What Does Steerage Mean in History

Steerage is the lower deck of a ship, where the cargo is stored above the closed hold. In the late 19th and early 20th century, steamship steerage decks were used to provide the lowest cost and lowest class of travel, often for European and Chinese immigrants to North America.

What is the meaning steerage?

Definition of steerage 1 : the act or practice of steering broadly : direction. 2 [from its originally being located near the rudder] : a section of inferior accommodations in a passenger ship for passengers paying the lowest fares.

What does old steerage mean?

steerage Add to list Share. On a ship, steerage is the lower level where cargo is stored or where passengers with the very cheapest tickets are accommodated. Most senses of this noun are pretty old-fashioned today.

Marcus Vance

Marcus Vance

Cybersecurity & Digital Privacy Researcher

Marcus Vance is a cybersecurity auditor and technology writer dedicated to educating the public about online safety, data privacy regulations, enterprise security, and emerging cyber threats.

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