Irish Why did they leave Ireland Gorta Mor The Great Hunger The Potato Famine Potato Blight 1840 s potatoes grow underground Relied highly on potatoes The Great Famine 1845 1852 potatoes went rotten 80 of their calorie intake was gone 80 of the calories a day was eaten w potatoes by Irish Approximately 1 million Irish die in famine Cant have children if malnourished English didn t help because it was An Act of God Irish did not just go to America went everywhere except England Travel Over to US Irish were forced to stay in the bottom in steerage class where the bunk beds were Traveled through Atlantic Ocean Trans Atlantic Crossing Came over on slave ships that weren t being used Americans thought Irish were animals savages They were called coffin ships Ship fever is actually tuberculosis Irish had ship fever death rate was 15 25 The Immigrants Four factors of Success 1 Money Irish didn t have money 2 Location 3 Numbers 1 5 million came over during famine 4 Stereotypes Common Immigrant Poor unskilled can only herd sheep farm single not married They cant afford to come over Chain migration Anchor migration Chain migration when 1 Irish man comes over gets money and sends all the money back to Ireland so more people can come over The 1 5 million Irish men who came over were only the Anchor immigrants They sent 260 million back to Ireland Ethnic Enclaves where they lived 1 million more came over with chain migration 1 Five Points New York City Seen in Gangs of New York 2 Southie South Boston Mass Ethnic enclave when 1 ethnic group comes together and lives together exact opposite of assimilation All one ethnicity in 1 place Location Housing Irish will always live in ghettos outside of where the WASPS are in swamps Lived in Lien toos looks like a tent Some lived in tenements 10 people lived in a 10 x 10 room very very small they used to sleep in shifts no ventilation didn t open windows because of the horrible smell everyone threw their urine and feces out their window 80 of all Irish infants died Stereotypes 1 Religion Protestants hated Catholics Irish were Catholics Catholic Communiuon Transubstantiation Catholics believing what gospel says when the priest is up there and he raises the bread and wine and it changes in to flesh and blood of Jesus Christ Protestants thought Catholics were cannibals Baby Killers Protestants connected this with the 80 infant deaths Blood Drinkers Brainwashed by the papacy thought the pope told them to go over to US and make everyone Catholics 2 Race 3 Violent Black Irish dirty evil bad English being mad that Irish fought back Bare knuckle boxing dog fighting with humans Protestants love boxing New York Draft Riots 1863 conscription laws First War Draft You could buy your way out of the draft WASPS could Irish and African Americans cant Because of the draft Irish rioted and killed many African Americans It ended when they burned an African American orphanage Organized crime group of people doing something illegal as a business gangs of New York Dead Rabbit The Irish Mob is still here today Prohibition Used political intimidation Organized crime tends to be ethnic because they have to make money somehow WASPS can afford everything alcohol prostitutes food etc Violence 3 Irish go into boxing because they need the money to send back to homeland only reason 4 Drunks Irish are drunks A drunk is a person who cannot handle their alcohol A person who drinks is totally different from a drunk Drunks are someone who is violent Americans do not drink in 1850s 60s against alcohol WASPS claim to not drink Protestant religion tends to be against alcohol Protestant men are only allowed to drink beer and wine at the dinner table women and children weren t allowed to drink women only drank when they were sick Protestants thought the only women who go into bars are prostitutes Irish women always went into bars Irish sometimes used alcohol as a filler for food during the shortage of potatoes alcohol is easy to make Popular Stereotypes of Irish Paddy male cartoon Bridget female cartoon Paddy wagon Irish is always in them takes them to jail Bridget always seen bigger fatter ape like figure Irish seen as vampires Jobs For The Irish Signs for jobs read Help Wanted No Irish Need Apply NINA Jobs lowest paid Men day laborers only have that job for a day no stability factories mills mines boxing etc Trans Continental railroad very dangerous Irishmen buried with every tie an Irish man dies within every 3 feet while working in railroads 2 types of prostitution Women factory and domestics prostitution domestics meaning nanny house maid which also means they get food and clothes from family so they send all their money back to homeland just like men boxing Street walker bad health don t get as much money etc Prostitution house the better one or brothel Just like boxing the WASP women look for the best looking women or the ones that look like WASPS when they come off the Irish boats In a brothel they make at least 10 get checked for diseases and make even have a room there Acculturation Keeping their Culture Institutional Catholic Church this is how Irish practiced religion Different Roles Parochial Schools They want to make sure that they re marrying another Catholic Catholic church even has social mixers to meet other Catholics Irish Americans vote Voting blocks need a group of people all voting one way then have them all go and Voting blocks have historically been ethnic based One of the first ones was at 5 points NYC with the Irish Looked to the church Irish couldn t vote at first because they weren t citizens Though when they had children in US the children became citizens Unions ways for workers to get better working conditions people who organize strikes Irish Americans soon make up the hierarchy Children start going to college and get real jobs They aren t considered white yet John Fitzgerald Kennedy is the reason why the Irish are considered white now Irish Americans Today 1960 Presidential Election of John F Kennedy when Irish were officially white JFK was Catholic JFK had to go in front of a Protestant church and promise that America goes first and promise not to follow the pope Irish have not completely assimilated into America 36 million today checked of Irish American in recent census that s 12 of population Location Ethnic Enclave NE cities Chicago Southern cities Savannah Religion separates them the most If you live in ethnic enclaves you tend to be Irish American
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