Human Migration, 193-Ă©MI
Human migration has been a part of humankindâs history for millenia. Voluntary migration has often been prompted by a search for better economic opportunities or housing. In other cases, however, large groups of people have been forced to abandon their homes as they flee war, famine, natural disasters, or political or religious persecution.
Human Migration Encyclopedia Articles By Title
1936â39 Arab Revolt in Palestine
1936â39 Arab Revolt in Palestine, popular Palestinian Arab uprising against British governance, driven largely......
2025â26 Minnesota ICE Deployment
Pres. Donald Trump surged back to the presidency in 2025 in part by pledging an unprecedented crackdown on unauthorized......
Abbott, Grace
Grace Abbott was an American social worker, public administrator, educator, and reformer who was important in the......
Abbott, Greg
Greg Abbott is an American Republican politician who serves as governor of Texas (2015â ). He previously was the......
Alligator Alcatraz
A once-unused airfield located in Big Cypress National Preserve, deep within the Florida Everglades, gained renewed......
American Colonization Society
American Colonization Society, American organization dedicated to transporting freeborn blacks and emancipated......
American Protective Association
American Protective Association (APA), in U.S. history, an anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant group that briefly acquired......
Angel Island Immigration Station
Angel Island Immigration Station, the principal immigration facility on the West Coast of the United States from......
Balch, Emily Greene
Emily Greene Balch was an American sociologist, political scientist, economist, and pacifist, a leader of the womenâs......
Balfour Declaration
Balfour Declaration, statement of British support for âthe establishment in Palestine of a national home for the......
barbarian invasions
barbarian invasions, the movements of Germanic peoples which began before 200 bce and lasted until the early Middle......
Beringia
Beringia, any in a series of landforms that once existed periodically and in various configurations between northeastern......
boat people
boat people, refugees fleeing by boat. The term originally referred to the thousands of Vietnamese who fled their......
Chinese Exclusion Act
Chinese Exclusion Act, U.S. federal law that was the first and only major federal legislation to explicitly suspend......
Chisholm, Caroline
Caroline Chisholm was a British-born Australian philanthropist. Caroline Jones married an officer in the East India......
Cuban Adjustment Act
Cuban Adjustment Act, U.S. federal law (November 2, 1966) that was enacted with the intent of allowing Cuban natives......
DACA
DACA, U.S. federal government policy established in 2012 through executive action by Pres. Barack Obama that allowed......
Darién Gap
Darién Gap, an approximately 60-mile (100-km) break in the Pan-American Highway, which otherwise runs continuously......
Delhi Pact
Delhi Pact, pact made on April 8, 1950, following the escalation of tension between India and Pakistan in East......
Diaspora
Diaspora, populations, such as members of an ethnic or religious group, that originated from the same place but......
Donald Trumpâs very busy calendar
Campaigning for president of the United States is a full-time job. There are speeches to deliver, debates to prepare......
emigration
emigration, the departure from a country for life or residence in another. See human...
European Voluntary Worker
European Voluntary Worker (EVW), a displaced person admitted into Great Britain between 1947 and 1950 in an effort......
Exodus
Exodus, the liberation of the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt in the 13th century bce, under the leadership......
federal indictment of Donald J. Trump (documents case)
On June 8, 2023, Donald J. Trump became the first former U.S. president to be indicted by a federal grand jury.......
federal indictment of Donald Trump (2020 election and January 6 attack)
In August 2023 Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States (2017â21) and the Republican nominee in the......
Genographic Project
Genographic Project, a nonprofit collaborative genetic anthropological study begun in 2005 that was intended to......
Georgia indictment of Donald Trump
On August 14, 2023, Donald Trump was charged in Georgia on 13 counts in connection with his attempt to overturn......
Global Commission on International Migration
Global Commission on International Migration (GCIM), organization established in December 2003 to promote global......
Great Famine
Great Famine, famine that occurred in Ireland in 1845â49 when the potato crop failed in successive years. The crop......
Great Migration
Great Migration, in U.S. history, the movement of millions of African Americans from rural communities in the South......
Great Trek
Great Trek, the emigration of some 12,000 to 14,000 Boers from Cape Colony in South Africa between 1835 and the......
Handlin, Oscar
Oscar Handlin was an American historian and educator noted for his examinations of immigration and other social......
Hanson, Pauline Lee
Pauline Lee Hanson is an Australian politician, known for her controversial views on race and immigration, who......
Herrera, Juan Felipe
Juan Felipe Herrera is an American poet, author, and activist of Mexican descent who became the first Hispanic......
Highland Clearances
Highland Clearances, the forced eviction of inhabitants of the Highlands and western islands of Scotland, beginning......
Hijuelos, Oscar
Oscar Hijuelos was an American novelist, the son of Cuban immigrants, whose writing chronicles the pre-Castro Cuban......
Homestead Act of 1862
Homestead Act of 1862, in U.S. history, significant legislative action that promoted the settlement and development......
How long was the voyage of the Mayflower?
The voyage of the Mayflower lasted 66 days. The square-rigged sailing ship embarked from Plymouth, England, on......
human migration
human migration, the permanent change of residence by an individual or group; it excludes such movements as nomadism,......
immigration
immigration, process through which individuals become permanent residents or citizens of another country. Historically,......
