Lesson 20: Migration from Central America

April 13, 2026

Review:

• Presentations
• Schedule
  • This week – Latin America
  • Next week – Review and Exam 3

Presentation:

• Geography of Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean
  • Map Quiz
  • Countries: Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico.
• Migration
  • Why do people emigrate from their home country to another country?
    • It’s a Push-Pull decision
    • There’s usually a “Push” (reason to leave), and
    • There’s usually a “Pull” (reason to choose the destination)
  • Greatest sources of migration to the US
    • Germans and Scandanavians (1840-1880s)
      • Push = Population growth limited farming opportunity (not enough land)
      • Pull = Farmland (Homestead Act)
      • Destination = Rural Northern Plains (Wisc, Minn, Iowa) for Scandanavians
      • Destination = Rural Midwest (Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri) for Germans
    • Irish (1845-1860s)
      • Push = potato famine crisis, rural poverty (loss of rural livelihoods)
      • Pull = Demand for labor and factory jobs in the U.S.
      • Destination = Northeast US cities including NYC, Boston, Philadelphia
    • Italians (1880-1914 …disrupted by WWI)
      • Push = Population growth and economic depression in rural Southern Italy
      • Pull = Demand for labor and factory jobs in the U.S.
      • Destination = Northeast US cities including NYC, Boston, Philadelphia
    • Polish (1880-1914 …disrupted by WWI)
      • Push = loss of rural livelihoods + political instability (controlled by Russia/Germany) + cultural marginalization and, for some groups (Jewish), persecution.
      • Pull = Demand for labor and factory jobs in the U.S.
      • Destination = Midwest US cities including Chicago, Detroit
    • Latin America (1980s to present)
      • Push = poverty (low wages) + political instability (varies by country) + violence
      • Pull = higher wages and plentiful job opportunities in agriculture, construction
      • Destination = Agricultural areas, especially during harvest + Cities with construction activity and service jobs
  • Migration Networks
    • The “Pull” for a destination increases as networks are established
    • Improved odds of successful settlement and community integration
    • A place to land and connections to job opportunities

Activity:

• Central America Migration Analysis
  • Four groups focused on El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, respectively
  • Each group completes the worksheet handout for an assigned country
  • Regroup for class discussion

Assignment:

• Watch Northern Triangle: The Origins of America’s Migrant Crisis (Foreign Policy Association, 26:46)
• Optional watch Which Way Home (1:22:10)