The Upward Mobility Of Irish Americans In The 20th Century

How did the Irish immigrants come? In 1818 there were Irish immigrants,they came on the first steam service to go to the UK ,this was called the called Rob Roy. Within a decade, ships were also ferrying passengers,mainly to areas in liverpool.One pull factor for them was that they heard that England had a lot of isolated area that could be used for growing crops.One push factor is the potatoe famine.Starting, in 1845 the potato famine killed over a million men, women and children in Ireland and caused millions to leave the country.Many poor people grew potatoes for food. Potatoes grew on unhealthy soil, even in winter.When a potato disease called blight arrived, possibly in ships from America.It was a disaster. Potatoes went rotten, and were

In Hasia R. Diner’s book Erin’s Daughters In America she discussed the history of the lives of Irish immigrants, specifically women, before the Famine and after they emigrated to the United States. After the Famine, Irish citizens had to make drastic changes in their lives in order to survive, such as having more variety in food and the crops that they grew, and changing their marriage patterns and how often they had children. Many people even decided to immigrate to America, the majority of which were women. When Irish women came to America their lives were greatly revolutionized when they were forced to adopt new economic opportunities by finding a job quickly and gaining economic stability, and they had to modify their marriage patterns by getting married later in life, if they got married at all.

The Irish were considered White in 19th century America, but they were considered inferior to the native born Americans. In Document A. the cartoon showed the Irish being labeled as white, but were equal to blacks. So the Irish and blacks were distinguished as having an equal social status. So they were both victims of racism. Then in Document B. it was said “Things which Roman Catholics priests and all true Roman Catholics hate”. All Irish were Roman Catholics, and in the 19th century all Roman Catholics were white. Showing that once again the Irish were white but were discriminated because of their religion. Their religion was discriminated against because it wasn’t the same as the native born American’s. The native born Americans were Protestants.

The book, “The Irish Way” by James R. Barrett is a masterpiece written to describe the life of Irish immigrants who went to start new lives in America after conditions at home became un-accommodative. Widespread insecurity, callous English colonizers and the ghost of great famine still lingering on and on in their lives, made this ethnic group be convinced that home was longer a home anymore. They descended in United States of America in large numbers. James R. Barrett in his book notes that these people were the first group of immigrants to settle in America. According to him, there were a number of several ethnic groups that have arrived in America. It was, however, the mass exodus of Irish people during and after the great

Many times these immigrants were living in poor areas, confined by their ethnicity at most times. “Most jobs were very dangerous and of an unskilled type of employment.” (Henkin, ed., Becoming America, 482) Also, there were many citizens known as skilled workers that made up their own class, many times also referred to as a middle class. Unfortunately, “skilled workers became less optimistic in the early 1870s as machinery and technological innovation rendered their skills obsolete.” (Henkin, ed., Becoming America, 483)

The Scotch-Irish was hardworking and thrifty. They weren’t affected too much by race, language and religion. (Everyculture) There are several notable names that were of the Scotch-Irish descent including Andrew Carnegie, Daniel Boone and many more. A lot of the immigrants worked as farmers, in steel mills and coal mines, along the railroads and still others sought higher education. Poverty also has affected the Scotch-Irish when factories closed their doors. Health issues were based on the where the jobs were such as coal mining which led to Black Lung and other pulmonary

In the movie Ushpizin, it follows an orthodox Jewish couple living in Jerusalem as the holiday Succoth approaches. Moshe and Mali are lacking money and supplies for the week long holiday and need nothing but a miracle from God to celebrate this holiday in just two short days. Anxious, Mali and Moshe turn to the power of prayer in which God blesses them with more than they ever needed. The day of Succoth, Moshe is visited by two convicts, one a friend of his from the past and in no hurry to leave. Moshe feeling as if their company is a blessing from God invites them to stay for the holiday. But when the two start acting up, Mali and Moshe’s are feeling tested. As things seem to be spiraling out of Moshe’s control, he believes God must be testing him in which he is rewarded at the end of the holiday.

Many factors lead the Irish to emigrate from Ireland to America in the 1700s and 1800s; many left Ireland barely escaping with their lives as famine and disease struck the country, some left over political neglect from the country for its people especially by the British, others left for better economic opportunities, religious, and social freedoms. In many of the letters on the documentary, Out of Ireland, several people yearned for America and the idea of starting over on a new land full of freedom and opportunity. Many people, mostly poor peasants, had endured enough suffering and sought to leave these experiences behind by beginning life anew in the land of opportunity. Indeed, the arrival of Irish immigrants set about a massive transformation

Success as an immigrant means that they have achieved economic stability. Whether that is by having a stable job that pays well or being able to support your family and pay your bills every month. Most struggle at first but end up achieving this success, unlike the Irish immigrants. Irish immigrants failed at achieving success in America because they lacked the important skills needed to become successful, companies became anti-Irish and many worked low-class jobs.

The life of Irish immigrants in Boston was one of poverty and discrimination. The religiously centered culture of the Irish has along with their importance on family has allowed the Irish to prosper and persevere through times of injustice. Boston's Irish immigrant population amounted to a tenth of its population. Many after arriving could not find suitable jobs and ended up living where earlier generations had resided. This attributed to the 'invisibility' of the Irish.

In the mid-1920s, there was an even bigger increase in Irish immigrants to Chicago. Due to this increase in population, they moved up financially than other Europeans ethnicities. Instead of residing in lower-class areas, they began to disperse outwards. The areas where the Irish decided to move to were middle-class and upper-middle-class neighborhoods. Not many other ethnicities lived in these areas because they were not as financially secure as the Irish had become due to all the work they had received over the years. The neighborhoods the Irish lived in now were mainly in the Near North Side. Areas like, Lincoln Park, Lake View, and Uptown Areas (Cutler, 1973, 49-54).

While America was known at the time as a place for accepting immigrants, this was not the case for most Irish immigrants. Irish Catholics were targeted on the grounds that Catholics could not be trusted to remain loyal to anyone but the Pope, if another war were to arise. However, the Irish remained strong willed and assimilated into American society by working as farmers and building machines.

When many think of the times of immigration, they tend to recall the Irish Immigration and with it comes the potato famine of the 1840s' however, they forget that immigrants from the Emerald Isle also poured into America during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The assimilation and immigration of the Irish has been difficult for each group that has passed through the gates of Ellis Island or South Boston. Like every group that came to America, the Irish were looked down upon; yet, in the face of discrimination,

The turmoil of the second decade of the twentieth century gave way to a greater sense of peace and stability in the third, with a peace treaty signed between Ireland and Britain in December of 1921 and Home Rule finally established for most of the Irish isle (Ferriter, n.d.). At the same time, this new society did not lead to instant prosperity, and indeed poverty remained a major and growing problem in Ireland during this decade (Ferriter, n.d.). Economic and social problems that persisted during this decade certainly could have been pushes to increased immigration.

When many think of the times of immigration, they tend to recall the Irish Immigration and with it comes the potato famine of the 1840s' however, they forget that immigrants from the Emerald Isle also poured into America during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The assimilation and immigration of the Irish has been difficult for each group that has passed through the gates of Ellis Island or South Boston. Like every group that came to America, the Irish were looked down upon; yet, in the face of discrimination, political, social and economic oppression, the Irish have been a testament to the American Dream as their influence in