Chapter 8 Assessment: Migration to the United States Name: ____________________
When people move from one place to another it is called migration. Immigrants are people who leave one country and move to another.
The Push-Pull theory is used to explain why people migrate. It says people migrate because certain things in their lives “push” them to leave. An example is armed conflict. People try to escape violent conditions by fleeing a country ravaged by war. Sometimes changes in a government may force people to leave.
For instance, in 1959 there was revolution in Cuba. Some Cubans didn’t like their new leaders so they fled to America to find safety and a better life. Natural disasters like drought and earthquakes can also be push factors.
What about the “pull” part of the theory? The hope of better conditions “pulls” people to a new country. For instance, job opportunities and the chance to earn a better living often pull people into the United States. Educational opportunities also pull people to new countries.
When people move from one place to another it is called migration. Immigrants are people who leave one country and move to another.
The Push-Pull theory is used to explain why people migrate. It says people migrate because certain things in their lives “push” them to leave. An example is armed conflict. People try to escape violent conditions by fleeing a country ravaged by war. Sometimes changes in a government may force people to leave.
For instance, in 1959 there was revolution in Cuba. Some Cubans didn’t like their new leaders so they fled to America to find safety and a better life. Natural disasters like drought and earthquakes can also be push factors.
What about the “pull” part of the theory? The hope of better conditions “pulls” people to a new country. For instance, job opportunities and the chance to earn a better living often pull people into the United States. Educational opportunities also pull people to new countries.
- The reading passage indicates that an immigrant is:
- A person who fights in wars
- A person who leaves one country and moves to another
- A person who likes revolutions
- A person who suffered starvation
Two examples from history:
Irish Immigrants
The push-pull theory can be used to explain the great Irish immigration in the 1840’s and 1850’s. In those years, 1.5 million people left Ireland for the United States. Why did so many Irish people come to America? Ireland was a farming nation. In the 1840’s, disease destroyed its main crop –the potato. Hunger and starvation pushed people to migrate. In addition, England ruled Ireland harshly. Many Irish were persecuted because they were poor and uneducated. There were very few ways for Irish people to improve their lives, so many decided to move to the United States where job opportunities were plentiful.
Irish Immigrants
The push-pull theory can be used to explain the great Irish immigration in the 1840’s and 1850’s. In those years, 1.5 million people left Ireland for the United States. Why did so many Irish people come to America? Ireland was a farming nation. In the 1840’s, disease destroyed its main crop –the potato. Hunger and starvation pushed people to migrate. In addition, England ruled Ireland harshly. Many Irish were persecuted because they were poor and uneducated. There were very few ways for Irish people to improve their lives, so many decided to move to the United States where job opportunities were plentiful.
- The reading passage indicates that the Irish were persecuted because
- They ate too many potatoes
- They were uneducated and poor
- They wanted to leave to the United States
- They caused a disease to destroy the potato crop
- Which of the following is a conclusion you can make from the graph?
- No Irish immigrants come to the United States today
- Most Irish immigrants came to the United States in 1890
- Fewer Irish immigrants came than Vietnamese immigrants
- The greatest number of Irish came around 1850