HIS 206

Immigration in the Colonial Era

Colonial Population DiversityPopulation increased

tenfold:1700: 250,0001775: 2.5 million75% due to natural increase

Population grew more diverse25% due to immigrationMany came as redemptioners

Colonial Immigration Statistics

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

Land SpeculationPolitically connected

individuals received large land grants, then tried to attract settlers

Often allowed initial settlers to improve land for several years for very low or no rents, then rented it profitably or sold it