The Importance Of Irish Migration To The United States

In the United States, many different nationalities and ethnicities are represented, one in particular is the Irish community. People of all ages and from all places came to America seeking a new life with opportunity. The Irish were one of the groups of people around the world that came to America. “With hope for a brighter future, nearly 12 million immigrants arrived in the United States between 1870 and 1900.” (- loc.gov) Immigrants entered the United States through several ports. Those from Europe generally came through East Coast facilities, while those from Asia generally entered through West Coast centers. More than 70 percent of all immigrants, however, entered through New York City, which came to be known as the Golden Door. Throughout
Its center was on Ellis Island, located in New York harbor.
The Irish immigrated to the United States of America in large numbers in the 1840’s. The Irish fled from Ireland due to one major event, the potato famine. The potato famine started between 1845-1850. Irish people fled their country due to a fungous that resulted in crop failure, land and job shortages, rising taxes, and famine. The people that were fleeing due to a fungous that resulted in crop failure, land and job shortages, rising taxes, and famine, all came to the U. S. to seek a better life with economic opportunity. The Irish fled from Ireland due to one major event, the potato famine. “In the early 19th century, Ireland’s tenant farmers as a class, especially in the west of Ireland, struggled both to provide for themselves and to supply the British market with cereal crops. Many farmers had long existed at virtually the subsistence level, given the small size of their allotments and the various hardships that the land presented for farming in some regions. The potato, which had become a staple crop in Ireland by the 18th century, was appealing in that it was a hardy, nutritious, and calorie-dense crop and relatively easy to grow in the Irish soil. By the early 1840s almost
Nativism then started a demand in immigration restrictions. Nativists believed they were they were the true Native Americans. Nativist belief was focused on Irish Americans, but German and Chinese immigrants were still targeted nonetheless. In response to the waves of immigration that was similar to a tsunami made up of humans, In the mid-nineteenth century, Nativists created political parties and tried to limit the rights of immigrants. A Nativist organization called Order of the Star Spangled Banner, was renamed as the Know-Nothings. Know-Nothings; A motion by the Nativist American political group of the 1850s distinguished by political xenophobia, anti-Catholic movements, and the occasional outburst of violence targeting the groups members opposed. Order of the Star Spangled Banner; A secret society which is oath-bound, based in New York City and created in 1849 founded by Charles Alle. Their intentions were to protest the rise of Irish, Roman Catholic, and German immigration into the United States. “To join the Order, a man had to be at least 21 years old, a Protestant, and willing to obey the Order's dictates without question. Members were Nativists, citizens opposed to immigration, especially by Catholics. They saw Catholics as dangerous and illegal voters under the control of the Pope in Rome. Members invariably responded to questions about the OSSB by claiming that