Long Distance Migrations

From the period of 1700 to 1900, long-distance migrations that included the African Slave Trade and the movement of Irish and British colonists to America. After the African Slave Trade was banned, the use of indentured servants was put into place. An agricultural famine caused Irish to flee to America. The African Slave Trade was caused by a need for labor in the Americas. The imported slaves mainly worked on plantations that supplied cotton and tobacco. Agriculture wasn’t new to the slaves as they farmed back in Africa too. The difference was that the slaves became actual property of the plantation owner which means their freedoms were very limited. Another change that took place was the change from slaves to indentured servants. Indentured servants were not property, but they are laborers who requested a free passage to America in return for work. The African Slave Trade of course came to an end when in 1803, Denmark abolished the trade in slaves and other European nations followed in its footsteps.

By 1845 most major slave trading countries illegalized slave trading. About twenty years later in America, slavery was completely abolished after the Civil War. As a result, a new source of labor was needed in America. The use of indentured servants were then put into place.. Much continuity took place as well as changes. On many passages the slaves took to America, many slaves died from diseases. Disease remained a major cause of death among slaves because of the lack of medicinal objects. The African Diaspora remained constant it profited both Africa and America with economic gain such as crops for America and firepower for Africa. Continuity includes how African culture and religion was brought over to the Americas even after missionaries attempted to convert the imports to Christianity. There was much change and continuity over time involving the African Slave Trade. The Irish and British migrations around the world were caused many changes as well as continuity. Prior to the potato famine in the early 1700s, Ireland prospered from overseas trade with England. Then, a major potato famine struck the country’s food supply later in the century.

Many Irish migrated to America in search of a more constant food supply. Many British fled Britain in search of religious and individual freedoms. Of those who have settled in America by the late 1800s, a large influx of workers flooded factories from these European countries contributed to the start of an Industrial Revolution in America. The British sent their prisoners to their colony of Australia and Britain continued to use Australia as a penal colony to rid the prisoners from their own country. In relation to the slave trade, some colonists created plantations in America and used slaves to work the fields in order to exports back to their home country and make a profit. Continuity includes a constant flow of migrants from Britain and Ireland to the Americas. Irish culture was also brought over to America as both the British and the Irish searched for new religious beginnings. Therefore, from the period of 1700 to 1900 long-distance migrations such as the African Slave Trade and British and Irish to the Americas displayed much change and continuity. Change included the causes and the results of the migrations and continuity showed how culture and religion remained apart of those who migrated. As a total result, America is known as a “Melting Pot” due to the many migrations to America.