thesis statement for irish immigration

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HIS 200 - Applied History

Irish immigration in the united states.

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Presentation Immigration and Relocation in U.S. History

Irish contributions to the american culture.

The Irish immigrants who entered the United States from the sixteenth to twentieth centuries were changed by America, and also changed this nation. They and their descendants made incalculable contributions in politics, industry, organized labor, religion, literature, music, and art.

For instance, Mary Harris, later known as Mother Jones, committed more than fifty years of her life to unionizing workers in various occupations throughout the country. Her dedicated effort resulted in arrests, personal attacks, and many hardships but she also earned audiences with United States presidents from McKinley to Coolidge.

Among the early immigrants to the United States, the Irish Americans can be found throughout the nation in all walks of life, and many still retain pride and identity in their Irish heritage.

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Irish Immigration to the United States during the Great Potato Famine

Introduction.

History of the Irish immigration to the United States is rich and can be divided into several important periods. More than 1, 5 million Irish immigrants, among whom there were a lot children, left the country for America in 1845 – 1855. There were numerous reasons for such influx, among which the desperate poverty of the most Irish and severe diseases, from which they suffered. One of the most widely spread reasons was the so-called Potato Famine, that became the cause of death of more than 1 million people. Those immigrants, who have left Ireland, settled predominantly in big cities, such as Boston and New York, but the conditions of their living were awful. However, most immigrants managed to assimilate and survive, so their descendants have become a vibrant part of American culture. Thesis: the reasons for the Irish immigration were numerous: famine, poverty and diseases. Although being faced with extreme poverty, hostility and hatred by the American nativists and opponents of the catholic religion, Irish immigrants overcame the obstacles and prevailed.

Negative Reaction of Native Americans

The presence of the Irish immigrants in America resulted in a strong and negative reaction from the side of the native-born Americans, nativists. They criticized the Irish for their antisocial behavior, poverty, poor manners, negative impact on the American economy, and Catholicism, which was their major religion. However, even being negatively accepted by most part of the American population, by the early 20th century, the Irish had finally assimilated in the USA and managed to create their cultural environment.

Each legal immigrant, who subscribes to the US Constitution has the right to become the U.S. citizen. Despite this right, white immigrants faced with some obstacles, trying to get the right of citizenship. Although the nativist hostility was quite strong, the Irish rarely faced with racism compared with the African Americans and Asians, who were restricted in their rights to get citizenship or even excluded from it. Catholic religion was the major advantage of the immigrants in the country, as it helped them in pursuing political opportunities. With the help of considerable support of the catholic church, the Irish managed to move progressively upward in American society.

Early Struggles of the Irish in America

The Irish immigrants, who were forced to leave for the US, gone by the severe and most cruel famine in Ireland, comprised the most disadvantaged part of the population of the United States. They inhabited different districts, predominantly those, where they could find jobs. The poorest immigrants inhabited the Five Points district of lower Manhattan. Many Irish, who managed to escape famine, lost a lot of their relatives, died from starvation. Therefore, in order to survive, they were ready to face with any challenges, but remain in America. They were ready to live in awful conditions so they inhabited the poorest and shabbiest districts.

Those immigrants, who tried to find work in the U.S. faced with certain difficulties as well. Most Irish immigrants were unskilled and were ready to work for low salary; therefore, they were used as supernumerary labor power. American workers were not pleased with the competition from the Irish side, as they worried that their own wages would be reduced, because of the cheap labor, represented by the Irish workers. Americans were afraid that the Irish would advance and assimilate into American culture and society and would become the major cheap labor power, breaking the main principle of XIX-th-century American life, stating that to upward social mobility with the help of hard work. However, irish immigrants were in demand in mines and on the wheat fields, because American farmers swaw the cheap labor power in them that would have help solve the problem of labor shortage in high season.

