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A emigração do concelho da Ribeira Grande (ilha de São Miguel – Açores) para os Estados Unidos da América e o Canadá nos anos 1950 a 1974
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Resumo(s)
Os fluxos migratórios no arquipélago dos Açores sucedem desde o período do povoamento. Tal como o nosso arquipélago, o Continente português também foi desde cedo alvo de vários movimentos emigratórios para terras mais longínquas, como o Brasil. Entre o final do século XIX e a primeira metade do século XX, o Brasil deixou de ser o destino favorito dos açorianos, uma vez que estes passariam a escolher os EUA como seu destino de eleição. Ainda no final do século XIX, verificou-se um movimento significativo para as Ilhas de Sandwich devido à necessidade de mão-de-obra que este arquipélago tinha no setor agrícola, nomeadamente na cultura do açúcar.
Já na primeira metade do século XX, assistiu-se a uma forte emigração para os EUA que, por sua vez, só seria condicionada quer durante a Grande Guerra quer na década de 1920 devido à restrição das leis de imigração norte-americanas. Porém, a difícil entrada nos Estados Unidos fez com que os ilhéus elegessem neste período territórios como a Républica Dominicana, Curaçau, Venezuela, Argentina, Bermuda, entre outros, para reerguer as suas vidas assim como para enviar o sustento às suas famílias que se encontravam no arquipélago dos Açores.
Na segunda metade do século XX, o movimento emigratório açoriano, para os Estados Unidos da América e o Canadá, foi bastante significativo, quer devido à conjuntura social, económica e política que o país enfrentava, com o regime do Estado Novo, quer na sequência de cataclismos, como a erupção do vulcão dos Capelinhos, na ilha do Faial. Em contrapartida, os fluxos migratórios de Portugal Continental ocorreram neste período, essencialmente, para países europeus, como França, Alemanha, entre outros, não descurando outros territórios situados na América do Sul (Brasil) ou em África (África do Sul) os quais receberam dezenas de emigrantes do continente.
As sucessivas saídas proporcionadas quer por açorianos quer por continentais estiveram na origem de fortes condicionalismos impulsionados pelas autoridades portuguesas, as quais adotaram várias políticas de emigração com vista a restringir a emigração continental e insular. Aliadas a estas políticas limitativas esteve a Junta Nacional de Emigração que foi fundada durante o Estado Novo com a responsabilidade de tratar, organizar, orientar, entre outros, todos os fluxos migratórios de Portugal, com vista a dar uma boa impressão do regime Salazarista aos países que acolhiam os nossos emigrantes.
A emigração açoriana, para a América do Norte, seria facilitada, neste período, pelo levantamento das restrições das leis de imigração que tinham sido impostas pela administração norte-americana e também pela implementação de leis imigratórias mais liberalistas, como foi o caso do Hart-Celler Act de 1965. No final da década de 1950 aprovou-se no Congresso norte-americano o Azorean Refugee Act de 1958, lei que marcaria a história da emigração açoriana. Ademais, no início da década de 1950, originaram-se várias negociações levadas a cabo pelos governos de Portugal e do Canadá. Esta abertura vai estar na origem da terceira grande vaga da emigração insular que teria uma forte contribuição de centenas de indivíduos do concelho da Ribeira Grande que procuraram melhores condições de vida face à árdua conjuntura socioeconómica que se vivia no arquipélago e em particular no concelho da Ribeira Grande durante a ditadura de Oliveira Salazar.
