Without the flow of people, commodities, and ideas, economies would dwindle, cities would fail, and societies would deteriorate. Without greater mobility, people would struggle to support activities that depend on regional economies and other production variables. More specifically, when there is no movement of people due to calamities or restrictive laws, family output levels fall, economies weaken, and people's health statuses deteriorate, among other problems. The maintenance of the social fabric depends in large part on one's independence and mobility.
Increased mobility has significantly changed "the face of the American population" in the United States
Increased mobility has significantly changed "the face of the American population" in the United States and has had a variety of effects on the families in the country. Flora et al. note, that there were less than four billion people in America during the first decennial census that occurred in 1790 (26). As the masses expand, the reasons for increased mobility are further validated. Numerous scholars such as Rosa and Glazier have shown that upward trends in mobility have triggered affluence in some areas in the US, especially in urban settings (6). These movements of goods and people further exacerbate the differences between cities and rural places. In some cases, conflict may be a cause or effect of increased mobility, as in instances of refugee influxes. It is critical to examine the causes of the systematic variations of mobility and the consequences of these movements on American families from political, social, environmental, and economic platforms.
Demographic History of The United States During Limited Mobility
For one to understand how increased mobility has affected American families, it is imperative to understand the demographics of the nation when there were limited movement of goods, people, and ideas. More specifically, it is critical to analyze the demographic dynamics of the US, before and slightly after the declaration of independence. Before 1776, the modern United States of America were the thirteen British colonies. At that, the thirteen colonies had highly similar legal, political, and constitutional systems, a factor that further increased the colonies desire to unite as one country. Despite Britain’s emphasis on the policy of mercantilism, where local authorities worked for the benefit of the mother country, the thirteen colonies resisted London’ control and fostered a high degree of self-governance. Additionally, the colonies had a secure system for active local elections. Over time, these colonies united and spearheaded the American revolution, a period that increased the movement of goods and people.
Division of Labor
In antiquity, when mobility was extremely low, the typical Native American family mostly was Indian. According to Stillwell and Ham, the American Indian family’s structure and life were different and kept changing as the US’s contact with Europeans increased (5). Consequently, Europeans misunderstood, misconstrued, or misinterpreted the Indian customs. Increased mobility, primarily by Europeans, led to a blend of cultures that transformed the life and experiences of the typical American Indian family. For instance, Stillwell and Ham note that the two cultures clashed about division of the of labor (7). In the American Indian culture, women erected houses, grew crops, and managed homes while men engaged in war, fishing, and hunting. By contrast, the European culture considered fishing and hunting as recreational activities and thus criticized the American Indian culture. Although Europeans devalued the contribution of American Indian men, the increased mobility of European into America led to an increased demand for trading items such as hides and fur, a factor that made male hunters more critical than female farmers. Over the years, increased mobility would further transform the experiences of American families, especially about work. With increased mobility, more people moved from rural to urban settings.
War and Violence
As Stillwell and Maarten note, increased mobility leads to ethnic pluralism and cultural diversity, which may lead to either segregation or an integrated society (8). Following an influx of Europeans to America, a conflict arose between the native Americans and the invaders, a factor that led to war and violence. Ergler et al. note that the US may have witnessed over 40 wars that resulted from increased movement of people, weapons, food, and ideas (45). Similarly, Elena Fiddian-Quasmiyeh notes that conflicts triggered conflict-and-crisis, induced displacements that undoubtedly affected American families (32). As more Europeans moved to the United States, the Indian wars caused the deaths of more than 19,000 Europeans and over 30,000 Indians (Elena. The wars and crisis had social, political, and social effects on American families. First, family structures were distorted as many households lost male members. As the wars raged on, families sought refuge in other areas thus further affecting the structure of the average American families. Children parted with their parents and essential members of the family. As Chaon notes, family members face significant psychological trauma in the events of conflicts and wars (24).
