The culture and population in United States is linked to migration. Migration is the movement of people from one region to another with an aim of permanently or temporarily settling in the new location. It is through migration which has intrigued my ancestors to settle in the present geographies in United States. However, for proper understanding of the American migration process, there is need to provide a definition of certain key terms:
- Geographies - It is the nature and arrangement of regions and physical features.
- Push-Pull factors – Are factors which drives people away from a place as well as drawing them to new locations.
- Population – The number of people living in United States.
The Family is a very important aspect of life. It is a social group made up of parents and their children. When history is taken into consideration, my mother was an Irish Americans whose ancestors settled in North America while my father was an Indian-American whose ancestors settled in Northeast part of United States. Even though history depicts that my father was from India, his ancestral route is linked to Northern Africa and slave trade since the skin pigmentation and culture does not reflect that of a typical Indian.
Being from Indian origin, my father was among the Native Americans. The earliest recorded Indian American in United States was from Madras who came to visit Massachusetts in 1790s (Lader & Hamilton, 1999). Afterwards, several Indians were brought by sea to serve in their households as servants. In the middle years, a number of Indians did migrate into the Northwest part of United States and Canada. The group which did migrate comprise of the Sikhs and Punjab. They played a vital role in laying the railroad in the western part of US while some worked as lumberyards. The key reasons for their migration in America from India were to work and save money which they were to send back home for their families. Besides, some were to relinquish their land to the British landlord in Punjab since they could not be able to pay taxes imposed unto them by the British rulers (Barrett & Markowitz, 2004). Besides, due to intense drought, their crops were destroyed and they were still expected to pay taxes by the British government, a situation which led to the confiscation of their lands. Since they were subjected to a high level of frustrations, most young men migrated to America since the colonial government blocked all avenues for formal employment (Olson & Olson, 2011). The Indians were the favorites for the lumber mill owners since they could work long hours for low wages. However, as European migrants started to come to Northwest part America, the immigrants from India was seen as non-Americans. These led to the formation of a movement which banned them from working in the lumberyards. These forced them to move to the Northern California to work on the farms. Over time, some saved enough money to buy plots which was unfit for a white man's habitation. However, the unsuccessful Indians and Indians in general were forced to move to the slums where they settled along Bellingham in Washington State. The movement continued and frustrations from state officials until my ancestors originally from Punjab finally settled in northeast part of United states specifically North Carolina. The Northeast part covers the states in Canada and maritime, south to Ohio River and to North Carolina. The topography of the land is rolling and the Appalachian Mountains provide some steep slopes.
On the other hand, my mum was from Irish origin. The Irish history began in late 16th century when the petty criminals and beggars were transported to West Indies. Later they were joined by the prisoners of war who evacuated Ireland after Oliver Cromwell's conquest. In the year 1720, most of the scots-Irish immigrated to North America. It was in Philadelphia which was the destination ports for the Irish Immigrants (Olson & Olson, 2011). They later moved to the Appalachian regions of Ohio, New England, Georgia and Carolina where they settled and practiced farming traditions. The number of Immigrants continued until in the year 1790s, the total population totaled to 3.1 million and almost a half of the population (447000) were estimated to be from Irish Ancestry. Most of the Irish immigrants were skilled labor (artisans or professionals), a factor which enabled them to assimilate and prospered at a faster rate. In the year 1840s, the Irish famine broke out which also led to a massive immigration into the United States. Therefore, my ancestors in my mum's blood line were among the team of skilled professional who was linked to the construction of the infrastructure project of Erie Canal (Olson & Olson, 2011).
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Order an essayThe origin and settlement of both family members is very vital in understanding our roots and the manner in which our ancestors struggled for us to enjoy the freedom we have today. My father's origin was marred by frustrations and struggle to work for cheap labor so as to make ends meet. On the other hand, due to hunger strike, criminal issues and war, my mother's ancestors found their roots in North America too. Therefore, it is due to migration which has led to the formulation of a beautiful family which I enjoy today. Due to interactions and intermarriages, the original cultures become an extinct as people were adopting new modern cultures.
References
Barrett, C. A., & Markowitz, H. (2004). American Indian culture. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press.
de Blij, Harm J. and Peter O. Muller. 2010. Geography: Realms, regions, and concepts. 14th edition. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Getis, A, Getis, J. and J. Fellmann. (2009). Introduction to geography. 12th edition. New York: McGraw Hill.
History of Indians In The Us. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.shamit.org/Articales/history_of_indians_in_the_us.htm
Irish American history: immigration from the 17th century to 1845. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/Irish-American-history.html
Lader, C., & Hamilton, L. (1999). Painless American history. Hauppauge, NY: Barron's.
Olson, J. S., & Olson, B. H. (2011). The Ethnic Dimension in American History. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
