preface - dspace.lib.hawaii.edudspace.lib.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10790/3130/2/irish immig… · web...
Post on 30-Apr-2020
1 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
IRISH IMMIGRATION TO THE USA BACKGROUND READING SUPPLEMENT TO THE FILM "FAR AND AWAY"
FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS
Cropped image "Statue of Liberty" by Rick Zern is in the Public Domain, CC0
ANTHONY SILVA
KAPI‘OLANI COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Unless otherwise noted, this work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface 4
Tenant Farmers in Ireland 5
Reasons for Immigration 6
Culture Shock 7
The Irish in America 8
Waves of Immigration 9
Oklahoma Land Runs 10
Sources 11
3
PREFACE
This text was designed for intermediate-level English language learners (multilinguals) as a background information supplement to the film Far and Away. In was first used in Intermediate English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL 92) at Kapi‘olani Community College in spring 2016.
Anthony SilvaMay 4, 2016
4
TENANT FARMERS IN IRELAND
In Ireland in the 19th Century, tenant farming was very common. Tenant farming is an
agricultural production system. In this system, landowners contribute their land and tenant
farmers contribute their labor. (A tenant farmer is someone who resides on land owned by a
landlord.) Tenants paid rent to their landlords in cash, labor, or product. They also had to pay
taxes to the Church and the State. Tenant rights over the land varied. In some cases, the
landlord could evict the tenant at any time. In other cases, the landowner and tenant signed a
contract for a specific number of years. Until about 1900, landlords owned the majority of land
in Ireland. In fact, landlords owned 97% of the land in Ireland in 1870. The majority of the
people had no access to land. Many tenant farmers had very few rights. The abuse of tenant
farmers led to widespread immigration to the United States.
Cropped image "Eviction" is in the Public Domain
5
REASONS FOR IMMIGRATION
Individuals, families, and other groups of people immigrate to other countries for
various reasons. Experts generally categorize these reasons into two main groups: push factors
and pull factors. Push factors are aspects of the old country that push people away from that
country. They are unfavorable aspects of that country. Some push factors include lack of jobs,
famine, persecution, lack of freedom, and war. Pull factors, on the other hand, are aspects of
the new country that pull people towards that country. They are favorable aspects of that
country. Some pull factors include job opportunities, education, security, and better living
conditions. Most people probably immigrate for multiple reasons, or for a combination of push
and pull factors. Some people, however, have no choice in the matter. They immigrate because
other people, such as their parents, make the decision for them.
Push factors Pull factors
Not enough jobs Few opportunities Famine or drought Political fear or persecution Slavery or forced labor Poor medical care Loss of wealth Natural disasters Death threats Pollution Poor housing Discrimination Poor chances of marrying War
Job and other life opportunities Better living conditions Political or religious freedom Enjoyment Education Better medical care Attractive climates Security Family links Industry Better chances of marrying
6
CULTURE SHOCK
Many people around the world visit or move to new countries. In the new country,
some of these people experience culture shock. Culture shock is a personal feeling of confusion.
This confusion comes from experiencing an unfamiliar way of life in a new country. Culture
shock consists of four distinct phases. In the first stage, the honeymoon stage, people find the
sights, sounds, food, and inhabitants of the new country interesting or exciting. In the next
phase, the rejection phase, differences between the old and new cultures become noticeable.
These differences may create anxiety. In this stage, people may experience hardships, such as
language barriers, safety issues, and food quality. The earlier feelings of excitement may
become unpleasant feelings of frustration and anger. In the third phase, the adjustment phase,
people grow accustomed to the new culture. They also develop routines. They become familiar
with most situations in the new culture. They also develop problem-solving skills for dealing
with the culture. The culture begins to make sense to them. In the final stage, the acceptance
phase, people are able to participate comfortably in the new culture. They overcome many of
their previous hardships. They become bicultural. Not everyone experiences culture shock. Not
everyone goes through every phase of culture shock, either. But many people in new countries
probably experience some of these feelings.
