Agencies for the promotion or facilitation of emigration from England to the United States, 1815-1861

Abstract

When emigrants began to leave England for the United States in numbers after 1815 there grew up various agencies to facilitate their passage, or to promote the emigration of others. An important part was played by those engaged in the emigrant trade, particularly the passenger brokers. It was in their interest to induce as many as possible to emigrate, and by making the arrangements for the journey they performed a valuable service for the emigrant. But the great numbers leaving the country led to the growth of abuses, especially in Liverpool, and to check the impositions on emigrants government agents were allowed in the ports. Emigration was promoted by several groups of people who expected to secure some personal advantage from the departure of the emigrants. The disproportionate number of paupers in the population of the agricultural counties of southern England under the old poor law caused some parish authorities to finance the emigration of their surplus labourers. The movement began in the depression after 1815, and died away after the passing of the Poor Law amendment Act. In the 1840s and 1850s some of the trade sociesties which were suffering from a surplus of workmen made provision for their emigration, only to abandon the emigration benefit when it proved ineffectual. The continued interest in emigration encouraged the formation of societies and companies, either self-help, philanthropic or speculative, to help the emigrant, or to direct him to some particular location. Many emigrant guide books were offered, the majority written by persons interested in promoting emigration. Some attempt was made by individual employers of labout in the United States to import skilled workers from England, and towards the end of the period the states and land-grants railroads were just beginning to promote immigration, although their major efforts were not made until after the Civil War.