Why do People Move?, part 3

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Why do People Move?, part 3

• Based on lesson Why Do People Move? From Middle
  School World Geography, National Council on
  Economic Education, 2004

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Andre Port-au-Prince, Haiti

• It is 1981. Andre and his family live in a
  village near Port-au-Prince. They do not believe
  in the policies of Haitis government, so the
  government is persecuting them. Andres family
  decides to go to America because they know their
  beliefs will be more accepted there. They have
  friends there who tell them work is available and
  Andre can attend school. Andres family is not
  wealthy. They cannot travel by airplane because
  they do not have their governments permission to
  leave Haiti. They must leave most of their
  possessions, their friends and many family
  members behind.

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• Andre
• PUSH
• Persecution
• PULL
• Acceptance
• BENEFITS
• Acceptance, possible work, education, friends
• COSTS
• Leaving home, family and friends new language
  and culture

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Thomas -- Ireland

• It is 1890. Thomas and his family live in
  southern Ireland. Thomass father wants his own
  land to farm, but because there is a shortage of
  good farm land, Thomass father has to lease land
  from a landlord. Thomass family is very poor
  even though they work hard as farmers. The
  family hears that America has good farmland, so
  they decide to emigrate to Oklahoma Territory.
  Although they do not have much money, they do
  have items they can barter for transportation.

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• Thomas
• PUSH
• Shortage of land
• PULL
• Availability of land
• BENEFITS
• Land ownership, access to food
• COSTS
• Giving up possessions, leaving family and friends

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Nguyen South Vietnam

• It is 1975. Nguyen and her family live in a
  village 20 miles from Saigon. The war between
  North and South Vietnam is almost over. It is a
  time of terrible hardship. Nguyens father knows
  that when the war ends, his family must make many
  changes he does not want to make. Nguyens
  family decides to migrate to America where they
  will be free. They have heard they will be able
  to find work and Nguyen can go to school. They
  are very poor with only a small amount of money
  to pay for their trip. They leave behind their
  possessions and friends.

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• Nguyen
• PUSH
• War
• PULL
• Freedom
• BENEFITS
• Freedom, possible jobs, education
• COSTS
• Leaving friends and family, learning new language
  and customs, travel expenses

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Alejandro Central Mexico

• It is 1910. Alejandro and his family live in a
  village in Central Mexico. A great revolution is
  going on, and it is very dangerous for
  Alejandros family. They decide to leave Mexico
  and travel to America where it is safe and where
  they will be able to find work. Alejandros
  family is very poor they have only a few
  possessions that they can barter for
  transportation to America. They do not speak
  English, but they have relatives in the United
  States.

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• Alejandro
• PUSH
• Revolution
• PULL
• Safety and jobs
• BENEFITS
• Safety, jobs
• COSTS
• Loss of possessions, new language and customs

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Naomi -- Russia

• It is 1884. Naomi and her family live in
  Russia. Her parents have tried running several
  businesses, but all failed. The government has
  forced them to live in a restricted area because
  they are Jewish. Naomis father emigrated to
  America and has sent money so his family can
  follow him. In his letters, he tells the family
  that work is available, workers are treated with
  respect and all children are allowed to go to
  school. The family must leave behind many
  relatives and friends, and all but a few of their
  possessions. Naomi, her mother and siblings do
  not speak English.

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• Naomi
• PUSH
• Persecution
• PULL
• Work, respect and education
• BENEFITS
• Freedom, jobs, education for children, family
  nearby
• COSTS
• Leaving family and friends, learning a new
  language and new customs, leaving possessions

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Yuri Ukraine

• It is 1995. Yuri and his family live in
  Ukraine. Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union,
  but now it is an independent country. Many
  families struggle to survive because food is
  scarce. Yuris father and mother are well
  educated, but few jobs are available. They
  decide to emigrate to the United States, to an
  area where other Ukraines are living and it is
  possible to find work. They also know their son
  can attend school and receive a good education.

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• Yuri
• PUSH
• Shortage of food and jobs
• PULL
• Jobs and education
• BENEFITS
• Possible jobs, friends already there, education
• COSTS
• Leaving behind family and friends, learning new
  language and customs

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• What would you do?
• Would you and your family make the same decision
  they did?
• How would you feel about moving to another
  country?

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U. S. Immigration DataTop 20 Countries of
Birth, FY 2002
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Mexico is 1

• The largest number of people who immigrated to
  the U.S. were from Mexico.
• 219,380 people came
• from Mexico to the U.S.
• in FY 2002.
• 51 of the immigrants
• in Oklahoma are from
• Mexico.

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Why come to the U.S. from Mexico?

• Mexicos per capita income (income per person)
  was 9,000 in 2003

• U.S. per capita income (income per person) was
  37,800 in 2003

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Why come to the U.S.?

• More opportunities
• More income
• Higher standard of living,
• and oftentimes,
• To be with family
• members who
• already live here.

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Push Pull Factors

• PULL
• More income
• Higher standard of living
• To be with family members
• PUSH
• Higher level of poverty
• Lack of jobs and education
• Lower standard of living

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How do other countries compare?

• Select one of the Top 20 countries from which
  immigrants come to the United States
• Visit the CIA World Fact Book. List push and
  pull factors that would influence your decision
  to move from the selected country to the United
  States
• http//www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/

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Top 20 Countries
Bosnia-Herzegovina Cuba Haiti South Korea Russia
Canada Dominican Republic India Mexico Ukraine
China El Salvador Iran Pakistan United Kingdom
Columbia Guatemala Jamaica Philippines Vietnam
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Review Questions

• What are the primary reasons immigrants come to
  the United States?
• What are the benefits of moving to the United
  States?
• What are the costs of moving to the United
  States?
• What push pull factors did you identify?
• What could the United States do to reduce the
  number of immigrants?
• Should the United States limit the number of
  immigrants?

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Assessment

• Your mother is offered
  a new job with more money
• You will need to move 1,000
  miles from here
• New city is bigger
• It has many theaters, parks, museums and shopping
  centers
• It has two major league sports teams
• It is near the ocean

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• It has excellent schools
• Your grandparents live 30
  minutes away from the new city
• You have lived in the same place all of your life
• You and your brother have lots of friends here
• You just made the soccer team at school and will
  play on a neighborhood team this summer

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• Your father will have no problem finding a job in
  the new city but it may take him time to rebuild
  his list of clients
• Housing in the new city is more expensive so your
  family will need to buy a smaller house
• Your mother wont move unless
• the family agrees to go.

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• What should your family do?
• How do you feel about the move?
• List the costs and benefits
• of making this move.
• Is your decision a push
• or pull migration?
• Explain your answers.

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Summary

• Because we have unlimited wants and limited
  resources, we must make choices.
• As with any decision we make, people analyze the
  costs and benefits of various alternatives before
  making a decision to migrate.
• Why do people move?

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Additional Resources

• www.ocee-ok.org
• Oklahoma Council on Economic Education
• www.ncee.net
• National Council on Economic Education
• www.econedlink.org
• Econ Ed Link, part of the Marco Polo Project a
  source of classroom tested, Internet-based
  lessons for grades K-12
• http//www.usgs.gov
• Online source for maps, lesson plans and other
  educational resources

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for additional information..

• Sue Lynn Sasser, PhD
• President, Oklahoma Council on Economic Education
• 100 N. University Drive, Box 103
• Edmond, OK 73034
• 405.974.5627
• ssasser_at_ucok.edu