Migration in America - Research Paper Example

Native American Migrations Although we started the topic with that of immigrant population, when considering the influential ethnic groups in the country it is only right to start with the natives of the country itself, the American Indians. In the early nineteenth century the native tribes of America were mostly concentrated in the agriculturally rich lands down south, west of the Mississippi river. As the United States starting growing in population and economic status, many of the white European settlers started moving towards the south in search of land and abundance.

The native settlers proved an obstacle to the white dominion of the land and subsequently between the years 1814 to the 1824, the native settlers were driven out of their homes. As a result of various treaties that were signed between the United States Government and the natives, they had to forfeit their ownership of their native lands, by virtue of the “right of occupancy” policy adopted by the then United States Government and, settle for lands further west. Some left willingly as a means of buying peace while other tribes fought for their freedom and stayed back in their lands.

Subsequently after many wars the Indians spread their tribes in faraway lands and forced to sell themselves to slavery. Today the Native American tribes live in government-sponsored reservations governed by their respective tribal heads and have undergone some urbanization. This migration is however not one effected by want for better economic conditions but is a forced migration. Therefore from a relative viewpoint, it has not effected much economic growth since the Native Americans still continue to be a minority population in the country.

African American Migrations The history of slavery in America started in the year 1808 and brought many of African ethnicity from different regions across the Atlantic as slaves to places like Oklahoma and the agrarian states down south of the Mississippi. Some others who escaped slavery moved to other parts along the coast. The slaves formed small communities and made their homes near their wealthy white masters, as they did not have any other means of survival. After the civil war and the abolition of slavery however the African American community started growing roots down south.

Racial tension and discrimination in a white dominated society gave vent to the Great Migration between the years 1810 to 1830. The oppressed slaves fled from their homes in search of freedom as well as livelihood in other parts in the Midwest like Chicago, North East like New York and New Jersey and far West like Los Angeles and San Francisco. Subsequent migrations in 1840 saw the African American population spreading themselves to other parts of the country. However most of the African American population still longed for their homes down.

Thus when the Civil Rights Act was passed, most African Americans migrated back to their homes with dreams of better economic and social conditions. The result of the first migrations saw great urbanization amongst the African Americans and in conditions which were less if not completely non-discriminatory. However with the new economic climate there is a trend of reverse migration back to south in search of lower cost of living and less pressures of urban life. The migratory pattern of the African American population is therefore driven by cultural and economic condition