Gyökerek (A Dráva Múzeum tanulmánykötete. Barcs, 2008)

Dr. Kéri Nagy Béla: „Amerikás" kivándorlók Drávaszentesről

BÉLA KÉRI NAGY, DR. AMERICAN EMIGRANTS FROM DRÁVASZENTES SUMMARY From the middle of the 19th century the capitalist and the intensive farming on a large scale pushed out the traditional peasant agricultural production. The old lifestyle of the rural peasant charged, lost itsstability. In the shadow of large scale farming primarily the peasants without land, the servants and the day labourers were in a hopeleos situation. Their dissatisfaction manifested in several harvester and servant strikes. Lot of people among them found a final solution in emigration to America, to „promise-land" The author in his article shows the life of emigrants from Drávaszentes, a Hungarian village in southern Somogy county. He follows the life in Americas well as their coming back. The value of this work is that it is complex and it intens to treat the topic and documents in an exhaustive way. The documents and the oral information show that most of the emigrants disappointed in the new home and wanted to come back very quickly. The working opportunities in America narroved down, the unhealty hard work worn out their organism. Povertly and homesickness were their main problem, so those who could solve it came back in few years time. At home they tried to adapt to the life of their family and village.