Displacements and Disruptions
Immigration of Europeans into the US not only exacerbated war and violence among the Native Americans but also led to movements and disruptions of American families. While referring to the high immigration rates in ancient and contemporary American societies, Wilson Company noted that the US is inherently a nation of immigrants (6). In antiquity, a high influx of European immigrants pressurized native tribes to relocate and change their traditional lifestyles. As Fiddian notes, the mass displacement of people triggered numerous intellectual, institutional, political, and social challenges for the American families (46). The high rates of development-induced, environment-mobility nexus and conflict-and-crisis triggered displacements and significantly affected countless American families. Firstly, there was a high rate of infant and adult mortality, a factor that adversely impacted the economic and social position of a family. Over the years, increased mobility of Europeans into the US increased the levels of intermarriages thus leading to the extinction of ancient Indian cultures.
Slavery
The influx of the highly industrious Europeans into the US triggered the agricultural and industrial revolutions that in turn necessitated the availability of cheap labor. With the help of improved transport and communication devices such as ships and compasses, Europeans enhanced their mobility to other countries. In most cases, traders and explorers exchanged glass, silk, coins, and shells for slaves. Diverse scholars such as Fiddian-Qusmiyeh and Company Wilson opine that the American society is a nation of immigrants. Increased mobility of slaves, mostly from Africa, had substantial impacts on American families. Notably, a vast majority of early African Americans in the U.S. was forcefully separated from their nuclear and extended families. The American law did not recognize slaves’ families. Therefore, husbands would live separately from their wives as children would live independently from their parents. With increased mobility within continents and regions, most slaves did not have the opportunity to acquire formal education. To date, most African American families feel the impacts of forceful migration. For instance, the Black families record the highest incarceration rates, low literacy levels, and low economic standings compared to families from other ethnic groups. Undoubtedly, if not the increased mobility of slaves exacerbated by the innovation of ships and other transport devices, most African American families would have better economic opportunities, stronger social networks, and improved political positions. Arguably, the Black community would not be over-represented in incarceration institutions and underrepresented in education facilities as it is today.
Rural to Urban Migrations and Urbanization
Between the 19th and 20th centuries, the American society experienced significant transformation from a predominantly rural agrarian society to a robust industrial economy. Before the industrialization era, most American families were located in separate agricultural households and rural areas whose most efficient connection to the external world were horse-drawn wagons. According to Butler Flora, as a result of the isolation, most American families in the rural US had grown to be self-sufficient in clothing, food, among others (12). Given that the agricultural revolution preceded the industrial revolution, there were plenty of resources critical in manufacturing. People traveled to urban areas in large numbers to fill the emerging jobs opportunities that guaranteed better pay. As a result of increased mobility of people and goods, most American families experienced positive lifestyle changes. For instance, the number of households with communication devices, such as radios and television, increased. Also, families’ average income enlarged.
As Back noted, increased mobility of people from rural to urban areas alters the fertility rates among most American families (4). More specifically, there is a high correlation between urbanization and reduced fertility rates. In some American urban places, the death and birth rates are almost equal thus decreasing the population. Also, due to time and financial constraints in urban areas, most parents opt to have fewer children facilitated by the availability of advanced family planning drugs (Back 2). Unlike in rural settings where children are essential units of production, kids are of little use in urban environments and are expensive to cloth, feed, and house. Overall, increased mobility from rural to urban settings greatly affects the size, structures, and function of American families.
Works Cited
Back, Kurt Wolfgang. Family planning and population control: the challenges of a successful movement. Twayne, 1989.
Chaon, Dan. Among the missing. Ballantine Books, 2002
Ergler, Christina R., et al. Children’s health and well-being in urban environments. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2017
Fiddian-Qasmiyeh, Elena. The Oxford handbook of refugee and forced migration studies. Oxford University Press, 2016
Flora, Cornelia Butler, et al. Rural communities: legacy and change. Westview Press, 2016.
Rosa, Luigi De, and Ira A. Glazier. Migration across time and nations: population mobility in historical contexts. Holmes & Meier, 1986
Stillwell, John, and Maarten van Ham. Ethnicity and integration. Springer, 2013
Wilson Company, H.W. Immigration. Grey House Publishing, 2016.