Religion was the other stepping stone for the Irish immigrants in America. Was it possible for Americans to accept new religion? Why did Irish Catholic immigrants prefer attending private separate parochial schools rather than sending their children to free public schools? The major reason for this tendency was the domination of the evangelical Protestants in the public school boards. They did not see any opportunities for their children to cultivate Catholicism in America in the public schools. As a result, the tension between Americans and Irish immigrants, because of religion, reached at peak in the beginning of the 1830’s. American nativists started attacking Irish immigrants because of Catholicism. In 1834, the Ursuline convent in Charlestown, Massachusetts was burnt down by the cruel crowd of Americans-nativists. In 1836, the famous work Awful Disclosures of Maria Monk was published in New York. In this book, they described the events, witnessed by the emotionally unstable woman, Monk, who stated to have seen wickedness and infanticide when she was staying in the Catholic convent. It is one of the examples of the presence of the anti-Catholic discrimination of the Irish. The reason for this was the dispute over the dilemma, whether schools should teach Catholic or Protestant Bible.

Irish labor Force in the United States

Following the Civil War, the laborers from Ireland, comprised the power, able to provide the backbreaking work, which rapidly industrializing America required due to its rapid expansion and development. The Irish workers were used as a major labor power in the construction of factories and railroads in the West. Furthermore, their labor was actively used in the mines of Virginia and Montana. They occupied different positions, sometimes, were underpaid, however, this did not prevent them from putting down roots in America and becoming the minority, equal in rights with Americans. As for the professions acquired by the Irish, they served as carpenter's assistants, miners, builders, which were low-paid positions since the amount of low-skilled and uneducated immigrants who took these positions was high. During the period, when the government did not place any restrictions on American capitalism, the Irish managed to organize the first trade unions, which served to protect their rights and create better working conditions.

Issues Faced by the Irish in the USA

Many Irish immigrants, who settled in the United States were the victims of the Irish stereotypes, that have been brought from Britain. This was the real obstacle for those immigrants, who tried to find jobs, as many were denied because of the Irish origin and religious preference. Discriminatory stereotypes of the Irish were imported from Britain and were presented in many forms. Cartoons depicted the Irish as cruel, simian, belligerent, and always drunk tramps, who could do nothing, except drinking and debauching. Because of the limited employment opportunities, many Irish stood on the path of crime and alcoholism, thus, only exacerbating the public opinion about them as troublemakers and public menaces. Unfortunately, discrimination has played a negative role in the lives of many Irish. It was limiting economic and social opportunities of immigrants, depriving them of the normal way of living. In the environment of the Protestant country, the Roman Catholic Irish were hated. Americans treated them with prejudice and aimed at curbing immigration and limiting the spread of Roman Catholicism.

Many Irish immigrants were serving in the army after the beginning of the U.S. Civil War. Nevertheless, because of their weak and unstable social position, many of the Irish soldiers became the targets of military conscription. Fearing discrimination and abuse, the Irish tried to unite their efforts in the construction of churches, private schools, and universities for their children, where, as they thought, they could feel comfortable. Catholicism, which was a minor religion in America before the arrival of the Irish, however, with the development of the Irish culture, it has become the largest single denomination.

The Power of Assimilation of the Irish Working Class

Irish immigrants, as cheap labor power, were the major competitors of the Americans, who feared that Irish might have substituted them and occupy all possible positions, where cheap labor is required. Being marginalized by a hostile culture and environment, the Irish realized that their only weapon was citizenship and their vote, so they were trying to make a valuable contribution to their community. The Irish realized the reason of the ward politics effectiveness. They started from the minor and finished by occupying high positions in local governments. As for the jobs, the Irish were ready to take any job, which would help them survive in the hostile country; however, the preference was given civil service positions, as they offered security. Despite prejudice and constant cases of abuse of the Irish, they did not give up and soon they dominated Massachusetts politics. Nowadays, the Irish are the valued members of American society and represent different professions. Moreover, they are the most numerous ethnic group in America.

Irish-American Identity

Disproving any claims related to divided loyalty, Irish immigrants did their best to prove they deserve the right and have an ability to become good Americans. Because the Irish spoke English and were the first Catholics, who have arrived in the United States, they managed to take control of the American Catholic Church successfully and very quickly. The Irish-American identity has started enlarging in the country, where Catholicism became the only important ingredient. Despite the success of the Irish immigrants in America, the development of Anti-Catholicism remained the issue of American culture; however, the things changed in 1960, after the election of John F. Kennedy. In addition, the Irish candidates dominated in big American cities, such as New York, Boston, and Chicago, where they headed the local Democratic Party. The beginning of the 1920s marked their presence in the national politics, when Al Smith became the first Catholic candidate for presidency.

