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Year 10
Edexcel

Migration to 18th and 19th century Britain

I can explain the reasons for, and the experiences and impacts of, migration to Britain in the 18th and 19th centuries.

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Year 10
Edexcel

Migration to 18th and 19th century Britain

I can explain the reasons for, and the experiences and impacts of, migration to Britain in the 18th and 19th centuries.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The Industrial Revolution, expansion of empire and increasing civil liberties in Britain led to increasing migration.
  2. Migrant experiences varied, but depended largely how much they could contribute to the economy.
  3. Migrants had the most significant impact on the economy, politics and built environment.

Keywords

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

  • Ayah - a nurse, maid or nanny who is usually of Indian descent

  • Civil liberties - a person’s right to be subject to laws that are only for the good of the community

  • Refugee - a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution or natural disaster

Common misconception

All migrants in the 18th and 19th centuries migrated for economic reasons and led successful lives in Britain as a result.

Although most migrants settled for economic reasons, the expansion of the British Empire and greater civil liberties also attracted a greater number of migrants in this period.

When explaining the reasons for migration, you should make sure to draw out how the reasons weave together, for example, the expansion of empire required the Industrial Revolution to keep trade growing.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

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

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

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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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Complete the sentence: Antisemitism exploded into violent after the assassination of the Russian Tsar, Alexander II, in 1881.
Correct Answer: pogroms, pogrom
Q2.
Why did many Jewish migrants choose to settle in Britain in the 19th century?
Correct answer: escaping antisemitism that was raging across Eastern Europe
fleeing wars that were raging across Western Europe
Correct answer: could not afford the fare to travel to America
Correct answer: the Industrial Revolution had created jobs for unskilled workers
wanted to share their metal working skills
Q3.
Complete the sentence: Many unskilled Jewish migrants who settled in the East End worked in as cloth makers, shoemakers and furniture makers.
Correct Answer: sweatshops
Q4.
How much support did the Board for the Guardians for the Relief of the Jewish Poor provide Jewish migrants with in 1908?
£2700
£25 700
Correct answer: £27 500
£2500
Q5.
How were Jewish migrants perceived by many English workers in the East End?
They were welcomed for their skills.
They were seen as refugees who should be helped.
Correct answer: They were blamed for increasing crime rates.
Correct answer: They were blamed for driving down wages.
Q6.
Which of the following are examples of the ways in which Jewish migrants impacted the built environment of the East End?
Correct answer: The Jewish Lads Brigade (JLB) was founded.
Correct answer: The Jewish Free School moved from north London to the East End.
Correct answer: Five Russian vapour baths were erected in the East End.
The East End became a centre for garment production.
The Board for the Guardians for the Relief of the Jewish Poor was set up.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which word describes a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution or natural disaster?
Correct Answer: refugee, refugees
Q2.
Complete the sentence: The Industrial Revolution, expansion of the British Empire and increasing in Britain led to increasing migration in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Correct Answer: civil liberties, civil liberty
Q3.
Why did the verdict of the 1772 Somerset case lead to increased migration?
it granted Catholics the right to own land and join the army
it joined Ireland and England as the United Kingdom
Correct answer: it made the forceful transport of an African out of England illegal
Q4.
Which group of European migrants came with the newly crowned King George I to Britain in 1714?
Correct answer: German migrants
Italian migrants
French migrants
Q5.
Which group of migrants came from wealthier backgrounds but had largely negative experiences in Britain?
Indian lascars and ayahs
German migrants
Correct answer: French migrants
Irish Catholics
Q6.
Match the example to the migrant impact on Britain.
Correct Answer:politics,Dadabhai Naoroji became a Member of Parliament (MP) in 1892

Dadabhai Naoroji became a Member of Parliament (MP) in 1892

Correct Answer:economy,Irish navvies’ contribution to the building of railways and canals

Irish navvies’ contribution to the building of railways and canals

Correct Answer:built environment,the establishment of Russian vapour baths in the East End

the establishment of Russian vapour baths in the East End

Correct Answer:politics,petitioning by the Irish community led to the 1829 Emancipation Act

petitioning by the Irish community led to the 1829 Emancipation Act

Correct Answer:economy,by 1750 there were over 80 German-owned sugar refineries in Britain

by 1750 there were over 80 German-owned sugar refineries in Britain

Correct Answer:built environment,a German hospital was opened in Hackney in London in 1845

a German hospital was opened in Hackney in London in 1845

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