The 19th century in Sweden was in many ways a time of upheaval. Partly because of the industrial revolution, which meant that a great number of people abandoned farming and became factory workers. And partly because of the agrarian reform of the 1800s. The poorest families at the time were those who did not own any land and there were many of them. From time immemorial those who were landless or had a very small amount of property subsisted with the help of the bounty of the forest and the fields owned and shared by a local community. As the laws changed this community property ceased to exist. The poorest became still poorer. The situation for peasants, those in need of charity, tenant farmers, and daily wage earners became far more burdensome. Despite high infant mortality, Sweden doubled its population in the 19th century. Many mouths would need to be fed. It was under these bleak circumstances that America fever began to spread. There were certainly those who wished to go to America. Probably, most people were like Karl Oskar and desired to leave Sweden where the future appeared dreary and seemed to offer only a dismal and oppressive existence. America was indeed an unsure future also - but it could not be much worse over there than staying in Sweden. America offered something at this time which was missing amongst the poorest of Sweden - the hope of something better. Emigration from Sweden began in the mid 1840s. Twenty years later an acceleration of movement ensued which at times appeared as a mass exodus. From 1910 emigration began to ebb from its earlier peaks, however, even into the 1930s people were leaving Sweden to seek fortune, especially in America. In the period between 1868 and 1910 over one million people emigrated from Sweden. At that time one out of every six Swedes were residing in America. When the United States completed its 1900 census the city of Chicago claimed a higher number of Swedes than the city of Gothenburg. Postcard with the last message from Gothenborg The American law known as the Homestead Act stated that anyone who cultivated a tract of land had the right to mark its boundaries and, henceforth, automatic ownership would be established after five years. This meant a free country with cost-free, fertile land for anyone. It must have seemed like a dream for poor Swedes such as Karl Oskar and his Kristina. Others sought religious freedom in America, the opportunity to practice their religion in their own way. There were more groups than just the Akians, of whom Moberg discusses in his books, that felt the Swedish religious authorities' narrow-minded attitude was unacceptable. In the most recent national census in the United States nearly five million Americans stated that they have principally Swedish roots. Due to evidence that a majority of the U.S. population has quite a mixture of ancestry, researchers estimate that approximately twice as many come from Swedish stock originating from the time of the great emigration. This is the time in Sweden's history of which Vilhelm Moberg writes and which the musical Kristina from Duvemåla is set. Emigrating from Småland was a common occurrence during Moberg's upbringing. Loads of personal belongings were being transported, one after the other. Letters from America arrived, eagerly awaited and were preserved on shelves well-worn from many readings. The contents reported about fertile soil and gold discoveries, endless forests and strange animals, Indians and land which was being given away. And buildings that were so high that one could barely see the tops of them! In every family, not only Moberg's, there were members who emigrated to America. Next page The Musical | Background | Interactive guide | Merchandise | Downloadables | Swedish