What would it take for you to pack up just a few of your favorite things and move to another country for good? Do you think it would take war or hunger? Or being treated badly because of your religion, race, or political beliefs?
Or would you move just for the chance to make more money than you do now? Through history, people have become immigrants for these and other reasons. But no matter why, deciding to leave home is never easy. Close friends and family may be left behind, and maybe never seen again. You don’t know if your new country will welcome or reject you. Will you find work and a good home? Will you learn the new language and customs easily? These are just some of the challenges that face people who move to another country. They are called immigrants.
Humans have been on the move since prehistoric times. In one of the oldest known migrations, Asians came to the Americas. That was about 30,000 years ago. The first written record of a mass migration is in the Bible. It’s the story of the Jews, who left Egypt to find the Promised Land. Between 1800 and 1970, 40 million people left Europe for North America. That is now called the Atlantic Migration. Ever since the last part of the twentieth century, war and money troubles have created mass migrations of refugees.
Join Kids Discover. We’ll meet some brave people who have set out for new lands.
