New
New
Year 10
Edexcel

Case study: Liverpool in the 19th century

I can explain the reasons for increasing migration to Liverpool, the experiences of these migrants and the impact of these migrants on Liverpool.

New
New
Year 10
Edexcel

Case study: Liverpool in the 19th century

I can explain the reasons for increasing migration to Liverpool, the experiences of these migrants and the impact of these migrants on Liverpool.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Irish migrants made up most of the migrant community in Liverpool, most migrating as a result of the Great Famine.
  2. African and Caribbean sailors would settle in Liverpool, looking for work when they were not hired for return trips.
  3. Life for migrants in Liverpool was often positive, as the large existing migrant community provided many opportunities.
  4. Migrants in Liverpool had a significant impact on the local and national economy.

Keywords

  • Transatlantic Slave Trade - the trade between Europe, West Africa and the Americas, where goods were exchanged for enslaved people who were sold onto plantations in European colonies

  • Lascar - a sailor, usually from Britain’s colonies across Africa and Asia

  • Emancipation - the act of being set free from legal, social or political restrictions

Common misconception

All migrants in Liverpool were from Ireland.

While Irish migrants made up most of the migrant community in Liverpool, there were also a growing number of African and Caribbean sailors who settled in the city.

Emphasise that life for migrants in Liverpool was often more positive, that this is often typical of places with large, established migrant communities. This often provides them safety to maintain autonomy in various ways, for example, practising Catholicism.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which word describes a sailor, usually from Britain’s colonies across Africa and Asia?
Correct Answer: lascar, lascars
Q2.
Which of the following places were considered British colonies by 1700?
Correct answer: Ireland
India
Correct answer: the ‘Thirteen Colonies’
China
Correct answer: Barbados and Jamaica
Q3.
What was the significance of the 1778 Papist Act?
gave Irish people in England the right to vote
Correct answer: gave Irish migrants increasing civil liberties
meant that Ireland was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Q4.
Who was known for criticising British rule in India in their role as a Member of Parliament (MP)?
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Correct answer: Dadabhai Naoroji
George Africanus
Sir Mancherjee Bhownaggree
Q5.
Which migrant group's contribution to the building of railways and canals was essential for Britain’s Industrial Revolution?
Indian ayahs
Correct answer: Irish navvies
African migrants
Q6.
Complete the sentence: Families who employed for the journey back to Britain tended to abandon the women as soon as they returned home.
Correct Answer: ayahs, ayah

6 Questions

Q1.
Which word describes the trade between Europe, West Africa and the Americas, where goods were exchanged for enslaved people who were sold onto plantations in European colonies?
Correct Answer: Transatlantic Slave Trade, the Transatlantic Slave Trade, Atlantic Slave Trade
Q2.
Which word describes the act of being set free from legal, social or political restrictions?
Correct Answer: emancipation, emancipated
Q3.
Why was there a significant wave of Irish migrants to Britain in the 1840s?
Correct answer: natural disaster
war
religious persecution
Q4.
Why was Liverpool an attractive place for migrants to settle in the 19th century?
good quality housing
Correct answer: economic opportunities
education opportunities
Q5.
Other than Irish migrants, which migrant group also chose to settle in Liverpool in the 19th century?
Italian migrants
German migrants
Correct answer: African and Caribbean lascars
Flemish and Walloon migrants
Q6.
How did the migrant community in Liverpool impact the British economy?
settled in close-knit communities
Correct answer: opened a variety of businesses
Correct answer: built canals and railways throughout Britain
attended British universities

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