ABSTRACT: Migratory flows in the Azores archipelago have been occurring since the period of settlement. Just like our archipelago, the Portuguese mainland was also the target from an early age of several emigration movements to more distant lands, such as Brazil. Between the end of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, Brazil stopped being the favorite destination of the Azorean, as they began to choose the USA as their destination of choice. Still at the end of the 19th century, there was a significant movement to the Sandwich Islands due to the need for labor that this archipelago had in the agricultural sector, particularly in sugar cultivation. In the first half of the 20th century, there was a strong emigration to the USA which, in turn, would only be conditioned both during the Great War and in the 1920s due to the restrictions of North American immigration laws. However, the difficult entry into the United States meant that the islanders chose, during this period, territories such as the Dominican Republic, Curaçao, Venezuela, Argentina, Bermuda, among others, to rebuild their lives as well as to send support to their families who were in the archipelago of the Azores. In the second half of the 20th century, the Azorean emigration movement to the United States of America and Canada was quite significant, either due to the social, economic and political situation that the country was facing, with the Estado Novo regime, or following cataclysms, such as the eruption of the Capelinhos volcano, on the island of Faial. On the other hand, migratory flows from Continental Portugal occurred during this period, essentially, to European countries, such as France, Germany, among others, not neglecting other territories located in South America (Brazil) or Africa (South Africa) which received dozens of emigrants from the continent. The successive departures provided by both Azoreans and continentals were the origin of strong constraints driven by the Portuguese authorities, who adopted various emigration policies with a view to restricting continental and island emigration. Allied to these limiting policies was the National Emigration Board, which was founded during the Estado Novo with the responsibility of handling, organizing, guiding, among others, all migratory flows from Portugal, with a view to giving a good impression of the Salazarist regime to the countries who welcomed our emigrants. Azorean emigration to North America would be facilitated, during this period, by the lifting of restrictions on immigration laws that had been imposed by the North American administration and also by the implementation of more liberalist immigration laws, such as the Hart-Celler Act of 1965. At the end of the 1950s, the Azorean Refugee Act of 1958 was approved in the North American Congress, a law that would mark the history of Azorean emigration. Furthermore, at the beginning of the 1950s, several negotiations were carried out by the governments of Portugal and Canada. This opening will be at the origin of the third great wave of island emigration, which would have a strong contribution from hundreds of individuals from the municipality of Ribeira Grande who sought better living conditions in the face of the arduous socioeconomic situation that existed in the archipelago and in particular of the Ribeira Grande during the dictatorship of Oliveira Salazar.
ABSTRACT: Migratory flows in the Azores archipelago have been occurring since the period of settlement. Just like our archipelago, the Portuguese mainland was also the target from an early age of several emigration movements to more distant lands, such as Brazil. Between the end of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, Brazil stopped being the favorite destination of the Azorean, as they began to choose the USA as their destination of choice. Still at the end of the 19th century, there was a significant movement to the Sandwich Islands due to the need for labor that this archipelago had in the agricultural sector, particularly in sugar cultivation. In the first half of the 20th century, there was a strong emigration to the USA which, in turn, would only be conditioned both during the Great War and in the 1920s due to the restrictions of North American immigration laws. However, the difficult entry into the United States meant that the islanders chose, during this period, territories such as the Dominican Republic, Curaçao, Venezuela, Argentina, Bermuda, among others, to rebuild their lives as well as to send support to their families who were in the archipelago of the Azores. In the second half of the 20th century, the Azorean emigration movement to the United States of America and Canada was quite significant, either due to the social, economic and political situation that the country was facing, with the Estado Novo regime, or following cataclysms, such as the eruption of the Capelinhos volcano, on the island of Faial. On the other hand, migratory flows from Continental Portugal occurred during this period, essentially, to European countries, such as France, Germany, among others, not neglecting other territories located in South America (Brazil) or Africa (South Africa) which received dozens of emigrants from the continent. The successive departures provided by both Azoreans and continentals were the origin of strong constraints driven by the Portuguese authorities, who adopted various emigration policies with a view to restricting continental and island emigration. Allied to these limiting policies was the National Emigration Board, which was founded during the Estado Novo with the responsibility of handling, organizing, guiding, among others, all migratory flows from Portugal, with a view to giving a good impression of the Salazarist regime to the countries who welcomed our emigrants. Azorean emigration to North America would be facilitated, during this period, by the lifting of restrictions on immigration laws that had been imposed by the North American administration and also by the implementation of more liberalist immigration laws, such as the Hart-Celler Act of 1965. At the end of the 1950s, the Azorean Refugee Act of 1958 was approved in the North American Congress, a law that would mark the history of Azorean emigration. Furthermore, at the beginning of the 1950s, several negotiations were carried out by the governments of Portugal and Canada. This opening will be at the origin of the third great wave of island emigration, which would have a strong contribution from hundreds of individuals from the municipality of Ribeira Grande who sought better living conditions in the face of the arduous socioeconomic situation that existed in the archipelago and in particular of the Ribeira Grande during the dictatorship of Oliveira Salazar.
Descrição
Dissertação de Mestrado, História Insular e Atlântica (Séculos XV-XX), 22 de outubro de 2025, Universidade dos Açores.
Palavras-chave
Ribeira Grande – Açores Emigração EUA Canadá Estado Novo Azorean Regufee Act
Contexto Educativo
Citação
SOUSA, Marco Henrique Ferreira de Sousa. (2024). "A emigração do concelho da Ribeira Grande (ilha de São Miguel – Açores) para os Estados Unidos da América e o Canadá nos anos 1950 a 1974". Ponta Delgada: Universidade dos Açores, 2024, 274 p. Dissertação de Mestrado em História Insular e Atlântica (Séculos XV-XX). Disponível em http://hdl.handle.net/10400.3/8868