Impact of the Irish Immigration on Life of the Irish at Present

The era of industrialization has passed and many things have changed, having left their traces in the history of America and Ireland. Irish potato famine made thousands of Irish leave their home and come to America in search for a better destiny. Their life in a hostile country was not simple and they were always met with hostility and aggression, however, it did not prevent Irish immigrants from becoming good Americans without losing their religious and cultural heritage. They proved that their power of unity and hard work are able to change the hostile attitude of the industrial America. Irish immigrants, whose major strengths were labor and religion, demonstrated that assimilation was a complex process, in which immigrants had to follow Anglo-Protestant culture while neglecting their own traditions and religion. having become real Americans, the Irish managed to increase respect to their culture, religion and identity all over the country. They also assisted in laying the basis for the present day cultural diversity in the USA.

Today, the Irish is flourishing ethnic group in America, which goes beyond national norms on education levels, professional status, level of income, and property ownership. Together with their stable moving up the social mobility, started from the period of their arrival in the USA, the American Irish managed to make huge progress in their development and leave their urban settlements of the Northeast and Midwest for the modern and fashionable suburbs and cities of the country. Because of such progress and stable development, the sense of communal identity and a feeling of unity have been increased. Modern Americans of Irish origin have a strong sense of ethnic superiority, particularly political and cultural spheres. Nowadays, living in America, after having conquered this country, that used to be hostile, they are sure that being Irish-American means being part of a national story of success.

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Irish Immigration: Beyond the Potato Famine

How do shifts in population change a place.

Ireland sent immigrants to the American colonies early in their settlement. Charles Carroll was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. In the 1840s, the Irish potato sent waves of migrants who could afford passage fleeing starvation in the countryside. The Irish made up one half of all migrants to the country during the 1840s. From 1820 to the start of the Civil War, they constituted one third of all immigrants. Early in the century, the majority of Irish immigrants were single men. After the 1840s, the pattern shifted to families as a few family members came first and earned money to bring relatives later in a process known as chain migration. In later years, women provided the majority of new arrivals.

Irish Immigrants in America

So harsh were conditions in Ireland that the nation's population decreased substantially through the 19th century. From 8.2 million in 1841, the population dropped to 6.6 million in only ten years and to 4.7 million in 1891. From 1841 to World War II, some estimates conclude that 4.5 million Irish came to the United States.

While not all Irish migrants were poor, most were. Many did not have money to move beyond the eastern port where they landed, and their numbers soon swelled cities like New York and Boston. Many found the adjustments from their rural backgrounds to the impersonal urban environments very difficult. They crowded into low-cost housing creating problems for schools, disease and sanitation. Men took whatever jobs they could find, usually at very low pay, while women became domestic workers or other low paying jobs. Often they found themselves competing for jobs with African Americans for work that was the hardest, most dangerous and lowest paying. Employers used the Irish, as well as other newly-arrived immigrants and African Americans, to threaten replacement  of workers if they advocated for better working conditions, which created  ethnic tensions that sometimes broke out into violence.

In addition to economic pressures, the Irish also faced religious discrimination. Centuries of conflicts between Protestants and Catholics followed immigrants to the United States, and the Irish Catholic faced hostility from the longer-settled Protestants who feared that the growing numbers of Irish would translate into political power. And it did. As politicians learned to court Irish voters, urban political machines rewarded their supporters with public jobs like policemen, firemen, sanitation workers and road crews. Protestant groups gravitated toward the Republican Party that sometimes promoted discriminatory laws like voting restrictions or the prohibition of the sale and use of alcohol. In response, Catholic immigrants like the Irish became the heart of the Democratic Party in many Northern states.

The Irish in Iowa

In Iowa, the Irish were the second largest immigrant group, topped only by the Germans. They settled in large numbers in the Mississippi River towns like Dubuque and Davenport. The Catholic bishop in Dubuque encouraged Irish and German Catholic immigration to Iowa and directed new arrivals to communities in northeast Iowa where they could be served by Catholic priests. Within the church itself, there was often competition to bring an Irish or German priest to serve the congregation. The railroads needed manual laborers and recruited the Irish to lay the rails and maintain the trains in roundhouses, bringing workers to small towns. The Irish also settled together in towns like Emmetsburg and in rural neighborhoods. They often supported private schools so that they could teach their children in a Catholic environment.

