Irish Immigrationto America

From UndesirablesTo Acceptance

From Undesirables

to Acceptance

1660s The first indentured servants are

brought to the colonies. English Poor Laws justify the kidnapping of Irish & English citizens in order to fill the need for servants and farmworkers in the New World. (Takaki, p. 53)

1700s By 1700, the Irish

only owned 14% of Ireland. (Takaki, p. 133)

In 1718, the high rents for land charged by British Lords lead to significant numbers of Scotch Irish to emmigrate to America. These were the Protestant Irish.

1729 Head Tax charged

against all immigrants to Massachusettes. The goal was to protect colonies from “lewd, idle, and ill-affected persons” who could become a burden to the community.

(Immigration Timeline)

Irish immigrants were poor & desperate. In July, “a mob gathers at Boston Harbor to prevent the landing of an immigrant ship from Ireland.”

(Immigration Timeline)

1798 Congress passes 4

Alien and Sedition Acts, making it very difficult for immigrants to become citizens.

An unsuccessful rebellion against the British leads to more immigration of the Irish to America.

1834Protestants burn the Ursaline Convent in Charlestown, MA.

(Immigration Timeline)

1842 Seeing parallels between the treatment of American negroes by slave owners and the treatment of the Irish by their British conquerors, thousands of Irish citizens in Ireland sign a petition declaring their solidarity with black slaves in America.

1843 American Republican Party

proposes 21 year residence requirement for naturalization. (Immigration Timeline)

Anti Catholic Demonstrations by American Republican Party end in 30 people dying and several churches being burned.

1845-1852 The Great Hunger/ The Irish Potato Famine

Mass starvation occurs in Ireland, killing Irish tenant farmers. By 1855, 1 million Irish died from hunger & sickness.

1855-1900 2 Million Irish

emmigrate to America. (Takaki, p. 137)

They arrive on “coffin ships” where many perished during the journey.

Causes of Famine British colonizers forced

native Irish to become tenant farmers, charging them high rents.

British used land to raise and export cattle for profit, leaving even less land for the Irish.

Irish were prohibited from purchasing land or even wearing British-style clothing.

Irish were left to subsistence farming, growing only potatoes.

Fungus killed off potato crops, leaving Irish without food.

Enough food was produced to feed the starving, but it was exported for the profit of British landlords rather than used to give the Irish relief from the famine.

(Takaki)

Irish Labor in America

The Irish became “disposable workers” in the creation of Railroads, mining, and other engineering projects.

Irish Labor in America Unlike other immigrant

groups, many Irish girls and women arrived in America unaccompanied by family.

By 1850, the majority of servants in NYC were Irish, displacing blacks in that role. (Takaki, p. 138)

Irish Labor in America The Irish in America were subject

to prejudice & discrimination due to their poverty, lack of education, and Catholicism.

Competition for Irish Labor

Competition for jobs led Irish to be pitted against other immigrant groups, including the Chinese & Blacks.

The Workingman’s Party headed by Denish Kearney is created to opposed Chinese immigration. (Immigration Timeline)

Despite their earlier sympathy for the plight of blacks in America, the Irish promoted their whiteness to gain economic advantage over them. (Takaki p.143)

The Green Strategy By 1887, the

Democratic Party was dominated by by the Irish. They used this influence to hire many Irish for jobs in municipal police and fire departments.

Irish Labor Unions 1870 Secret Order of Saint

Crispin, an Irish labor union, reaches 50,000 members, becomes largest labor union in U.S. (Takaki, p. 140)

1875 The Molly Maguires, a secret society of Irish minors, use sabotage against mine owners in Pennsylvania. They are brought to trial and convicted. 19 are hanged & many more are sent to prison. (Immigration Timeline.)

Education for the Irish 1900: A higher

percentage of Irish were going to college than Protestants

1910 1/5 public school teachers in northern cities were Irish

Modern Irish Immigration

According to the U.S. Census Burea, today the number of people in America with Irish Heritage is 7 times greater than the total population of Ireland. (Kliff 2013, p. 1) Today, 34.5 million Americans have Irish heritage.

The Irish Experience v.

Other Immigrant Groups

The Irish are undoubtedly an immigration success story. Like other immigrants, they experienced prejudice due to their poverty, religion, appearance, and lack of education. However, the fact that they were white and spoke English (albeit with an accent) enabled them to “blend in” with “mainstream” Americans. This advantage continues today….

Irish: Modern Immigration Problems1990-present

In 1990, unemployment reached 18 percent in Ireland. “Seeking work in America, many entered legally with a student, work, or tourist visa, and simply stayed after it expired.” (Takaki, p. 407-08)

Undocumented Irish workers totaled as many as 120,000. (Takaki, p. 407-08) 

New law provided the distribution of 40,000 green cards, with 16,000 reserved for the Irish. (Takaki, p. 407-08)

References(Image Sources)

Slide 1: Irish & American Flags

http://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-photo-u-s-irish-image5309525

Slide 2: White indentured servants in America

https://grisdalefamily.wordpress.com/2014/01/19/joseph-grisdell-sells-himself-into-caribbean-bondage/

Slide 3: Presbyterian Scotch Irish sign

http://southernnationalist.com/blog/2011/03/12/the-puritan-the-cavalier-and-the-scot/

Slide 5: Alien & Sedition Acts

http://www.rarenewspapers.com/view/601232

Slide 6: Protestants burn Ursaline convent

http://www.dinakeratsis.com/tag/ursuline-convent-charleston/

Slide 8: Burying the Child

http://www.irishcentral.com/opinion/niallodowd/opening-of-new-irish-famine-museum-in-us-a-vital-moment-in-our-history-so-long-hidden-the-great-hunger-finally-takes-center-stage-171918791-238151581.html#

Slide 9: Coffin ship

http://psuireland.blogspot.com/2012/03/coffin-ships.html

References(Image Sources p. 2)

Slide 12: Irish labor in America

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x999540

Slikde 13: Irish women as domestic servants

http://irishphiladelphia.com/2010/05/how-the-irish-maid-saved-civilization/irish_bridget_inside/

Slide 14: Irish Stereotypes

http://thomasnastcartoons.com/irish-catholic-cartoons/irish-stereotype/

Slide 16: Irish firefighter

http://stlfire4.loudclick.net/

Slide 17 Union Stockyards

http://www.chicagodetours.com/irish-chicago-for-st-pats-day-three-influences-on-history/

Slide 19: Map

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/03/17/the-irish-american-population-is-seven-times-larger-than-ireland/

Slide 20: Irish crowd at St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

http://www.popsugar.com/celebrity/photo-gallery/34375272/image/34375798/Huge-crowds-flocked-St-Patrick-Day-parade-Ireland