Emigration

Around the mid 1850's mass emigration began from the Rhineland. The unequal distribution of public costs and the effects of increasing industrialization drove many tradesmen, day-labourers and small farmers to their ruin.

In the conurbations of the new industrial areas the social situation of workers deteriorated rapidly. The wave of emigration to the United States of America began. Agents started the structural organization of emigration. They smoothed the way for destitute clients onto the decks of the numerous, booked up emigrants' ships by means of "redemptioning". The redemptioner system enabled them to pay the costs of their ship's passage later in America. Bremerhaven developed into the most important German harbour for emigrants' ships.

A contemporary assessment underlines the significance of emigrating via Bremen-Bremerhaven:
"The Bremen shipping companies are based on the traffic in emigrants, the latter being the motivating force behind the former, and for its part the wholesale trade of Bremen depends on thriving shipping companies. This is the lesson of recent commercial history. On what date did Bremen's trade begin to thrive? When the merchant fleet was enlarged. And when did it emerge and grow to its present size? When the rich stream of German emigrants poured forth over Bermen and left us with golden traces of its blessing."
(Werbeschrift für das Auswandererhaus in Bremerhaven, 30. November 1849, Archiv der Handelskammer Bremen AL 2 Bd. 1,

Back to Exhibition Plan