What were the economic motives behind migration?

People in the time period of 1750-1900 had many motives for their migrations, many of them economic. One of the main and prominent economic motives for migration was poverty. Many people living in cities worked low-paying jobs that had great benefits for the government. Some people may of migrated to different cities in order to start a new life and hopefully gain prominence. Another economic reason could of been armed conflict. Armed conflict was very draining for citizens with a small amounts of income because of the nature of most societies to take tax to pay for food and weapons for the soldiers. In many societies, it was these lower class people who were attacked most by this tax. This tax on the lower class was one of the attributing reasons for the French Revolution in the late eighteenth century.  Another economic motive for migration was moving due to your job. Many people of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries had jobs where they needed to travel in order to stay in business (merchants obviously). One instance of this moving around for your job was during the decline of the Atlantic Slave Trade. Many slave owners and traders moved to places such as Africa or Asia in order to remain in the slave business and keep their slaves.

    A ship arriving at a New York port, carrying numerous Europeans (most of the lower class)

Sources:

"Economic Motives for Migration of Professionals to Western Europe Remain Significant." Economic Motives for Migration of Professionals to Western Europe Remain Significant. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.