During World War I, German-Americans were often the targets of abuse or discrimination. The Irish came under some pressures, too. They resented the centuries of domination by Great Britain, a U.S. ally. In the 1920s, Protestant-Catholic tensions produced a revival of the Ku Klux Klan to "protect American values" against the rise of "foreign threats" like the Irish and other immigrants, but the organization lost steam by the end of the decade. World War II did much to quiet ethnic tensions at home as America united to fight Germany and Japan.

Supporting Questions

What factors led to migration from ireland to north america.

• "Cause of the Non-Commencement of the Rebellion in Ireland," November 15, 1848 (Document)
• "The Irish Mother," April 19, 1849 (Document)
• "Poor Ireland," June 21, 1849  (Document)
• "Curious Facts," May 9, 1851  (Document) 
• Chapter XIX from "A History of the Irish Settlers in North America from the Earliest Period to the Census of 1850," 1852  (Document)
• "Emigrants leaving Queenstown [Ireland] for New York," 1874 (Image)

How did the migration of Irish people impact the United States and Ireland?

• "Ireland," November 27, 1851  (Document)
• Chapter XXV from "A History of the Irish Settlers in North America from the Earliest Period to the Census of 1850," 1852  (Document)
• "The Foreign Element," February 8, 1855  (Document)

How did Americans respond to immigrants?

• "Wanted - An American or English Girl" Newspaper Advertisement, August 24, 1842  (Document)
• "Coachman Wanted" Newspaper Advertisement, May 14, 1852  (Document)
• "The Irish Problem," November 5, 1854  (Document)
• "Which Color is to be Tabooed Next?" 1882  (Political Cartoon)

"Cause of the Non-Commencement of the Rebellion in Ireland," November 15, 1848

Download Resource

Description

"the irish mother," april 19, 1849.

"Poor Ireland," June 21, 1849

"Curious Facts," May 9, 1851

This article published in the Des Moines Courier is from 1851. It is taken from the British publication, Blackwood's Magazine . The article highlights statistics about the British Isles relating to crime, hunger, immigration and poverty.

Chapter XIX from "A History of the Irish Settlers in North America from the Earliest Period to the Census of 1850," 1852

"Emigrants leaving Queenstown [Ireland] for New York," 1874

"Ireland," November 27, 1851

This newspaper article from 1851 describes a desperate situation in Ireland, which is rapidly losing population. The letter originally appeared in the Limerick Chronicle and was reprinted in the Des Moines Courier .

Chapter XXV from "A History of the Irish Settlers in North America from the Earliest Period to the Census of 1850," 1852

Thomas McGee was an Irish immigrant to America who wrote about the experiences immigrants had. He eventually moved to Canada because he didn't think the Irish would ever be treated fairly in the United States. His book chronicled the state of the Irish.

"The Foreign Element," February 8, 1855

This Burlington Tri-Weekly Hawk-Eye newspaper article from 1855 details the statistics regarding immigrants from Germany and Ireland. It gives information regarding the jobs immigrants performed.

"Wanted - An American or English Girl" Newspaper Advertisement, August 24, 1842

This "Wanted" advertisement from the New-York Daily Tribune in 1842 is for a servant to do housework. It specifically says that people from Ireland should not apply.

"Coachman Wanted" Newspaper Advertisement, May 14, 1852

Wanted advertisements in newspapers throughout the Antebellum period explicitly told jobseekers who was and who was not an acceptable applicant. This ad is noteworthy because, during the tumultuous 1850s, it shows several distinct prejudices.

"The Irish Problem," November 5, 1854

"Which Color is to be Tabooed Next?" 1882

Additional Resources

• "The Irish in Iowa," Palimpsest , Vol. 45, No. 2, February 1964 The Palimpsest was a historical magazine published the State Historical Society of Iowa beginning in 1920 until it was renamed Iowa Heritage Illustrated in 1996. This February 1964 edition focuses on the history of the Irish in Iowa, such as the "Exodus to America," "Encouragement to Move West" and "The Irish in Politics."

Iowa Core Social Studies Standards (6th Grade)

Listed below are the Iowa Core Social Studies content anchor standards   that are best reflected in this source set. The content standards applied to this set are middle school-age level and encompass the key disciplines that make up social studies for students in the sixth grade.

