In this resource you will be exploring the reasons that large groups of people move from one area to another. You will also explore the results of those mass movements of people on their lives, culture, the places they settle in and the places they left.

Human Migration is not a new concept. Migration has always been a part of any society. This video takes a glimpse at some of the earliest migration:

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Source: The Earliest Human Migration, Mr. Porretta, Vimeo

As you move through this resource, here are some questions to keep in mind:

  1. What causes masses of people to move around the same time from and to the same place, in general?
  2. What happens to the people who participate in the mass movements? What happens to the people in the areas they move to?

This resource will examine three examples of migration: The Great Migration, The Partitioning of India, and Irish Migration to America.

Painting of three gates labeled: St. Louis, New York, and Chicago. The painting depicts a crowd of African-Americans filing through either of the gates.

Source: Lawrence-The Migration Series - Panel 1, Jacob Lawrence, National Endowment of the Arts

Image of a rail yard with two trains; many people are sitting on top of the cars of the train on the left. There are people lined up to enter the train on the right, and several rows of people are sitting on the flatbed on the right train.

Source: Partition 1, Wikipedia

Image of four sculptures of the famine memorial in Dublin.

Source: Famine memorial Dublin, Wikipedia