Preview

Irish Immigrants and Their Struggles Essay Example

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
845 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Irish Immigrants and Their Struggles Essay Example
Irish Immigrants and Their Struggles

Shelby Stauble

ETH/125

3/21/10

Twyler Earl

The Irish people left Ireland and immigrated to America to enjoy a better life, get away from the poverty and starvation that they were faced with in Ireland due to the potato famine. They face all kinds of discrimination and were forced to take the worst types of jobs, but they never gave up and kept fighting for their freedom. The Irish were brave, courageous, and hardworking and made it possible for all Irish to live happy and free lives in America.

The Irish immigrated to the United States starting in 1820, more came after 1820 due to the potato famine which started in 1845, rotting of the potato crops caused thousands of deaths due to starvation. The Irish were forced to leave their country because they had no money nor did they have any way to eat. Between 1820 and 1880 3.5 million Irish immigrated to the United States to ease their suffering and in hope of a brighter future. (Immigration, n.d.).

A lot of the Irish who set out for America in hopes of a better life knew that immigrating to America would not be a completely joyous occasion. The Irish left Ireland to get away from the poverty, disease, and oppression and knew they would never set eyes on Ireland again. The ships the Irish were placed on to come to America were known as coffin ships because of their terrible conditions due to the overcrowding of the ships. Once the Irish arrived to America they were greeted with large men who took the Irish’s bags and forced them to live in tenement houses where they were charged outrageous fees to stay. The Irish were noted as the lowest group of people in America during the 1950’s.(Kinsellas, 1996).

The Irish were treated poorly because Americans viewed them as bad influences for neighborhoods; they were forced to live in shacks and could not find jobs because most work places did not want the Irish working at
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Land of Refuge
    • 348 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Land of Refuge

    1.) “Throughout its history, the US has been a land of refuge and opportunity for immigrants.” Assess the validity of this statement in view of the experience of the Irish in the 19th century urban northeast.Between the years of 1830 and 1860, immigration from many Europeans countries very much shows that the United States has been a land of refuge and opportunity for immigrants. Because of the high rate of immigrants, looking for refuge from the problems of their homeland, the population of the United States shot up by about six million. The flow of immigrants, choked off by wars in Europe in the first three decades of the nineteenth century, revived in the 1830s. The foreign-born population was vastly made up of immigrants from Ireland. In 1850, the Irish constituted approximately 45 percent of the foreign-born Americans. The mass migration out of their homeland was partly because of the oppression and the unpopularity of the English rule. But the factor that impacted the most was the greatest disaster in Ireland’s history: the Potato Famine. The entire country depended on the potato crop economically and also to feed the population. But between 1845 and 1849, the catastrophic failure of the vital crop caused the devastation of the country. Looking for safety and refuge from this terrible disaster, more than 1.5 million Irish fled to the safe lands of the United States. They fled to the safety of the urban northeast. Without practically any money, unlike the German immigrants, the Irish immigrants settled in the eastern cities to fill them with unskilled labor. The urban northeast gave them, mostly young and single women, opportunities of factory and domestic work. Moving rom the southern counties of Ireland, where there were little to no opportunities and an excess of devastation, to the urban northeast of the United States of America, where opportunities of work were in abundance, the immigrants of Ireland, looking for refuge and opportunity, created a…

    • 348 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Chapter 6 Of Ronald Takaki's A Different Mirror
    • 589 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Chapter 6 Of Ronald Takaki's A Different Mirror

    The Irish exodus was caused by a long past history of oppression by Britain. This oppression included Irish land being confiscated, converting…

    • 589 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    The Rise of Irish Nationalism in the Nineteenth Century
    • 1716 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The Rise of Irish Nationalism in the Nineteenth Century

    The late eighteenth century marked the beginning of what was to map Ireland’s future through the nineteenth century and to the present day. Ireland at this time was a deeply divided society. Catholic’s and Presbyterians made up eighty five percent of the population, yet they had no power what so ever and were very ill treated. That power belonged to the Church of Ireland. It was they who held all the parliamentary and government jobs. But this was a time in Irish history that was about to see a change. For too long had the lower class been subject to penal laws and below standard conditions. The French revolution rekindled the dream that Ireland could one day become a free and independent nation again. And it was a young protestant lawyer called Theobald Wolfe Tonne, who would go on to be known as the father of Irish republicanism, who ignited the flame in the search for a free Ireland.…