• State Historical Society
• Iowa Humanities Council
• Mission & Strategic Plan
• Boards & Commissions
• Sponsorship Levels
• Gala Logistics & Accessibility
• Weddings & Receptions
• Facility Rental Details
• Employment & Internships
• Renovations
• Iowa's 175 Anniversary
• Iowa National Statuary Hall
• Other Funding Opportunities
• Field Assistance
• History Education
• Lifelong Learning
• Emergency Resources
• Local History Network
• Travel Iowa

How Irish Immigrants Overcame Discrimination in America

Alienating other minority groups helped the Irish advance

• People & Events
• Understanding Race & Racism
• Law & Politics
• The U. S. Government
• U.S. Foreign Policy
• U.S. Liberal Politics
• U.S. Conservative Politics
• Women's Issues
• Civil Liberties
• The Middle East
• Immigration
• Crime & Punishment
• Canadian Government
• Understanding Types of Government
• M.A., English and Comparative Literary Studies, Occidental College
• B.A., English, Comparative Literature, and American Studies, Occidental College

The month of March isn’t just home to St. Patrick’s Day but also to Irish American Heritage Month, which acknowledges the discrimination the Irish faced in America and their contributions to society. In honor of the annual event, the U.S. Census Bureau releases a variety of facts and figures about Irish Americans and the White House issues a proclamation about the Irish experience in the United States.

In March 2012, President Barack Obama ushered in Irish American Heritage Month by discussing the “indomitable spirit” of the Irish. He referred to the Irish as a group “whose strength helped build countless miles of canals and railroads; whose brogues echoed in mills, police stations, and fire halls across our country; and whose blood spilled to defend a nation and a way of life they helped define.

Defying Famine, Poverty, and Discrimination

"Defying famine, poverty, and discrimination, these sons and daughters of Erin demonstrated extraordinary strength and unshakable faith as they gave their all to help build an America worthy of the journey they and so many others have taken.”

History of Discrimination

Notice that the president used the word “discrimination” to discuss the Irish American experience. In the 21st century, Irish Americans are widely considered to be “white” and reap the benefits of white privilege. However, this was not always the case in previous centuries.

As Jessie Daniels explained in a piece on the Racism Review website called “St. Patrick’s Day, Irish-Americans and the Changing Boundaries of Whiteness,” the Irish faced marginalization as newcomers to the United States in the 19th century. This was largely because of how the English treated them. She explains:

“The Irish had suffered profound injustice in the U.K. at the hands of the British, widely seen as ‘white negroes.’ The potato famine that created starvation conditions that cost the lives of millions of Irish and forced the out-migration of millions of surviving ones, was less a natural disaster and more a complex set of social conditions created by British landowners (much like Hurricane Katrina). Forced to flee from their native Ireland and the oppressive British landowners, many Irish came to the U.S.”

Immigrating to the U.S. Didn’t End the Hardships

But immigrating to the U.S. didn’t end the hardships the Irish experienced across the pond. Americans stereotyped the Irish as lazy, unintelligent, carefree criminals and alcoholics. Daniels points out that the term “paddy wagon” comes from the derogatory “paddy,” a nickname for “Patrick” widely used to describe Irish men. Given this, the term “paddy wagon” basically equates being Irish to criminality.

Competing for Low-Wage Employment

Once the U.S. ceased to enslave its African American population, the Irish competed with them for low-wage employment. The two groups did not join together in solidarity, however. Instead, the Irish worked to enjoy the same privileges as white Anglo-Saxon Protestants, a feat they accomplished partly at the expense of Black people, according to Noel Ignatiev, author of How the Irish Became White (1995).

Subjugating Black Americans to Move up the Socioeconomic Ladder

While the Irish abroad opposed enslavement, for example, Irish Americans supported the peculiar institution because subjugating Black Americans allowed them to move up the U.S. socioeconomic ladder. After enslavement ended, the Irish refused to work alongside Black people and terrorized them to eliminate them as competition on multiple occasions. Due to these tactics, the Irish eventually enjoyed the same privileges as other whites while Black people remained second-class citizens in America.

