Push emigration Flashcards
Highland clearances
Between 1780 and 1860 tens of thousands of highlanders were evicted from their homes to make space for sheep farms. Highlanders were forced to emigrate to find new homes.
Crofters Act (1886)
Secured crofter’s rights, but meant that the land could only be used for crofting, and condemned crofters to a backwards way of life in economic deprivation. Crofters were forced to emigrate to improve their lives.
Decline of the kelp industry
Kelp was typically used to make class and soap, and many made their livelihoods in collecting seaweed for kelp and selling it to glass and soap producers. As cheaper methods of producing soap and class were introduced, there was no demand for kelp, and those who collected it lost their jobs. People were forced to emigrate to find new jobs.
Decline of the fishing industry
Herring prices fell 1884-1886 due to foreign competition, causing the average workers’ earnings to go from £20-£30 per season to £1-£2 a decade later. People were forced to emigrate for new jobs for financial security.
Highland potato blight
The blight came to the highlands in 1846 and while it was not as severe as the Irish blight, it left thousands of highlanders hungry or impoverished. Highlanders were forced to emigrate to escape food shortages.
Crop failure
Extreme weather conditions in 1926 caused crop failure and food shortages in the same year. This created a social crisis and the government had to step in to provide food. Scots were forced to emigrate to be able to feed their families.
Poor housing
Many highlanders lived in ‘black houses’ which often lacked flooring, had poor insulation, makeshift roofs, and often had to be shared with livestock. These were unhygienic and unpleasant to live in. Highlanders were pushed to emigrate in search of better living conditions.
Farm reorginisation
Before the 19th-century farms were runrig, however, to modernise land usage, this was replaced by larger farms with fewer farmers, this meant that many farmhands lost their jobs and by extension their homes. This forced Scots to emigrate in search of new jobs.
