Scandinavian immigration to the United States and Canada

Scandinavian immigration to the United States and Canada English in the United States and Canada So. Se 2006 Katariina Laitinen

General § Most Scandinavian immigrants to North America from Norway and Sweden - 1830 -1930: two and a half million emigrants from the Nordic countries (5 % of the European total) § Many immigrants travelled via Britain; several hundreds of the passengers who died on Titanic were Swedes or Finns (3 rd class tickets) § 3. 7 % (11 -12 million people) of U. S. residents have Scandinavian ancestors - Scandinavians represent about 6% of the white population in the USA and more than 25% of the white population of the Upper Midwest § 160. 000 Americans speak a Scandinavian language at home

Reasons for immigration § Poverty, unemployment, political conditions at home § Religious reasons: - persecution (Quakers in Norway) - converts (Mormons in Denmark) § Similarity of climate (especially in Canada) § employment possibilities - America had “abundant natural resources and a lack of work force”

Swedish immigration § Between 1846 -1930 1. 3 million (20%) of the Swedish population left the country United States (1840 -1910): Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois § In the beginning of the 20 th century, Minnesota had the highest ethnic Swedish population in the world after the city of Stockholm § 8 million Swedish-Americans today - over half a million still speak the language Canada: Western Canada from northern Ontario to British Columbia 1 st wave from the end of the 19 th century until WW 1 2 nd wave between the World Wars 3 rd wave since the 1950 s § 300. 000 people in the Swedish-Canadian community west of Lake Superior, primarily in Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver - 20. 000 Swedish speakers

Norwegian immigration § Between 1825 and 1925, more than 800. 000 (about 1/3 of Norway's population) Norwegians immigrated to America United States (1850 -1920 s): Wisconsin, Minnesota, the Dakotas § More than 4. 5 million Norwegian-Americans today - mostly live in the Upper Midwest or in the Pacific states of Washington, Oregon, and California Canada (same time): Alberta, Saskatchewan § 360. 000 Canadians of Norwegian ancestry today

Danish and Icelandic immigration § Denmark: Utah, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Kansas § Between 1820 and 1920 over 300, 000 immigrants came from Denmark - Mormon recruits had a fertile soil in Denmark, because there was a freedom of religion >> converts § Danes were the least cohesive group of Scandinavian immigrants and quickly disappeared into the melting pot § Iceland: southern Manitoba (“New Iceland”), Minnesota, Utah, Wisconsin, Washington, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia § During the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries, thousands of Icelanders emigrated to North America

Finnish immigration United States § The Great Migration of Finns 1870 -1930 >> over 300. 000 immigrants from Finland - 1867 severe crop failure in Finland >> migration via Norway to United States § most Finnish emigrants were from impoverished rural regions of Ostrobothnia, but also from Northern Savonia and Thorne Valley § The US set up quotas to Finnish immigrants in the 20 s >> immigration to Canada instead § 80 % of Finnish immigrants in America went to the United States, 20 % to Canada § Most immigrants young, unmarried men - later more immigrants were married and the whole family moved to the new country

§ Destination: Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin - strong Finnish-American culture in Duluth and Detroit - in Hancock, Michigan still bilingual street signs (Finnish/English) § another Finnish community in Lake Worth, Florida § Americans of Finnish origin 800. 000 - actual Finnish speakers 20. 000 -50. 000 Canada § Finns started coming to Canada in the early 1880 s, the flow continued to the middle of the 20 th century >> 80. 000 immigrants § Destination: Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec § Number of Finnish-Canadians today: 114. 000 (2001) § the largest concentration of Finnish Canadians in Thunder Bay

Reasons for Finnish emigration § many emigrants from impoverished rural areas - Finland, a Grand Duchy of Imperial Russia, excluded from the industrialisation process § Many traditional professions lost their meaning § Unemployment was rising because of population growth; not much land left to cultivate § The eldest son inherited the farm, and younger siblings had to earn their living elsewhere § 1899: a campaign for Russification of Finland § Earlier migrants sent letters to home and encouraged new people to go § Professional recruiters were employed by mining and shipping companies

Attitudes and influences at home § The officials disapproved emigration at first, because there worries on its influence on the Finnish population - also some newspapers frowned upon the phenomenon, while others supported it § Change in the structure of the population - lower birth rate and a great number of old people § Eased the pressure at the job market § The immigrants sent money and packages home - products that were hard to get in Finland § Returning immigrants brought their earnings and new inventions to Finland

Life in the new country § Men worked in mining, construction and the forest industry; women as maids - Finns had to settle with less-skilled jobs, because they had more problems with the English language than other Scandinavians § Newly arrived Finns quickly became involved in political organisations, churches, athletic clubs and other forms of associational life § Most Finnish migrants had planned to stay only a few years in North America, but only about 20 % returned - 10. 000 Finns returned to Soviet Union in the 1920 s-30 s for ideological reasons

Language § In some cases the immigrants started learning English already in the home country (Danish Mormons) § Finns had more problems with English than other Scandinavians - In many immigrant families the parents spoke Finnish and the children English (learned in school) § religious, social, and cultural activities in the mother tongue - organizations: Dansk Broderskab (Danish Brotherhood), Vasa Order of America (Swedish) § Periodicals in the native language - Danish-Norwegian newspaper “Bikuben” (The Beehive) in Salt Lake City - Finnish-Canadian weeklies “Canadan Sanomat” ‘Canadian News’ in Thunder Bay and “Vapaa Sana” ‘Free Speech’ in Sudbury

Suomi College (Finlandia University) § Located in Hancock, Michigan § Founded by Finnish immigrants in 1896 - the only college founded by Finns in the United States § provides a college education in a Christian environment § Education rooted in liberal arts § Offers degrees in Fine Arts, Business Administration, Finnish, History, Nursing, Social Science, English etc.

Finnish-American Heritage Center (FAHC) § At Finlandia University in Hancock, Michigan § offers a variety of exhibits, lectures, plays, musical programs and community events § the Finnish American Historical Archive has the largest collection of Finnish-North American materials in the world - includes genealogical resources, information about Finnish culture, artifacts, and North America's largest collection of Finnish-American artwork § annual events: Finnish Independence Day, the City of Hancock's Heikinpäivä festival, the university's Nordic Film Series

Famous Finnish-Americans and -Canadians § § § § Renny Harlin (director) David Lynch (director) Matt Damon (actor) Christine Lahti (actress) Jessica Lange (actress) Pamela Anderson (actress) Gus Hall (U. S. Communist Party leader) Aileen Wuornos (serial killer)

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