Richard Jenson, a former University of Chicago history professor, wrote an essay about these issues in the Journal of Social History called “‘No Irish Need Apply’: A Myth of Victimization.” He states:​

“We know from the experience of African Americans and Chinese that the most powerful form of job discrimination came from workers who vowed to boycott or shut down any employer who hired the excluded class. Employers who were personally willing to hire Chinese or Blacks were forced to submit to the threats. There were no reports of mobs attacking Irish employment. On the other hand, the Irish repeatedly attacked employers who hired African Americans or Chinese.”

Advantages Used to Get Ahead

White Americans often express incredulity that their ancestors managed to succeed in the United States while people of color continue to struggle. If their penniless, immigrant grandfather could make it in the U.S. why can’t Black Americans, Latinos, or Native Americans? Examining the experiences of European immigrants in the U.S. reveals that some of the advantages they used to get ahead—white skin and intimidation of minority laborers—were off-limits to people of color.

• Executive Order 8802: Prohibition of Discrimination and Its Impact
• The Transatlantic Slave Trade: 5 Facts About Enslavement in the Americas
• History of the Asian American Civil Rights Movement
• The Ricci vs. DeStefano Case
• 5 Examples of Institutional Racism in the U.S.
• A Brief History of South African Apartheid
• The Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
• Racial Controversies and the Olympic Games
• The Controversy Over Columbus Day Celebrations
• How Is the 'Tragic Mulatto' Literary Trope Defined?
• 5 Famous Revolts by Enslaved People
• The History of Juneteenth Celebrations
• Do Your Food Products Have Racist Roots?
• The History of the American Indian Movement (AIM)
• President Jimmy Carter's Record on Civil Rights and Race Relations
• Timeline History of the NAACP 1905-2008

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The Irish in Boston

By: History.com Editors

Updated: March 4, 2024 | Original: May 25, 2017

About 33 million Americans can trace their roots to Ireland, the small island off the western coast of Europe, which has a population of just 4.6 million. The Irish, like many immigrant groups arriving in America, were fleeing hardships at home, only to endure further troubles on these shores—even in Boston, the port of entry for many Irish immigrants and the city that remains a hub of Irish-American history and culture today.

Across the Atlantic: from Famine to War

The Irish presence in America dates back to colonial times, when a handful of immigrants came to the New World for greater economic opportunity.

Ireland was governed by Great Britain until 1948, when 26 of its 32 counties seceded to form the Republic of Ireland (the six remaining counties are still part of the U.K.). While under British rule, many Irish were unable to own land or their own businesses.

Mass migration from the island nation, though, didn’t begin until the United States itself had been independent from Britain for some 60 years, when the Potato Famine or “Great Hunger” of Ireland began. The cause of the famine was a blight caused by a pathogen that led to potato crops in the country failing in successive years, from 1846 through 1849.

While the Irish relied heavily on potatoes as a source of food, most farmers on the island were tenant farmers, and their British landlords exported to England and Scotland other crops grown in Ireland (as well as beef, poultry and fish), food that could have helped many Irish survive the famine.

Facing starvation and hopeless poverty, many Irish left for America at this time. However, when they arrived in cities like Boston (and New York , Philadelphia and elsewhere), they came with few skills, other than subsistence farming. As a result, many of them took on low-paying factory work, and found themselves living in what quickly became the slums of these cities—neighborhoods such as East Boston, for example.

To make matters worse, many of these new arrivals were ostracized for religious reasons: Boston, like much of America, was still largely a Protestant nation in the mid-19th century, and most of the immigrants from Ireland were Catholic.

When Irish‑Americans Attacked Canada—With the White House’s Blessing

These Civil War veterans orchestrated one of the most audacious acts of the Fenian Brotherhood in the Americas.

How Stereotypes of the Irish Evolved From ‘Criminals’ to Cops

One immigrant group’s journey from outsiders to shaping 20th‑century law enforcement.

7 St. Patrick’s Day Legends and Myths Debunked

Before you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, get your facts straight by exploring common misconceptions about the holiday.

Established society in cities like Boston viewed the Irish as violent alcoholics (hence the phrase, “Don’t get your Irish up”) and labeled them with slurs like “mick.” Those who were wealthy enough to employ Irish servants referred the men as “paddys” and the women as “bridgets.”

Catholic churches in cities such as New York and Philadelphia were burned by anti-Irish mobs, and an entire political party—the American Party—was formed to promote “traditional American ideals.”

