During the mid-1800s, Ireland experienced a big wave of emigration. With no hope for survival in Ireland, destitute farmers, the poor and even children sailed across the Atlantic Ocean for weeks and sometimes months to make their way to the United States in search a better life.
The conditions on the ships they sailed in were unsanitary and congested with people. Mortality was common on these so-called coffin ships. Although emigrants were aware of the dangers of sailing to America, they believed that it was worth the risk. In proportion to its population, people emigrated from Ireland more than any other country. More than 4.25 million Irish immigrants came to the United States from 1820 to 1920.
With mass starvation that was fueled by the effects of the potato famine and exploitation by the hands of British rule, the people of Ireland wanted to escape by all means. Despite the dangers of sailing to America, the Irish believed that it was worth the risk because no matter what they were about to encounter, it would be no worse than what they were leaving behind. To the Irish people, America represented freedom, good, hope and prosperity.
Once here in America, the Irish immigrants were confronted with racism and were portrayed as being too incompetent to rise up in the ranks of American society due to their alleged low moral standards. Their low status was further fueled by suspicion because of their ties to Catholicism. In spite of the economic and social hardships in their homelands and the cultural barriers that they encountered in America, Irish immigrants of the nineteenth century nevertheless were able to better their lives in America due to their great utilization of opportunities that America presented.
Learn more below about why the Irish fled their homeland, the very public racial prejudice they experienced depicted in political cartoons and the way these first generations of Irish immigrants paved the way for a very famous Irishman.
The conditions on the ships they sailed in were unsanitary and congested with people. Mortality was common on these so-called coffin ships. Although emigrants were aware of the dangers of sailing to America, they believed that it was worth the risk. In proportion to its population, people emigrated from Ireland more than any other country. More than 4.25 million Irish immigrants came to the United States from 1820 to 1920.
With mass starvation that was fueled by the effects of the potato famine and exploitation by the hands of British rule, the people of Ireland wanted to escape by all means. Despite the dangers of sailing to America, the Irish believed that it was worth the risk because no matter what they were about to encounter, it would be no worse than what they were leaving behind. To the Irish people, America represented freedom, good, hope and prosperity.
Once here in America, the Irish immigrants were confronted with racism and were portrayed as being too incompetent to rise up in the ranks of American society due to their alleged low moral standards. Their low status was further fueled by suspicion because of their ties to Catholicism. In spite of the economic and social hardships in their homelands and the cultural barriers that they encountered in America, Irish immigrants of the nineteenth century nevertheless were able to better their lives in America due to their great utilization of opportunities that America presented.
Learn more below about why the Irish fled their homeland, the very public racial prejudice they experienced depicted in political cartoons and the way these first generations of Irish immigrants paved the way for a very famous Irishman.
Irish Flee HomelandThe Potato Famine
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Irish Face Racial Prejudice Negative Political Cartoons Fueled Racism with the Irish depicted as "ape like."
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John Fitzgerald Kennedy - Irishman Becomes
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