risk of starving

Question 9

Agricultural Revolution

Answer 9

Scots were not needed on farms, by 1870 most crops were harvest via a steam powered threshing machine.

Question 10

Better Pay

Answer 10

Workers could get better pay in foreign countries, 19th century took a granite worker in USA 1.5 days to earn the same amount as it took a Scot to earn in a week

Question 11

Collapse of the Herring Industry

Answer 11

Herring industry collapsed after the Russian revolution in 1917 causing people to lose jobs

Question 12

Highland clearances caused by?

Answer 12

• Land subsidised over generations meaning that people could no longer afford the rents (long term population growth)
• Living conditions were poor, black houses and living with animals
• Over reliance on the potato, 1846 blight and 150,000 people at risk of starvation
• Trustees found more profitable ways to use land eg. Duke of Sutherland wanted to replace farmers with grouse shooting
• Land owners paid for transport of some, by 1856 2,200 had left and highlands had lost 1/3 of its population by 1861
• Some went to cities such as Canada, Australia and the USA, granite workers in the US earned 3x more than the same job in UK

Question 13

Reasons why Scots migrated?

Answer 13

• Collapse of Scottish Industry
• Agricultural Revolution
• Famine
• Highland clearances
• Transport
• Freedom
• British American Land Company
• Press
• Emigration societies
• Recruiting Agencies
• Empire Settlement Act 1922
• Better Pay

Question 14

Transport

Answer 14

By 1914 it only took a week to get to USA - previously took 6 weeks

Question 15

Freedom

Answer 15

Hand loom weavers were replaced by power looms so they emigrated to Canada where they were needed and could work in more places

Question 16

British American Land Company

Answer 16

• Company had 1 million acres of land in Quebec Canada and recruited farmers helping fund travel for 60 families from the outer Hebrides

Question 17

Press

Answer 17

1872 education Act made people more likely to literate and be able to read new world advertisements

Question 18

Emigration Societies

Answer 18

Highlands and Islands Emigration Society funded emigration to new world fro crafters made poor due to famine

Question 19

Recruiting Agencies

Answer 19

Recruitment agencies from countries like USA and Canada convinced people to migrate by using public talks, private meetings and agricultural shows

Question 20

Empire Settlement Act 1922

Answer 20

Gov paid up to £3 million on help for poor emigrants eg loans and training courses for emigrants