    • 1716 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The New York City Draft Riots
    • 1318 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The New York City Draft Riots

    By the mid nineteenth century American had seen a wave of Immigrants, many of whom were Irish and German, as a result of the potato famine, various land enclosures and revolutions. Germany and Irelands immigration is a result of rapid population increase, high unemployment rates and most notably Ireland’s strong dependence on the potato. The great famine caused great starvation and the immigration of Irish people to the United States. The Germans fled Germany to escape economic hardships and sought to escape the political unrest caused by riots, rebellion and a revolution in 1848. The Germans had little to no choice but to come to America because other…

    • 1318 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Long Distance Migrations
    • 579 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Long Distance Migrations

    From the period of 1700 to 1900, long-distance migrations that included the African Slave Trade and the movement of Irish and British colonists to America. After the African Slave Trade was banned, the use of indentured servants was put into place. An agricultural famine caused Irish to flee to America.…

    • 579 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Why They Came to America
    • 1034 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Why They Came to America

    The Irish, Germans and Scandinavians came to the United States for many reasons, freedom, comfort, independence and a chance of a better life. Each one of these groups of people had similar reasons for taking the long hard journey across the Atlantic Ocean, some came by choice and others like the Irish didn’t have a choice. Some were hailed as heroes and others as foolish daredevils. Some carved their place into this country with ease and others faced poverty and disease. Needless to say they all found their way into America and changed the face of American culture.…

    • 1034 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    The Ghost of Duffy's Cut
    • 2153 Words
    • 9 Pages

    The Ghost of Duffy's Cut

    The Ghosts of Duffy’s Cut depicts a period in history in which Irish immigrants migrated to America with the hope of being able to take advantage of the opportunities that living in a new world had to offer. However, upon arriving to U.S. shores, many immigrants were subject to social inequality, exploitation, and living in harsh conditions. The tragic deaths of the fifty-seven Irish men on Duffy’s Cut exemplify how the causes and effects of immigration, industrialization as well as disease were all significant indicators of problems the Irish living in American in 1832 and thereafter were destined to face.…

    • 2153 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Essay On American Immigration
    • 630 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Essay On American Immigration

    There are multiple reasons that immigrants came to America and left their home countries. For example, a push factor would be that the people of Ireland faced a famine. One of the major food supplies in Ireland was the potatoes,…

    • 630 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Irish Immigrants Coming To America Essay
    • 560 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Irish Immigrants Coming To America Essay

    Why is it everyone left their homelands in Ireland for this? Irish immigrants suffered many problems with their environment especially. It caused mostly starvation upon tons of other things. As you may know, potatoes were a big supplement in Ireland. In 1845-1845, there came the 'Great Hunger' or The Irish Potato Famine. There was a famine that passed through the potato crops causing diseases such as typhus and dysentery, as well as bringing a massive death toll of 2 million from starvation and disease. Overall, Irish immigrants fled to America to escape from the threat of more natural disasters, death, and…

    • 560 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Irish, German, and British Immigrants
    • 820 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Irish, German, and British Immigrants

    There are immediate similarities that are drawn from the motivation of Irish, British, and German immigrants within the period of 1830 to 1860. The first similarities are found when comparing the earlier group of Irish migrants, to those of some of the minor sections of British and German immigrants. Within the 1830s, those who came from Ireland had resources and skills that they desired to bring to America, or more specifically its world-renowned port cities, in order to better their economic well-being. Many German and British immigrants, such as those who were artisans, merchants, and professionals, also went to the cities of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Boston. Further similarities are seen when comparing the Irish settlers after the potato famine of the 1840s, to those immigrants from Britain and Germany who were focused on agriculture. The most obvious similarity that can be derived from this situation is that all three of the groups are being influenced by geography. While the Irish were forced to leave their country to survive, the Germans and British were attracted to prospective lands in the Old Northwest, and Texas. The final conceptual similarity found for the motivations of these three nationalities’ exoduses to North America is displayed in their role, or lack there of, in their original countries economies. During the 1840s, the Irish immigrants were mainly comprised of the less skillful members of…

