Human Migration

Why do people move? Survival. Opportunity.

Curiosity. Conflict.

For the last 70,000 years, migration has shaped where and how humans live. From early journeys out of Africa to modern global movements, people have carried cultures, technologies, beliefs, and challenges with them. Use these classroom-ready materials to help students understand migration as a driving force in history, not just a chapter in it.

Human Migration

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How to Teach Human Migration

Big History Lesson Guide: Migration External link Locked

Guide students to investigate when and where early humans migrated, and the geographic features that shaped the distribution of human populations across Earth.
Blog

Blog: Filipino Migration to the United States External link

Map the cultural and economic currents that carried Filipino migrants to LA and Honolulu to help your class discover more about our globalized world.

Events Icon

PD: Future Stories External link

Big History founder David Christian shares what’s next in Big History. Bring your questions about pressures and opportunities that could shape human migration.
Course Guide icon

Teaching Sensitive Topics External link

Support for difficult but meaningful discussions about human migration.
discussions

Teachers Connect Decolonization and Modern Global Migration External link

Explore teacher ideas to trace migration patterns with hands-on mapping and movement.

Teach Tomorrow: Lessons on Human Migration

Lesson 4.4
Big History
Early Humans
Migration
All humans evolved in Africa, but what made our ancestors journey outside of Africa to eventually populate the whole world? Journey through time and across continents to investigate human migration.
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Lesson 3.8
World History 1200
Transoceanic Connections
1450 – 1750 CE
Transoceanic Migration
Migration is fundamental to human history. After 1500, waves of people spread to new shores. Many moved seeking the opportunity for new connections, while millions of others were forced from their homes.
View Lesson

Human Migration Activities and Resources

Source Collection: Migration
Migration
World History AP®
Article

Source Collection: Migration External link

What were the causes and effects of 19th century migration? These primary sources will help you answer that question.
Geography: Migration and Climate
Big History
Activity

Geography: Migration and Climate External link

What factors pushed or pulled early humans to migrate to certain regions of the world?
A Century of Refugees
Photo of an overcrowded boat holding dozens of people in the middle of a blue body of water.
World History Origins
Article

A Century of Refugees External link

There are more refugees in the world today than ever before. How should the world protect people forced to flee their homes?
Transatlantic Migration Patterns: The Voluntary and Involuntary Movement of People
Painting of a crowded harbor with sailing ships at anchor with green hills in the background.
World History 1200
Article

Transatlantic Migration Patterns: The Voluntary and Involuntary Movement of People External link

People moved across the Atlantic Ocean for many reasons during this period, but most migrants didn’t have much of a choice.
Causation: Migration
World History 1200
Activity

Causation: Migration External link

Why did so many people make the dangerous journey across the Atlantic Ocean? Use the “Transatlantic Migration Patterns” article and your causation skills to find out.
The Navigator: Mau Piailug
Cartoon image of Mau Piailug
Big History
Graphic Biographies

The Navigator: Mau Piailug External link

Mau Piailug helped revive the navigation techniques ancient Polynesians used to migrate thousands of miles across the Pacific Ocean.

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