Indian Removal Act
Indian Removal Act, (May 28, 1830), first major legislative departure from the U.S. policy of officially respecting......
indictments of Donald Trump
In March 2023 Donald Trump became the first current or former U.S. president to be charged with a crime. In the......
Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees
Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees (IGCR or ICR), agency created in 1938 on the initiative of U.S. Pres. Franklin......
International Refugee Organization
International Refugee Organization, (IRO), temporary specialized agency of the United Nations that, between its......
International Rescue Committee
International Rescue Committee (IRC), international humanitarian aid organization based in the United States and......
Jewish Agency
Jewish Agency, international body representing the World Zionist Organization, created in 1929 by Chaim Weizmann,......
Jewish Diaspora
Jewish Diaspora, the dispersion of Jews among the Gentiles after the Babylonian Exile or the aggregate of Jews......
King, Carol Weiss
Carol Weiss King was an American lawyer who specialized in immigration law and the defense of the civil rights......
KingâCrane Commission
KingâCrane Commission, commission appointed at the request of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson during the Paris Peace......
Know-Nothing party
Know-Nothing party, U.S. political party that flourished in the 1850s. It was an outgrowth of the strong anti-immigrant......
Lambing Flat Riots
Lambing Flat Riots, (1860â61), wave of anti-Chinese disturbances in the goldfields of New South Wales, Australia,......
Law of Return
Law of Return, Israeli law, passed by the Knesset (parliament) in July 1950, that grants Jews the right to immigrate......
Levy, David
David Levy was an Israeli politician who was a leader of Israelâs Sephardic Jews and who held numerous government......
Mariel boatlift
Mariel boatlift, mass emigration of people from Cuba to the United States by boat in AprilâOctober 1980. After......
Mayflower
Mayflower, in American colonial history, the ship that carried the Pilgrims from England to Plymouth, Massachusetts,......
McWilliams, Carey
Carey McWilliams was an American editor who defended the civil rights of minorities and the oppressed in scores......
Mfecane
Mfecane, series of Zulu and other Nguni wars and forced migrations of the second and third decades of the 19th......
Miller, Stephen
Stephen Miller is a Republican political adviser who in November 2026 was promoted to the role of chief of staff......
Nansen International Office for Refugees
Nansen International Office for Refugees, international office opened by the League of Nations in 1931 to complete......
New York indictment of Donald Trump
On May 30, 2024, Donald Trump became the first former U.S. president to be convicted of criminal charges after......
Operation Wetback
Operation Wetback, U.S. immigration law enforcement campaign during the summer of 1954 that resulted in the mass......
Park, Robert E.
Robert E. Park was an American sociologist noted for his work on ethnic minority groups, particularly African Americans,......
Pire, Dominique
Dominique Pire was a Belgian cleric and educator who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1958 for his aid......
refugee
refugee, any uprooted, homeless, involuntary migrant who has crossed a frontier and no longer possesses the protection......
Save the Children
Save the Children, any of several independent, voluntary organizations that seek to provide both disaster and long-term......
Simpson, Sir John Hope
Sir John Hope Simpson was a British civil administrator in India and author of two of the earliest modern studies......
Today in HistoryâAugust 15: The Mayflowerâs First Attempt
On this day in 1620, the Mayflower and the Speedwell set out from Southampton, England, and headed for North America.......
Today in HistoryâFebruary 19: The Donner Partyâs Devastating Predicament
On this day in 1847, the first of four rescue teams arrived to save the famously ill-fated Donner party from where......
Today in HistoryâOctober 17: Albert Einstein Arrives in the United States
On this day in 1933, Albert Einstein arrived in the United States, never to return to his native Europe. The world-famous......
Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears, in U.S. history, the forced relocation during the 1830s of Eastern Woodlands Indians of the Southeast......
Trail of Tears: Routes, Statistics, and Notable Events
This infographic provides a map of the principal routes used during the Trail of Tears, the forced relocation during......
Trump, Donald
Donald Trump is a former real estate mogul and reality TV star who has served as the 45th and 47th president of......
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Office of the
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), organization established as the successor......
United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration
United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA), administrative body (1943â47) for an extensive......
United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement
United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, agency of the U.S. federal government that enforces laws governing......
westward movement
westward movement, the populating by Europeans of the land within the continental boundaries of the mainland United......
What Does the Catholic Church Say About Immigration?
In November 2025 a group of Roman Catholics gathered outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention......
What Were Contraband Camps?
For upward of 500,000 enslaved people, the path to freedom during the American Civil War (1861â65) involved a contraband......
Whatâs the Difference Between a Migrant and a Refugee?
Migrant and refugee are just two of the many terms we use to describe people who are seeking new homes in other......
White Australia policy
White Australia policy, in Australian history, fundamental legislation of the new Commonwealth of Australia that......
Ăbrego GarcĂa, Kilmar Armando
Kilmar Armando Ăbrego GarcĂaâs story involves the U.S. governmentâs extraordinary pursuit of a rather ordinary......
émigré
émigré, any of the Frenchmen, at first mostly aristocrats, who fled France in the years following the French Revolution......