Chapter 4-Other Europeans in Colonial America

Chapter 4-Other Europeans in Colonial America

Non-English European groups were entering between 17^th-18^th centuries. Before 1790…immigrants entering were a total of around 1 million people. Afro-Americans were 20% of the population. Non-British migrants had settled in the Southern and Middle Atlantic states. The Irish people that are referred to in this chapter are for the most part Protestants. The Germans who had come around 17^th century were skilled minors. These Germans were Protestant, Catholic and Jewish. The push factor for these Germans to migrate here were due to politics and economics.  The living and working conditions were definitely better than that of their home country but once a family member migrated, the family would follow. Some family members were free while others weren’t, so they would save up money to have enough to pay off the contract and be able to live with their families again. Some people also exploited the trade, which I don’t find surprising because you’ll always find good and bad people with right and wrong morals/values they live by. Indentured servitude was also occurring at this time, which I completely understand and would have done myself living in that time period. It’s very hard to save up money for transportation, food clothes etc. but with this little exchange, it would help them immigrate more easily and allow them the opportunity to pay off their debt by working a couple of years. This exchange was definitely good both for the person who was paying as well as the immigrant. They made money while an immigrant had the opportunity to move and start a new life in fact…this went on until about 1830 which was somewhat surprising that it went for as long as it did! The Scotch Irish had settled into states such as Pennsylvania because they planned to have their own land perhaps since the land policies were easily controlled and a great deal to say the least. Many of these Scotch Irish came in as indentured Servants and worked for years and years until they worked their way up and were finally freed and not in debt so begin their own American life. The Scotch Irish people were skilled craftsmen… some prospered while others did not. Their ethnic community was not as close as that of the Germans.  They acculturated and tried to fit into the everyday social life and norms/expectations of the American life. What I was just very fascinated by was when I had read that involuntary migration was practiced by the Scottish and British governments…I have never heard of such a thing in the past! Apparently religious and political dissenters and criminals were deported to America. I find this funny because many people come to America with the hopes of reaching the American dream and having more opportunities to better their lives in America…which you would think is a good thing. But those governments deported them because they hadn’t wanted to deal with the consequences of having criminals and it was a disgrace and dishonor to be kicked out of your own home country I’m sure!!!