Reasons for Emigration (Early Immigration to the US)

Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.

During the American colonial period, generally conceded to date from the founding of Jamestown in 1607 to the outbreak of the War for Independence in 1775, thousands upon thousands of Europeans and Africans voyaged from their native lands to the territory now comprising the continental United
States. Some sailed across the Atlantic to ports on the eastern seaboard or the Gulf of Mexico;
Some traveled northward by land and sea from the Spanish American empire; and others made their way along the great Mississippi riverway from French Canada. They journeyed under conditions that were primitive, perilous. heartbreaking, and frequently fatal.

The cherished and the exiled, the devout and the doubting—all sorts and conditions of men, women, and children (convoyed to America in ever-increasing numbers!) 1607 and 1775 the non-native population of the colonies grew from 105 Englishmen in Virginia to a total of 2,300,000 persons of varied national origins scattered throughout the area of the United States.'  The story of that immigration is one of the most moving and colorful in history.

During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the term used to describe a person who left his  home to take up residence in the New World was "emigrant," one who went out. All the emphasis was on his leaving because he was going out from a known area into an unknown place. Not until 1817 was the word "immigrant" in general use, and by then, forty-one years after the -signing of the Declaration of Independence, it was conceded that a person was migrating into an established nation. Therefore, the terms "emigrant" and "emigration" are used throughout this document.

Why did so many thousands leave their families, their friends, their homes, their countries, even their native language, to journey into the New World? Most emigrants were affected by the push of almost intolerable circumstances driving them out of their native lands, as well as the pull of opportunity drawing them to America. Exceptions to this rule, of course, were those who were transported against their wills, captured or purchased Africans, prisoners of war, deported convicts, and kidnaped persons. 

There were more than enough reasons why people should want to leave the Old World. The majority of Europeans chafed under economic distress, political dissatisfaction, and religious res I mints. Most nations were weakened  and impoverished by wars- and internal conflicts. Unemployment was widespread, taxes were high, housing was often inadequate, fuel scarce and costly, malnutrition common, and sickness rampant. At times, epidemics of the plague were so devastating
that the living were hardly able to bury the dead. Harsh punishments were given out by the courts for trivial offenses, and in many localities persons who worshiped in any but the prescribed churches were harassed and persecuted.

Early explorations of the sixteenth century, which were based on the search for gold and for a passage to the Indies, fur trading, and the establishment of military bases, drew adventurers and soldiers to North America but did not result in permanent settlements except at St. Augustine, Florida. Later efforts, which succeeded in the planting of colonies, involved men and women motivated by desires for religious freedom, political satisfaction, and economic stability.

While discontent was laying men's minds open to new ideas, propaganda, some of which was patently false, was being widely circulated to spur them into action. Among the writers extolling the New World was Captain John Smith, well qualified by his extensive exploration of the Atlantic coast and his experience in the Jamestown colony. Although Smith was addressing his remarks to the English, his words had a universal appeal. With uncanny foresight he summed up most of the factors that would attract emigrants from many lands to America during his and succeeding generations:

Who can desire more content that hath small means or but only his merit to advance his fortunes than to tread and plant that ground he hath purchased by the hazard of his life; if he have but a taste of virtue and magnanimity, what to such a mind can be more pleasant than planting and building a foundation for his posterity. 

First and foremost. Smith addressed the land-hungry, knowing that the possibility of actually owning a piece of land was a powerful lure to prospective emigrants from a nation where the common man had little prospect of obtaining title to property. Most of the land belonged to the crown or nobility.
Such concentration of land ownership among privileged classes was common throughout Europe, whence came a multitude of land seeking emigrants in later years.

Next Smith appealed to those missionary spirits who looked upon the Indians as possible converts to Christianity. Protestantism was Scarcely more (nan "one hundred years old, a new and vibrant force that imbued its members with the same zeal that for centuries had inspired Roman Catholics to crusade. French priests on wilderness rivers in the north central United States and Spanish priests in the southwest felt a similar compunction and spread the word of God in the papal tradition.

Smith also addressed the many men of inquiring minds who longed to make fresh discoveries in an age that was probing the mysteries of nature and  science. He mentioned those who desired to build towns, perhaps aiming at those who wished to create communities where their own principles might prevail. He appealed to educators, aware of their need to impart knowledge, and to reformers, knowing of their will  to change the world. Last of all, he appealed to the unemployed, mindful of the vast numbers who desired a livelihood.

John Smith acknowledged the need for emigrants of industry, reliability, purpose, education, and training, who would look upon the new land not solely as a source of wealth, but as a setting for homes and communities where they might pursue work and interests dear to their hearts. Agents opened offices, announcing that they could supply colonists of any age, kind, or calling. Merchants sent men into the country to enlist young farmers, apprentices, craftsmen, and young women. The recruiters posted notices in public houses, left tracts and sermons favoring emigration on church porches, and talked with individuals, promising them good wages, grants of land. a living for a family, and a better station in life.

Other propaganda, in ;i different vein, advocated America as a place to send convicts, paupers, and other undesirables in order that England might be freed of the dregs of its society.  Sermons were preached, legislation was passed, and pamphlets were circulated to further the deportation of the criminal and the indigent to the colonies.

Why did so many thousands leave their families, their friends, their homes, their countries, even their native language, to journey into the New World?

What were the push and pull factors that affected most emigrants during the American colonial period?

Discuss the exceptions to the rule of voluntary emigration during the colonial period.

What conditions in Europe contributed to the desire of its inhabitants to emigrate to the New World?

How did early explorations of the sixteenth century influence the colonization of North America?

What role did propaganda play in encouraging emigration to the New World, and who were some of the figures involved in this effort?

Explain Captain John Smith's vision for the New World and the various groups of people he addressed in his writings.

What were the characteristics of the ideal emigrants according to John Smith, and how were these individuals recruited?

Describe the different perspectives on America as a destination for convicts, paupers, and other undesirables from England.

Between 1607 & 1775, how much did the population of colonial America grow? 

What does the term "emigrant" mean? How is it different from "immigrant"? 

What push factors drove emigrants from their native lands? List five.  

How did John Smith exploit the experiences of emigrants in their home countries to make settling in colonial America appealing? 

Describe the propaganda he (and others) used to entice people to immigrate to the New World.