Question:
Anyone know the story of what caused the waves of English immigration at this time?
I know a many English immigrants came to Ohio after the War of 1812.
But what caused this wave as well?
I am more interested in the 1830's though.
Answer:
Opportunity. The poverty of the English lower classes in this period
was dreadful. The American economy was expanding and the vast tracts
of land available in the West created opportunities that simply did
not exist in England. I have read (though I cannot cite the source)
of a young immigrant writing to his friends in Europe that in only a
few years of work for wages in America, one could save enough to buy
a good-sized farm free and clear.
In addition, there were many Englishmen who chafed under the class
structure there. "Republican" ideas had more of a following in
England than is often recognized now. (By "republican", I mean the
idea of civil equality of all persons, no aristocracy, no monarchy,
no established church.)
I hope you all remember that Thomas Paine was English. However, long
before him, there were the Levellers: an important movement for equality
and the Rights of Man. They were mainly soldiers of the Parliamentary
Army during the English Civil War.
Levellers weren't into 'equality' in absolute terms.
No votes for 'servants', which seems to mean anyone who worked for wages.
Or for Women.
Or Roman Catholics.
Seventeenth century Protestant radicals are a bit odd. Some things they
believe in are a bit abhorrent to us, others are understandable.
Also there were people here, such as the LDS under Brigham Young, that
sent agents to poor English cities to recruit and ship new converts --
though I'm not sure to what extent they were informed about differences
between Mormonism and Christianity, as I'm doubtful that many were told
they'd be expected to push a wheelbarrow for 1000 miles on foot through
unfamiliar and often inhospitable territory to reach Utah, where they'd
be expected to live, breed, work and die under the "divine tutelage" of
the Deseret sheik.
Granted, I'm not specifically answering the question about Englishfolk
immigrating _to Ohio in the 1830s_, but doubt Young invented too much.
Advertising has always had a big part in bring cheap labor over here.
