Compare the causes of European, African, and Asian emigrations to North America Human beings do not stay put as they wander from one place to the other. Human migration has led to the distribution of population all over the world. According to (Dahlman and Renwick 233) “Geographers who analyze human movements divide the causes for those movements into push factors and pull factors.” The quote states that, Push factors are forces that oblige individuals leave their residents in search of a better life. The factors include lack of jobs opportunities, harsh environmental conditions, loss of wealth, and the like. The pulling factors attract people to new destinations. Pulling factors include job opportunities, religious and political reference. The essay will try to discuss the causes of different races to North America and the reasons for immigrations.
“Migration is not always voluntary” (Dahlman and Renwick 235). For instance, Africa America migration to the North America was due to conflict in South America. African Americans migration was suffering under the Jim Crow laws that segregated blacks from the white. After the civil war, cotton prices depreciated in the South as the weevils destroyed most of the crop that highly affected the economy causing African America to migrate to the North. Some countries got rid of unwanted prisoners by taking them to other countries, the prisoners however settled in these areas, as they could not go back to their countries.
Millions of people left Europe during the time of empire and colonies and settled in North America. “This emigration was driven by the rapid growth of the European population during its demographic transition” (Dahlman and Renwick 241). Harsh living conditions in their original homes contributed to the migration. There was unending famine in some parts of Europe due to harsh weather conditions and this highly contributed to the migration. Asian birthrate and poor economic growth pushed more people to North America where the economic was booming. Most Asians relocated to North America looking for peace because of the World War 1.
North America changed rapidly due to the migration. “European exploration and settlement had a devastating effect on the indigenous peoples, meaning native populations” (Dahlman and Renwick 244). For instance, they natives had a low immunity to diseases carried by the immigrants, which cause a high death rate in the first century. The immigration causes intolerance attitude from the natives and this caused immigrant is put in smaller reservations. Many native intermarried with the immigrants, which caused assimilation of cultures and beliefs. Most American copied the Europeans cultures forgetting their own.
The emigration to North America was a large boost to its economy as there were many willing workers in the farms and the industries. Immigrant saw the North America as the Land of opportunity as it saved them from the harsh living conditions in their native homes. North American government was welcoming and the introduced a system that made immigrants travel freely and become American citizens. However, the immigration caused the American a big deal as the immigrants carried with diseases with and their immigration led to racial segregation in America.
Dahlman, Carl T. and Renwick, William H. Introduction to Geography: People, Places &. Environment, Sixth Edition: Upper Saddle River, New JerseyPrentice HallDiv, 2012. Print.