"P culture" by Palosirkka is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
7
THE IRISH IN AMERICA
In the middle half of the nineteenth century, approximately half of the population of
Ireland immigrated to the United States. The majority of immigrants immigrated because of
civil unrest, severe unemployment, or extreme hardships at home. The Irish immigrants were
poor, so they could not travel to other parts of the country. Instead, they settled in the cities
where they landed. In 1850, approximately 80 percent of Irish immigrants lived in cities in the
Northeast US. They created Irish-American neighborhoods, social clubs, and political
organizations. Because vast numbers of Irish immigrated to America, hostility towards them
was common. One reason for the opposition was religious. The Northeast US was mainly
Protestant, but the Irish immigrants were Catholic. Another reason for the opposition was
economic. Immigrants threatened and sometimes replaced Americans in low-paying jobs
because the immigrants were willing to work for almost nothing in order to survive. Signs that
read NINA — "No Irish Need Apply" — appeared throughout the country. Ethnic and anti-
Catholic rioting occurred in many northern US cities. Over time, however, the Irish in America
began to occupy important government and industry positions. Today, Ireland has just half the
population that it had in the early 1840s. There are now more Irish Americans than there are
Irish nationals.
"Irish immigrants in Kansas City, Missouri" by Jeanne Boleyn is in the Public Domain
8
WAVES OF IMMIGRATION
Since the founding of the United States of America in 1776, immigration to the US has
occurred in waves. The first wave occurred from the late 1700's to the early 1800's, and the
second wave occurred from the early to the mid 1800's. In these two waves, immigrants mostly
came from English-speaking and other Northern European countries, such as England, Ireland,
France, and Germany. The third wave, from the mid-1800's to the early 1900's, included a large
number of immigrants from countries in Southern and Eastern Europe, such as Spain, Italy,
Poland, and Russia, as well as a smaller number from Asian countries such as China, Korea, and
Japan. As a response to the large increase in immigration, the US government passed the
Immigration Act of 1924. This new law limited the number of immigrants that could enter the
US. It put quotas on the number of immigrants from each country. The law created a lull in
immigration. In 1965, the US government passed the Immigration and Nationality Act, which
relaxed immigration restrictions. The fourth wave of immigration began shortly after this law
was passed, and continues today. The largest number of immigrants today comes from Asian
and Latin American countries.
9
OKLAHOMA LAND RUNS
In the late 19th Century, the US government decided to open government land in the
Oklahoma Territory to settlers. One of the ways that the government distributed the land was
via land runs. In a land run, people line up and then race to the plot of land that they want. The
first one to arrive at a plot of land can claim it. The government conducted many land runs in
the late 1800s. The Land Run of 1893 was the largest land run in US history. More than 100,000
settlers traveled to northwest Oklahoma on foot, by horse, by wagon, and by train for the land
run. This land run opened approximately 6 million acres of land. It began at noon on September
16, 1893. Some people, however, entered the land area early. They hid near the best plots of
land, and then claimed their land shortly after the start of the land run. These settlers obtained
their land illegally. Nevertheless, many of these sooners were never discovered and kept
possession of the land that they claimed.
"States and territories of the United States of America" by Golbez is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
10
SOURCES
Cover page
Image "Statue of Liberty" by Rick Zern made available under a Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication; view a copy of this dedication at http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/. Retrieved May 1, 2016 from https://pixabay.com/en/statue-of-liberty-new-york-monument-271430/
Tenant Farmers in Ireland
Text adapted from "Tenant Farmer" made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; view a copy of this license at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/. Retrieved January 20, 2016 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenant_farmer
Image "Eviction" is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or less; retrieved January 20, 2016 from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/ File:Family_evicted_by_their_landlord_during_the_Irish_Land_War_c1879.jpg
Reasons for Immigration
Text adapted from "Human Migration" made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; view a copy of this license at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/. Retrieved February 2, 2016 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_migration
Culture Shock
Text adapted from "Culture Shock" made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; view a copy of this license at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/. Retrieved January 10, 2014 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_shock
Image "P culture" by Palosirkka licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license; view a copy of this license at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/. Retrieved January 15, 2016 from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:P_culture.svg
11
The Irish in America
Text adapted from "Irish and German Immigration" made available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License; view a copy of this license at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Retrieved February 20, 2016 from http://www.ushistory.org/us/25f.asp
Image "Irish immigrants in Kansas City, Missouri" by Jeanne Boleyn is in the public domain; retrieved February 20, 2016 from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Irish_immigrants_1909.jpg
Waves of Immigration
Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Data source: Yearbook of Immigration Statistics, retrieved May 1, 2016 from http://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/immigration-statistics/yearbook/2013/LPR/table2.xls
Oklahoma Land Runs
Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Image "States and Territories of the United States of America July 3, 1890 to July 10, 1890" by Golbez is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/. File retrieved March 10, 2016 from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:United_States_1890-07-03-1890-07-10.png
12
top related