Enclosure Movement in the United States

Enclosure Movement in the U.S. Legal History

Summary

As the demand for wool heightened in England during the sixteenth century because of the emerging textile industry, Parliament passed laws that allowed profit-seeking landowners to fence in their open fields to raise more sheep. Thousands of peasants who, as renters, had been farming these lands for generations were evicted and thrown into poverty. Many moved to the cities, where as “sturdy beggas” they too often found little work. In time, some migrated to English colonies in America, where work opportunities were far more abundant.