The Treatment of Immigrants in London

In the book, Immigrants and the Industries of London by Lien Bich Luu, the treatment of immigrants from 1500 to 1700 is described between the pages 141 and 143. It is interesting to compare the reaction of the Londoners to the immigrants in that time period, to the reception of foreigners in Canada today. 


According to Lien Bich Luu, in order to strengthen and expand the industries in London, the city needed immigrants for their skills so that local artists and workers could learn from them. As such, immigrants had to be willing to come to London and teach their skills, as well as stay long enough to pass on these skills to their local apprentices. This meant that, in order for London to acquire the skills that they needed from the immigrants, the immigrants had to happy with the way they were treated by the indigenous population, the government, the law, and the society as a whole.

This image, by William Hogarth, depicts the arrival of black immigrants in London between the 17th and 18th centuries.

 

However, the immigrants received quite a variety of reactions from the Londoners. For the most part, the wealthy portion of the population tended to welcome them quite heartily, while the poor displayed more bitterness and even jealousy. These reactions to the immigrants also depended on the reason and the way in which they arrived in London. These immigrants, or aliens, can mostly be separated into three general groups. First come the Economic Migrants, who had no trouble settling into society. The second group consisted of the Wanderjahre Craftsman. There were no concerns with these craftsman since they usually just went to London for a few years before returning to their native land. However; the third group, the Refugees, had varying receptions. Some were, based on Puritan ideology, met with charity and generous hearts. Others treated the immigrants in general with resentment, due to their privileges and skills. Native craftsman were jealous and attempted several unsuccessful riots, in both 1563 and 1571.

Many immigrants in London, depicted in the map above, felt threatened and unwelcome and eventually left the city for friendlier ones, like Dutch ones.  












Now, there are two types of these immigrants, or aliens. They are classified as either alien friends or alien enemies, depending on whether or not the sovereign to whom the alien was obedient was a friend or enemy of the ruler of London. Alien enemies had no rights or power, and they could be forced to leave England at any time, especially in periods of war and conflict. Alien friends, however, had almost all the rights and privileges of English citizens, and the law protected them. They had to promise allegiance to the crown while they resided in England.


This sounds moderately just; immigrants who were agreeable to the ruler of England were treated very fairly. However, other facts then came to light. The following restrictions were mostly put into place under the reign of Richard III, from 1452 to 1485: Aliens had to pay double the taxes of other citizens. They could employ up to two alien journeymen, but they could not take on any alien apprentices, as they had to pass on their skills to native Londoners. They could not open a shop. They could not own or lease land.

I was speaking to a friend of mine, who lived in Vancouver for several years while helping refugees. I wished to know if his experience with the treatment of immigrants and refugees differed or was similar to the time period of the 1500 to 1700s. Before I explained the treatment of immigrants in London a long time ago, he stated facts of ill-treatment that sounded eerily simmilar to what I had read. He mentioned that many people seemed torn in their treatment of immgrants, especially refugees, in Vancouver. On one hand, they seemed very open to new cultures to make the broader culture of Vancouver more diverse and rich. On the other hand, they did not want these new cultures to overpower their own, and were therefore rather cold at times when it seemed as if the newcomers were settling in a little too well. They felt threatened. This sounds all too similar to the situation between the Londoners a long time ago and their treatment of refugees.

A lot of the problems my friend in Vancouver had with the reception of refugees was based upon the stigmas that have been created about immigrants. One major stigma is that immigrants steal jobs that should be for people who can call the country their own. This is an almost identical situation to the one in 16th century England. Native craftsman were jealous and selfish with the opportunities they claimed as their own. Obviously, people in Vancouver are very unlikely to have any idea about the kinds of situations these refugees are fleeing, and should perhaps hesitate more before casting judgement upon these people who appear to be just snatching jobs away.

In conclusion, it appears that not all that much has changed in the treatment of immigrants from London in the 1500-1700s to present day Canada. Canada prides itself on being so mulicultural and welcoming with boundless opportunities, and yet we turn so quickly to judgement and ethnocentricism when we feel threatened or imposed upon. Perhaps we can take this glimpse into the past to educate ourselves with facts, rather than stigmas and assumptions.

-Selina






References
File:Civitas Londinium or The Agas Map of London.jpg. (n.d.). In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved October 7, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Civitas_Londinium_or_The_Agas_Map_of_London.jpg
File:FourTimesNoon.jpg. (n.d.). In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved October 7, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:FourTimesNoon.jpg
Luu, L. (2005). Reception and Treatment of Immigrants. In Immigrants and the industries of London, 1500-1700 (pp. 141-143). Aldershot, Hants: Ashgate.