Britons to America : Oral Narratives of English, Scottish and Welsh Emigrants to the Land of Plenty

This book breaks new ground in the study of British emigration to the United States from the 1860s to the 1930s through the analysis of oral histories from English, Scottish and Welsh emigrants collected during the Great Depression era by the Federal Writers’ Project and Ellis Island Museum.

These sources shed light on a period of massive emigration from Great Britain – the first three decades of the twentieth century and the Great Depression age – which has largely been neglected by research. The volume traces the experiences of the men and women who left for America by dwelling upon the pre-emigration, emigration proper, and post-emigration phases, and identifies common aspects in Britons’ migratory experience along with differences due to age, gender and nationality. Varricchio puts to the test the widespread notions of British immigrants’ economic success and cultural “invisibility” in America and reveals evidence which clearly challenges the image of Britons as successful immigrants who blended into American society relatively quickly and easily.

The book will appeal to scholars, researchers, students, and general readers in the fields of British history, American history, oral history, and migration.