Maritime history and history of migration. Combined perspectives

The Great transatlantic migration has been scholarly interpreted adopting different and multidisciplinary patters. ‘Why’ Europeans emigrated has always been considered more important than ‘how’ they moved. This article intertwines migration and maritime history and draws on the most updated maritime historiography. It argues that, since the 1880s to the outbreak of WWI, passenger steamship companies, and the extended and multifaceted maritime network linked to them, played a major role not only as mere ‘facilitators’ of the transatlantic crossing but also as ‘stimulators’ (i.e. ‘factors’) of migration flows. Besides, shipping lines had a strong clout on American migration policies throughout the Progressive Era and prevented the early approval of US restrictive migration regulations. Thus, the interconnection between maritime and migration history permits to enhance the understanding of the fundamental process of the Great Migration.