    • 820 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Eth/125 Final Assignment Write a 1,050- to 1,750-Word Paper That Answers the Following Questions: • What Information About Diversity in the United States Has Helped You Better Understand or Relate to Others in Ways That
    • 1635 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Eth/125 Final Assignment Write a 1,050- to 1,750-Word Paper That Answers the Following Questions: • What Information About Diversity in the United States Has Helped You Better Understand or Relate to Others in Ways That

    What I have learned about my Irish ethnicity has been quite an experience for me. I have learned that the Irish were put through many years of suffering when they immigrated to the United States of America. The Irish immigrants were considered uneducated and unworthy. In many ways the Irish were perceived to be on the same level as African Americans. Irish immigrants were put into slavery, given jobs that nobody else would take, weren’t paid well, and were forced to live in unfit conditions and only with other Irish.…

    • 1635 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    German And Irish Immigration Comparison
    • 529 Words
    • 2 Pages

    German And Irish Immigration Comparison

    German and Irish immigrants were motivated to move to American soil for similar reasons. However, both groups of poor, struggling immigrants first situated themselves in different areas of the United States. Both the Germans and Irish were displaced to lands in the United States because of crop failures. The rotting potato crops of Ireland brought tens of thousands of destitute Irish immigrants to America. In Germany, the collapse of many of the crops bringing money and food to the Germans brought them across the Atlantic Ocean to the heartland of the United States. However, another of the Germans? motives for their immigration was their desire to pursue democracy in America after the collapse of their own democratic revolutions in 1848. The unfortunate, famine-struck Irish immigrants of this time, too poor to move west and start a farm, initially lived along the eastern seaboard cities. For the Irish, New York quickly became the most popular state for the settlement of their people. On the other hand, the German immigrants of the 1840?s and 1850?s were slightly better off and moved to the lands of the Middle West. In these areas, the Germans established model farms to try and create lifestyles for themselves and their families. The Irish and German immigrants fled from their own countries to the United States to try and rid themselves of hardships and establish new lifestyles.…

    • 529 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Dbq Essay On Immigration
    • 846 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Dbq Essay On Immigration

    Immigrants at a certain time were treated as welcomed guest with a bright future and equal opportunity to make a difference. Immigrants who arrived after 1880 experienced a shift in the lives of the American citizen that resulted in a firsthand experience of dreams that didn’t come true, bad living and working environments, and in equal rights. This dramatic shift came about from racism and a sudden decrease in space in cities and in some parts of the country.…

    • 846 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Changes In The Gilded Age
    • 411 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Changes In The Gilded Age

    During this time the newly developing industries and city jobs held huge promise to people both domestically and abroad. This new influx immigration changed the nation’s culture quite dramatically due to the arrival of mainly Europeans and some Chinese whom also brought their life styles with them. This would eventual lead people into describing the United States as a melting pot. However this process of assimilation was not a smooth one. Many Caucasian Americans were at first not accepting of the immigrants and in many cases our right discriminated against them. This lead to famously well-known store fronts signs saying “help wanted, No Irish Need Apply”. The Chinese also suffered in the form of lower wages when compared to their Caucasian counterparts. This was evident in the initial stages of the construction of the transcontinental railroad…

    • 411 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Essay On The Boston Irish Mob
    • 831 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Essay On The Boston Irish Mob

    “…as Oscar Handlin observed, “In a society that favored whites over blacks, the Boston Irish found themselves found themselves in a community that preferred Negroes to Catholic Immigrants.”showing that Catholics fell below all others on the Boston social ladder”(P25, View). In a community that has been under Protestants dominance almost since the establishment, these poor immigrants found themselves very much unwelcome. During their early times in Boston, most of these pre-farmers that fled from famine were “funneled into, unskilled day labor as a mere means of scraping by” , which “did not provide enough to even maintain a family of four”(P18, View). In order to survive, Irish women and children also had to work and “mainly taking jobs as servant in Boston’s middle-class homes”(P18, View). Such miserable situation did not really get better in the later years of the nineteenth century, that the Irish were still at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder. In comparison to “the British middle class which rose from 26 percent to 53 percent and the number of manual workers fell from 31 percent to 23 percent” and “the East European middle class (principally Jewish) grew from 25 percent to 50 percent while the number of manual workers decreased from 25 percent to 23 precent,” the Irish middle class expended “from 10 percent to 38 percent” and “ the number…

    • 831 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More