The%20Great%20Migration:%20British%20Immigration%201815%20-%2050

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The Great MigrationBritish Immigration 1815 - 50

• Canadian History

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Population of BNA, 1806-51
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Why leave Europe?

• The Napoleonic Wars ended in 1815 causing an
  economic depression high unemployment
• Massive population growth
• Higher life expectancy (more people were
  surviving famines disease due to new farming
  methods better diets)

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Population Explosion Effects

• Pop had outpaced economic opportunity
• Land jobs were scarce for many
• People crowded into urban areas lived in slums
• Many decided to leave for America for better
  opportunities

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British Govt Reaction

• Increased policies for emigration to solve the
  problems such as high unemployment, poverty,
  social unrest

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Scotland

• Many Scottish farmers were evicted from their
  homes in a process called clearances
• Landlords reclaimed farmland from settlers
  created huge sheep farms to provide wool for
  English textile mills
• Over 50,000 Scots moved to Nova Scotia

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Ireland..1840s

• Potato was the main crop staple of the Irish
  diet
• Mid 1840s potato blight spread to Ireland
  destroyed the crops
• Famine set in killing approx. 1 million Irish
  between 1847-51
• In 1847 over 90,000 emigrated to BNA

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The Voyage Out

• Immigrants arrived at Halifax, St. John, Quebec
• Cargo ships were used to bring the immigrants
  from Britain to earn extra profits
• Cramped conditions, disease,
• little food, sea sickness, death
• Coffin Ships

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The Voyage Out (Pp 44-46)

• Summarize the voyage to North America for
• An English gentlewoman
• Regular immigrants
• Where is Grosse Isle?
• What purpose did it serve?
• Why was Canada considered a poor mans country
  in the mid 1800s?