By the 1860s, though the Irish were not viewed by many as true Americans, they were nonetheless able-bodied. As a result, as the Civil War broke out, many male Irish immigrants were drafted from Boston, New York and other cities to fight for the Union Army.

While their service offered a welcome paycheck, the conflict was a particularly brutal one, and many were killed or suffered serious injuries on the front lines. In 1863, the brutal violence of the New York Draft Riots killed at least 119 people; many of the rioters were Irish.

The Rise of the Irish in the Aftermath of the Civil War

Although the Irish were still not embraced by America’s upper-crust society in the years after the Civil War—classified ads for employment reading “ Irish Need Not Apply ” were still common—they began to enter local politics in the cities in which they lived.

In 1884, for example, Hugh O’Brien became the first Irish-Catholic mayor of Boston. And, notably, the grandson of Irish immigrants to Boston, Joseph P. Kennedy , rose through the ranks of the Democratic Party in the first half of the 20th century, becoming the first head of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) under President Franklin D. Roosevelt as well as U.S. ambassador to Great Britain.

Of course, Joseph Kennedy’s sons—John, Robert and Edward—would all achieve local and national political prominence, with John F. Kennedy elected to the presidency in 1960 and Edward “Ted” Kennedy serving in the U.S. Senate from 1962 until his death in 2009.

Indeed, as the family history of the Kennedys illustrates, Irish immigrants and their descendants were gradually assimilated and accepted into American life, particularly as immigrants from eastern Europe and Asia followed them.

And today, with some 23 percent of Boston’s population claiming Irish ancestry—and many holding positions of power and influence in politics, society and industry—the city retains its place as a center of Irish-American culture and history.

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Irish and German Immigration DBQ

Introduce students t

• Students will compare and contrast the push and pull factors on the substantial numbers of international migrants from Germany and Ireland who settled in the United States between 1830 and 1850.
• Students will practice analyzing primary source documents, grouping documents, and writing a thesis statement as essential skills for the DBQ essay on the AP Exam.

Expand Materials Materials

• Handout A: Primary Source Immigration Activity Student Guide

Expand More Information More Information

This activity is designed for groups of five students. The activity works best if each student only sees their printed primary source. The students should have some background knowledge on the European industrial revolution and its impact on urban growth and immigration in the United States.

This lesson targets the foundational skills of analyzing documents, grouping documents, and constructing a thesis as required of the DBQ essay on the AP exam.

Expand Warmup Warmup

Have the students partner with a neighbor and complete the following: (3 min)

• Share your written description or illustration with your partner. Write a brief reflection in the space provided of what your partner created.
• With your partner, can you find any similarities between your two final products?

Your teacher will have a select number of groups share their similarities. (2 min)

Expand Activities Activities

Give each student a different primary source and direct them to Task 2: Primary Source Exploration.

Allot 10 minutes for this individual exploration. (Do not answer any questions until 4 minutes have passed to give the students ample time to work through their own confusion.)

After 4 minutes, the teacher can circulate around the room and answer document-specific questions.

After each of the five students has shared with the group, they should work collaboratively to complete Task 3: Application – Identify the Pushes and Pulls of Irish and German Immigration chart.

Within each group, have students return to their initial drawings/descriptions of a factory scene in 1850 and discuss any additional details they could add to convey push-pull factors after having analyzed the documents in this lesson.

Expand Wrap Up Wrap Up

Exit Ticket: On the basis of your completed Task 3: Application – Identify the Pushes and Pulls of Irish and German Immigration chart, write a thesis statement responding to this prompt: Describe the various push-pull factors that contributed to Irish and German immigration to the United States between 1840 and 1875. Each student hands their exit ticket in as they leave the class.

Related Resources

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

In our resource history is presented through a series of narratives, primary sources, and point-counterpoint debates that invites students to participate in the ongoing conversation about the American experiment.

