Modern Irish History and The Irish in America

Objectives• Through the use of videos, PowerPoints,

and primary sources students will:– Understand significant events in Irish

history after 1800– Analyze how the potato famine led to a

mass immigration to America and how that immigration effected American culture

– Examine how peace finally began to spread through a country that has known centuries of internal and external conflict

The Act of Union

• The Act of Union goes into effect January 1, 1801

• This would never have happened without the Irish Rebellion of 1798

The Irish Rebellion of 1798

• Had it seeds in other revolutions– American, French

• In the early 1790s, the Society of the United Irishmen was formed– Catholics, liberal

Protestants, Presbyterians joined together for reform

Theobald Wolfe Tone

• Leader of the “Society”

• Helped increase numbers to 100,000

• Was able to gain French assistance in the form of a navy

• Eventually killed himself before his planned execution

Two Sides PrepareOrange Order• Had support of

Britain• English imposed

martial law in Irish counties– House burning– Murder– Torture

•Pitchcapping

United Irish• Plan was to seize

Dublin• Signal to the rest of

the revolutionaries to begin attacks throughout Ireland

The Rebellion Begins• Begins with an attack

in Dublin by the United Irish

• Other counties began to attack, but it was not well coordinated

• Many atrocities on both sides– Burning individuals– Instant hangings– Civilians murdered

After the Rebellion• The last of the

United Irish was not killed until 1804

• England passed the Act of Union

• Estimated 15,000 – 30,000 deaths

The Irish Potato Famine

(1845 – 1847)• Caused by “blight”– Fungus from Mexico

• Destroyed the entire potato crop

• Irish grew potatoes because it was more economical– You could grow three

times more potatoes than grain on the same land

• Click here for a first hand account of “The Famine”

England’s role during The Famine

• Other crops (wheat and oats) were in abundance in England

• Two reasons they did not ship them to Ireland– England could get more

money selling them in Europe

– They feared the Irish would sell the food and use the money to revolt

• England demanded any food sent to Ireland from other countries go through England first

Immediate Effects of The Famine

• One and a half million died of starvation

• Two million emigrated– America– Canada

• The population of Ireland decreased 25%

The Irish Arrive in America

• Over one million arrived in the late 1840s

• Click here to find your ancestor at Ellis Island

• They faced immediate hatred– Many American cities

(Boston) we founded by the English

– Now the hated Irish arrived looking poor and desperate

The Irish Tenements• There were no laws

regarding housing and sanitation– Landlords could

charge whatever they wanted

• Housing was in such demand that families were living in a one room “house”

• Disease (cholera) was common

The Irish Enter the Workforce

• The Irish were willing to work for less than Americans

• An Irish immigrant might earn $1 day at an unskilled job instead of 8 cents a day back home

• This lead to a deep hatred against Irish immigrants

Fear of the Irish Growth

• The Irish represented 43% of the foreign born population (1850)

• Irish kept to themselves and were thus viewed as “outsiders”

• American Protestants were fearful of the growth of Catholics

Riots in the Cities• Boston

– Burned Catholic convents• Philadelphia (1844)

– Protestants and Catholics fought

– Protestants burned Irish Churches

• As a result, when the Irish rebuilt their churches they built the windows high so bricks could not be thrown thorough the windows

• Other riots in New York, Baltimore, St. Louis

The Irish “Turn the Corner”

• The Irish gained respect when the volunteered to fight during the Civil War– Over 140,000

immigrants enlisted– Made up their own

regiments

The Need for Labor• After the Civil War there

was a need for laborers to rebuild the country

• The Irish worked as:– Factory workers– Railroad builders– Miners– Boat builders

• Actually began to unionize and receive better working conditions

The Next Generation in America

• Most Irish workers made enough to send money back to relatives– This paid for more

immigrants to come to America

• The immigrants now gained citizenship and the right to vote– Worked as civil

servants, police, and firemen

Ireland in the 1900’s• Trouble continued

between the English and Irish

• The Easter 1916 Rising• Eventually Ireland

gained it’s independence except for the 6 counties in the North– Became Northern

Ireland– Remained under

control of the British

Violence and “The Troubles”

• Bloody Sunday– January 20, 1972– 14 Irish protesters

were shot and killed by British soldiers

– They were protesting British rule of Northern Ireland

Finally - PEACE• “The Good Friday Agreement”

– Signed April 10, 1998– Meant to end the violence in

Northern Ireland– Established a power-sharing

system– Gave the citizens of

Northern Ireland more say in government

– Provides cultural, social, economic rights•People can be viewed as

either British or Irish citizens (or both)

Works Cited• "A Timeline of Irish History." Fianna Guide to Irish Genealogy. 29

Mar. 2002. 13 Feb. 2008 <http://www.rootsweb.com/~fianna/history/index.html>.

• "Belfast Agreement." Belfast Agreement. 25 Feb. 2008. Wikipedia. 13 Feb. 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belfast_Agreement>.

• "Gone to America." The Irish Potato Famine. 2000. The History Place. 20 Feb. 2008 <http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/famine/america.htm>.

• "Irish Rebellion of 1798." Irish Rebellion of 1798. 21 Feb. 2008. Wikipedia. 16 Feb. 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Rebellion_of_1798#Outbreak_of_the_rebellion>.

• "Island Ireland." Irish History. 2 Feb. 2008. 13 Feb. 2008 <http://islandireland.com/Pages/history.html>.

• "Passenger Search." Ellis Island. 21 Feb. 2008 <http://www.ellisisland.org/>.

• "Population Fall in Ireland 1841 - 1851." 13 Feb. 2008 <http://img.tfd.com/thumb/b/bb/Irish_population_change_(1841-1851).png>.

Works Cited (continued)• "Rockefller Center 1932." Image. 23 Feb. 2008

<http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/IMC/g551.jpg>. • "The Irish Potato Famine, 1847." EyeWitness to History.Com. 2006.

13 Feb. 2008 <http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/irishfamine.htm>.

• "The Irish Potato Famine." Digital History. 25 Feb. 2008. 19 Feb. 2008 <http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/historyonline/irish_potato_famine.cfm>.

• "Theobald Wolfe Tone." The Father of Irish Democracy. 17 Feb. 2008 <http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.communistpartyofireland.ie/1798/tone.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.communistpartyofireland.ie/1798/tone.html&h=216&w=180&sz=40&hl=en&start=6&um=1&tbnid=-HKrbWZ25Re8M:&tbnh=107&tbnw=89&prev=/images%3Fq%3DTheobald%2BWolfe%2BTone%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN>.

• Wright, Karis, Alexis Olsen, and Audrey Larson. "The 19th Century: the Great Famine." Ireland: the Great Famine. 18 Feb. 2008 <http://www.humboldt1.com/~history/lexiso/>.