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1050L
Immigration and Migration
Date: 2019
From: Gale In Context Online Collection
Publisher: Gale, part of Cengage Group
Document Type: Topic overview
Length: 1,088 words
Content Level: (Level 3)
Lexile Measure: 1050L
Full Text:
Immigration and migration both involve the movement of people to new places. Immigration deals with individuals moving from one
place to another. Generally, it refers to people leaving one country and permanently moving to another country. People immigrate to
new places for many reasons, including work opportunities, being closer to family, and finding new freedoms. Migration refers to the
movement of humans from one location to another, and this movement may be either temporary or permanent. People have moved
to new places throughout history for many reasons, including climate and food resources. Human migration and immigration happen
when people want to find new places to live.
Critical Thinking Questions
How have migration and immigration affected human history?
What are push/pull factors, and how do they affect migration and immigration?
Why do people continue to migrate and immigrate today?
Human Movement
Humans have migrated and immigrated throughout history. Humans can migrate alone or in groups. Migration can be voluntary or
involuntary. Prehistoric peoples moved from their homes to search for places with better climates or more food. Humans later created
permanent settlements. They then began to migrate for different reasons.
Modern human migration and immigration are motived by similar factors. Economics is a driving force behind most modern human
migrations. Individuals migrate to find better jobs and educational opportunities. For this reason, many migrants choose to move to
large cities where such opportunities are more common. Most modern migrants do not move long distances but instead relocate to
places that are relatively close to their original location but with factors they find more appealing.
Push/pull factors affect migration and immigration. These factors are identified by social scientists. Push factors are the reasons that
a person decides to leave a country. Push factors include poor infrastructure, famine, inadequate medical services, high levels of
unemployment, and poverty. Other push factors are few career or educational opportunities, high crime rates, low standards of living,
and fear of political persecution. Pull factors draw a person to a different country or region. They include better infrastructure, good
career and educational opportunities, and political stability. Other pull factors are higher standards of living, low crime rates, and
better healthcare systems.
Push/pull factors mainly relate to voluntary migration. Migration can also occur involuntarily, which is known as forced migration. It is
usually the result of violence or climate. Forced migrants must leave their homes to escape danger such as war, environmental
disruptions, natural disasters, political repression, religious persecution, human trafficking, and ethnic cleansing. Migrants who have
been forced from their homes due to violence or climate are known as refugees when they cross national boundaries. They are called
internally displaced persons (IDP) when they migrate internally or remain inside in their home country.
Early Human Migration
Human migration has occurred for hundreds of thousands of years. Researchers believe that modern humans descended from a
small group of prehistoric people who migrated out of Africa about sixty to seventy thousand years ago. Evolutionary theorists do not
always agree on the exact timeframe of these early human migrations. Yet, most agree that modern humans are the descendants of
Homo sapiens who originally lived in Africa.
Scholars believe that early migration started because of a cooling climate driven by the arrival of the last glacial period, which started
about one hundred thousand years ago. This change in climate ultimately made life difficult for human ancestors, who were used to
warmer temperatures. These Homo sapiens traveled to many regions of the globe to escape the cold. They moved to parts of
Europe, Central Asia, Australia, and the Middle East.
These early populations continued to migrate to other parts of the world over time. Eventually, humans were able to reach the
American continent via a giant land bridge. Following the end of the Ice Age, human migration slowed as populations were able to
settle and adapt to new habitats. By roughly twenty thousand years ago, humans lived in what is now North and South America. By
roughly 100 AD, humans had traveled to and lived in many Pacific islands, including the Hawaiian islands.
Immigration and Migration to the United States
The United States is often referred to as a nation of immigrants. This is because the country was formed and shaped because of
migration and immigration. The United States was created when European colonizers migrated to North America. The Europeans
killed and displaced the Native Americans who already lived there. The colonizers also forced enslaved Africans to come to North
America and the Caribbean. The United States formed because of the voluntary migration of Europeans and the involuntary migration
of Native Americans and Africans. After the country was created, immigration caused the nation to grow and become more densely
populated.
The next major wave of American immigration occurred in the early to mid-nineteenth century. It was primarily composed of
immigrants from Northern and Western Europe. Many of them were escaping famine or poor economic opportunities. During the
same era, many Asian immigrants also moved to the United States. Roughly twenty-five thousand Asian individuals immigrated to the
Western United States in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Immigrants from Asia and some European nations were discriminated
against when they came to the United States. Discrimination against immigrants was common throughout American history and
continues today.
The United States loosened its immigration laws with the Immigration Act of 1965. Immigration has steadily risen since that change.
More than forty-three million immigrants, mostly from India and China, currently reside in the United States. Many people also migrate
from Central America and Mexico to the United States. These people may immigrate and become permanent citizens or stay in the
United States as noncitizens. Some may even return to their home countries after working in the United States for a time. These
migrants and immigrants help to increase the American population and influence American society.
Connections: The Great Migration
In the United States, an event known as the Great Migration saw millions of African Americans relocate from the rural South to
northern cities between 1916 and 1970. This migration was prompted by poor economic opportunities in the South and violent
racism. African Americans were drawn to northern cities by jobs, educational opportunities, and fewer threats of racist violence. This
migration led to the growth of African American neighborhoods in northern cities. It also created cultural movements such as the
Harlem Renaissance. The migration helped strengthen the African American community. It helped lay the groundwork for the civil
rights movement. Yet, the migration did not allow African Americans to escape racism as it existed throughout the country and
affected black communities in parts of the country.
Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2023 Gale, part of Cengage Group
Source Citation (MLA 9th Edition)
"Immigration and Migration." Gale In Context Online Collection, Gale, 2019. Gale In Context: Middle School,
link.gale.com/apps/doc/IXAAGL161656902/MSIC?u=nysl_ro_spms&sid=bookmark-MSIC&xid=3aac1ea2. Accessed 30 Oct.
2023.
Gale Document Number: GALE|IXAAGL161656902
