Irish and Irish Americans Feb 10 2014 First wave of migration Involuntary migrants Basics Before 1840 only 300 000 Irish came to U S Between 1841 1860 1 6 million Irish came to U S Keep coming with a peak again in 1890 s Why leave Ireland 1 Plantation System English Protestants confiscated Irish land Oliver Cromwell invaded Ireland in 17th century 2 Penal Laws Denied land owning and voting rights to Catholics 3 Potato Blight Widespread famine poverty and death Gorta Mar 1846 1852 Atlantic Crossing Coffin ships o Minimal food and water o Disease o 25 casualty rate Past Poor o Did not have money to pay for passage o Arrived in debt to ship captain Location Northeastern Port cities NYC Boston Philadelphia NYC 5 points Boston Southie or South Boston Who Migrated Chain migration Ethic Enclave concentrated settlement of migrants from the same country of origin with in a city o A single member of the family comes first then sends money home for one or more members to follow o Catholic Church o Mostly young and single
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