Manufacturing Labor

1870
Urban areas
Irish immigrants
German immigrants
Scandinavian immigrants
British and Canadian immigrants
Immigrants, urban development, 1870 map

  Now Hiring
Industrial manufacturing requires large quantities of iron and coal, but lots of workers are also needed, to tend every machine at every step in the process. Southern plantation-owners had slaves to work their fields, but Northerners are now blessed with a different source of cheap labor. Immigrants. The first indication that manufacturing is beginning to sweep the nation is the appearance of the first urban centers (ORANGE).

Immigrant destinations, 1870 map

  A Strictly Northern Phenomenon
America absorbed previous waves of immigrants, particularly from Germany. But the industrial period after the Civil War is powered largely by a fresh wave of immigration from northern Europe. This includes new arrivals from Britain and Canada, but a much larger flood of Irish refugees from the Great Potato Famine. In addition, there are continuing streams of immigrants arriving from Germany and (somewhat later) Norway and Sweden. Almost all settle in the North. 


Irish in the Northeast, 1870 map

  Luck of the Irish
The terrible seven-year famine in Ireland prior to the Civil War produces an initial wave of two million starving Irish immigrant destinations, almost all arriving in Boston and New York. But the following 40 years brings an additional half-million every 10 years. That's a lot of new mouths to feed, but factories and mines soak up the vast majority, with little difficulty. Even those who arrive unable to speak English blend in fairly quickly. 


Germans across the Midwest, 1870 map

  Beer Comes to America
To this day, Americans with at least partial German blood now outnumber those whose ancestors came from any other country. Although they soon spread across most northern states, many Germans select Wisconsin as their new home. They leverage their knowledge of beer-making to make Milwaukee the beer capital of America (and some claim, the world). Many also work in factories and mines.


Scandinavians, Upper Midwest, 1870 map

  Late to the Party
Immigrants from the Scandinavian countries of Norway and Sweden arrive just a bit later, reaching a peak in 1870, and again in 1890. Coming from far northern lands with long winters and short summers, they find Minnesota and Wisconsin to their liking. They often remain in tight-knit communities, with little outreach to surrounding areas. Most are farmers, including a small subset of Norwegian 'bachelor' farmers.


English-speaking immigrants, 1870 map

  Brits as Well
There is also a continuing stream of immigrants from Canada, Britain and Wales and Canada. Canada formally declared independence from Britain right after the Civil War. As native-English-speakers, they blend in so easily that their arrival is seldom noticed.