Unit 2 Immigrants Cities and Labor The New America Move to the North Urban and Industrial South is based on agriculture and farming Changes in Immigration New immigrant groups coming to the North As time gradually moves on more South Eastern Europeans Italy and Poland migrate 1881 1890 mostly North Western Europeans Ireland to the North Push Factors vs Pull Factors Persecution pushed people to emigrate Poverty pushed people to emigrate America was considered the land of opportunity employment for people to immigrate Communism caused people to emigrate and immigrate War caused people to emigrate Immigration and American Society The Melting Pot vs Cultural Pluralism o Melting pot is the idea that the European groups will assimilate into American culture o Cultural Pluralism immigrants should keep their culture o Historians believe what makes America a great country is its diversity hence they believe immigrants should keep their heritage The Irish A Portrait of a Mass Migration Ireland is called Emerald Isle because it is green and beautiful Speak Galic as well as English Conan O Brien is Irish Very diverse place not everyone has Conan O Brien s physical features The Irish were the first mass migration to the U S way more than the Chinese Fled Ireland because of 35 million people in the U S have Irish Ancestry o Discrimination by the English o The Potato famine crop collapsed Henry VIII Had 6 wives Desperate to have male heir to the throne Unsuccessful at producing males that were long lived Children had low life expectancy rates at the time Goes to Catholic Church to separate from his first wife but Pope does not let him Breaks from Catholicism and converts to Protestantism Makes England a Protestant nation In order to secure his Nation s safety he invades Ireland Ireland becomes England s first colony o Alters landscape o Kicks Irish off of their land o Replaces tenants with sheep The Penal Laws Designed to disenfranchise and impoverish the Irish Catholics Designed to give the Protestants more power Not allowed to be educated and go to school The Growth of Poverty In 1600 Protestants owned 10 of the land By 1798 the Protestants owned 95 of the land Irish were very poor Potatoes Irish were very dependent of them Easy to grow Rich in vitamins Started originally in South America then went to Ireland Family of 6 would eat 5 tons of Potatoes a year Irish population grew during the time period of 1800 to 1841 Phytophthora Charlock Mold Travels across the Atlantic Ocean and infects the potatoes A weed that people ate during the potato famine Not nutritious or filling Death by Starvation One million Irish died Shortage of coffins from all of the deaths Some were left unburied lying in rural and urban areas Long painful death Experienced irregular heartbeats People become agitated and then apathetic British tried to empty corn reserves in America and then bring the corn to Ireland but there was not enough food for the whole population Birth of the Irish Independence Movement Mass migration out of Ireland particularly to America By 1900 the population of Ireland was only 4 million people population was originally 8 Consequences of the famine million 1 Million Irish people died The Irish in America A Dramatic Change Kennedy was the first Irish president of the United States Irish climbed up the social and economic ladder Irish Immigration Over 1 million Irish people fled to the U S during the famine America is a good place to go because it is an English speaking country England was not because they were a Protestant nation A deadly voyage Coffin Ships Not a planned exit for the Irish Very chaotic trip Called Coffin ships for the large number of Irish that died Irish were starving and more susceptible to diseases on the ships 500 000 Irish immigrants died on board the ships to America Destinations Irish had little to no money and were forced to stay in destination cities No prospects for a job Boston New York Philadelphia Five Points New York Shanties o Cardboard box made out of tin used to build walls Where the Irish lived once they resided in America Little sanitation No running water Disease plagued 80 of infants born died there Employment Day Laborers Irish have no education because the Penal Laws did not allow them to be educated Only have skills for labor not the job market in America Most became day laborers Irish are desperate to get work o Worked 12 16 hours a day o Little compensation Irish were loved and hated o Loved because they are cheap labor o Hated because some thought only Americans should work Chain Migration The process whereby families send over one member at a time to establish a foothold in a country before more family members can come over Conditions were bad for the Irish in the U S but not as bad in Ireland Able to save 80 for every dollar earned and sent that money back to Ireland o Used to pay for transportation of family members o Sent back 250 million in today s money o Irish were the first immigrant group to use this method Over 4 5 million people came to the U S By the end of the 19th century New York had more Irish people than Dublin Reaction to Irish Immigration Nativism o Putting the interests of native inhabitants natural born citizens over those of immigrants Americans felt Irish were invading their privacy Had images of Irish looking subhuman Americans believed Irish were violent The American Party Riot in Philadelphia Know Nothings not knowing their party affiliation Created as a reaction due to the influx of Irish immigrants to the North Fights between Irish and Americans Started because of the rise of Catholic Churches Increased Racial Tensions Created as a reaction due to the influx of Irish immigrants Irish and African Americans were competition in the same sector of the job market How do the Irish Succeed Climb the job ladder o Work as police firefighters etc Use the political system o Democrats must respond to the Irish lobby o Irish would vote for the candidate that gave them the most benefits o Ex Tammany Hall New York City Build new institutions o Churches Schools Orphanages Charities o Ex Boston College South Eastern Europeans were not Catholic and later fled to the U S Conditions in Ireland improved later on after the potato famine thus more Irish stayed in Decline in Irish immigration Ireland ITALIAN IMMIGRATION o Cultural difference between Northern and Southern Italians o Language and religion in common before 1870 o Southern Italians
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