• Americanism,

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• American Values

Irish Immigrants in America (913 words)

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Revised Thesis Statement

The Irish were a significant part of the forces that made up the Civil War, and even though they fought in every battle during the Civil War, some people think that the riots that happened around the time of the war made it difficult for the Irish immigrants to assimilate into society. Thousands of Irish immigrants enlisted in the Union Army because of the bishops urging and to show their support for the Union cause. Irish heritage units were crucial to the Seven Days Battles, Gettysburg, and Chancellorsville. They helped establish Americanism and simulation of the Irish immigrants. There isn’t any solid historical evidence that proves that No Irish Need Apply signs even existed. The discrimination of Irish immigrants may have had more to do with the skills that they had that did not work with the skills needed in the cities that they settled in.

When the Conscription and Enrollment act fueled the draft riots, the working Irish felt targeted to have to fight in the rich man’s war. Because they felt targeted, many of the mob rioters were Irish Americans. This resulted in Draft Riots in many major cities. Gottesman and Brown described the riots as:

“in short order, buildings, factories, shops, and homes were looted and set on fire, their occupants killed or injured” and “African Americans were especially in danger–earlier in the year African Americans had been used to break a longshoremen’s strike on the docks and working-class racial antagonism, always prevalent, was at an extreme. On the first day of rioting, a crowd razed the Colored Orphan Asylum and later lynched a black man whose body they set on fire. Throughout the insurrection, hangings of African Americans were accompanied by mutilations and other acts of brutality and defilement” (1999).

The Draft Act made all male citizens enlist. There were very few exclusions. African American’s were not required to enlist as they were not considered citizens. Thousands of Irish men attacked government and military buildings. They became extremely violent to people who tried to stop them.

The behaviors of the Irish immigrants went beyond just feeling targeted by draftees for the Civil War. They were also having a problem fitting in with the new culture and trying to rebuild their lives. They also felt that they had to compete for jobs with the newly freed African Americans. The Irish men thought that they needed to prove their loyalty to their new country and felt that they were being treated unfairly because they were in a competition for employment with the African Americans.

A division was also created in the Irish community due to the Civil War. Although about 22% of the Union’s Army consisted of Irish and Irish Americans, the Confederation’s Army was made up of about 10% Irish and Irish Americans. Patrick Dunny, an Irish soldier, wrote a letter to his family after the fight in Bull Run. Dunny wrote,

“But one thing I know you heard nothing of, which is grievous to every Irishman, is that two Irish regiments met on that dreadful battlefield. One was the 69th of New York, a nobler set of man there was not in the world, who carried the green flag of Erin all day proudly through showers of bullets. The other Irish regiment was from Louisiana, also composed of good Irishmen who think just as much of Ireland. They opposed the 69th all day, trying to capture the poor green flag, and they took it four times, but four times they had to give it up.” (Dunny, 1861).

The Irish who supported to Confederate did not support them because they supported slavery. They wanted to fight for the new place that had welcomed them in when they first immigrated to America. When they joined the Army, this provided a stable income and career, which gave them the chance to better their lives. When the Reconstruction Era hit, they took a stand in favor of white supremacy and took on significant roles in attacking African Americans during the riots in New Orleans and Memphis (Waller, 1984).

The immigration of the Irish to America helped shape the country in all perspectives. Irish culture has influenced today’s American culture, from holidays to mannerism. “With a powerful influence in shaping the development of Irish-American history. Irish immigrants built strong urban communities; they were primarily a working-class people throughout much of the nineteenth century; they were very active in religion, politics, and labor” (Dolan, J., 1990).

• Dolan, J. (1990). [The Irish in America]: Introduction. Journal of American Ethnic History, 10(1/2), 8-15. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.snhu.edu/stable/27500797
• Gleeson, D. (2013). Another “Lost Cause”: The Irish after the Confederacy. In The Green and the Gray: The Irish in the Confederate States of America (pp. 187-220). University of North Carolina Press. Retrieved from
• Draft Riots. (1999). In R. Gottesman & R. M. Brown (Eds.), Violence in America. New York, NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons. Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/apps/doc/BT2350011102/UHIC?u=nhc_main&sid=UHIC&xid=f2d85b41
• Dunny, P. (1999). Letter from Irish-American Soldier during Civil War. In American Journey. The Immigrant Experience. Woodbridge, CT: Primary Source Media. Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/apps/doc/EJ2154000089/UHIC?u=nhc_main&sid=UHIC&xid=c66befe3
• Waller, A. (1984). Community, Class and Race in the Memphis Riot of 1866. Journal of Social History, 18(2), 233-246. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3787286

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