Irish Immigration To America

• It has affected Irish people in many ways because they have their own laws and Irish people felt that they did not accept them here in the U.S. But Starvation plagued Ireland and within five years, a million Irish were dead while half a million had arrived in America to start a new life. Living conditions in Ireland were deplorable long before the Potato Blight of 1845, however, and a large number of Irish left their homeland as early as the 1820's. In fact, Ireland’s population decreased dramatically throughout the nineteenth century.
  

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Achievement

• What impacted the Irish immigrants is the great number of Irish who entered the United States from the sixteenth to twentieth centuries were changed by America, just as they changed this nation. They achieved lives that would not have been possible in Ireland, supporting their families and bringing a better life to their fellow Irish in the United States and in Ireland. In turn these immigrants contributed to the "American culture" in many ways. What also affected them was when the U.S. brought up St. Patrick day as one of their holidays for the irish people and they were probably offended the way they came up with name. Among the early immigrants to the United States, the Irish are now assimilated in all aspects of this nation, but they still retain pride and identity in their Irish heritage.

Thesis Statement

Thesis

The United States was formed out of the efforts of immigrants who journeyed to an unknown land hoping to have a brighter future. Several Irish immigrants came to America during colonial times and contributed to the establishment of the Declaration of Independence; yet, when thousands of them left Ireland due to the potato famine, they began being treated as uncivilized apes who only served as laborers who were willing to work for a low pay. No group of people were more alienated than the Irish during the 1850s, no group taken more advantage of or looked down at as much as them. Throughout history, immigrants from various regions have undergone the same treatment as the Irish. Instead of learning from past mistakes, the United States has repeated the same process decade after decade and it is time that this cycle is put to a stop.

To ensure that the hardships of the Irish are not repeated, the US Congress should create a reform immigration policy that has a clear path to citizenship for those working and living in America without papers, is fair to families and ensures family unity, protects the rights of workers by promising fair conditions for both native-born and immigrant workers, and secures the borders and other ports of entry while upholding human rights. To gain legal status and ultimately citizenship, immigrants must undergo a vast background check and show commitment to gaining an education and contributing to the well being of the country by paying taxes. Family plays a significant role in the success of new generations and thus shall be protected. The United States government has the duty to keep families together unless members of such families show disrespect by violating the laws of the nation. Immigrants are often exploited by businesses because of their illegal status and are largely underpaid. To protect the rights of all workers, it is critical that companies verify that all of their employees are legally in the United States. In addition, the immigration system must be adjusted to go hand in hand with the American economy in order to guarantee that native-born workers are not at a disadvantage and that new waves of illegal immigration are not encouraged when job demand is high. Due to national security issues, the borders or other ports of entry would continue to be under high surveillance; however, immigrants hoping to enter would not be put under life-threatening conditions, as they were before.

Economic

• The Irish, although not tolerated at first, soon became the people American owners eagerly ushered into jobs. Aboukhadijeh (2012) believed that the Irish arrived at a time of need for America. The country was growing and it needed men to do the heavy work of building bridges, canals, and railroads. Due to their desperation, Irish immigrants took on the menial and dangerous jobs that were often avoided by other workers. Irish women also joined the workforce by becoming servants or domestic workers. The audio recording, Immigrant Laborers in the Early 20th Century, describes how West Virginia coal operators fired union laborers and gave the jobs to Irish, Italian and African-American workers because, “[the] coal company owned them.” Employers were also known to replace, or threaten to replace, uncooperative workers and those demanding higher wages with Irish laborers. This competition increased class tensions and, at the turn of the century, Irish Americans were often antagonized by organizations such as the American Protective Association (APA) and the Ku Klux Klan. As time passed, the Irish were able to move up in the social and occupational ladder through politically appointed positions such as policeman, fireman, and teacher. As a result, second and third generation Irish were better educated, wealthier, and more successful than were their parents and grandparents.

No Irish Need Apply

• As Irish immigrants entered by the thousands into America, their unknown customs and their obvious desperation to obtain jobs caused Americans to resent them and take advantage of their conditions, like they once did for African Americans. Kinsella (2008) argued that life in America for Irish immigrants was a battle for survival. Since the majority of Irish immigrants did not have any money, they settled in the port of arrival. One Irish immigrant wrote, "Our position in America is one of shame and poverty." No group was considered lower than an Irishman in America during the 1850's. Ads for employment were usually followed by "NO IRISH NEED APPLY." The Library of Congress records that Irish immigrants often crowded into subdivided homes that were intended for single families, living in tiny, cramped spaces. Cellars, attics and make-do spaces in alleys became their home. A lack of adequate sewage and running water in these places made proper sanitation out of the question. Diseases (such as cholera, typhus, tuberculosis, and mental illness) rose from these miserable living conditions. Thus, when the Irish families moved into neighborhoods, other families moved out fearing the risks of disease, fire hazards, unsanitary conditions and the social problems of violence, alcoholism and crime. The Chicago Post wrote, "The Irish fill our prisons, our poor houses...Scratch a convict or a pauper, and the chances are that you tickle the skin of an Irish Catholic. Putting them on a boat and sending them home would end crime in this country." According to A Growing National Economy, by Aboukhadijeh (2012), the arrival of immigrants in the 1840s and 1850s posed a threat of unknown languages and customs. Some Americans feared that foreigners would outnumber them and eventually overrun the country. The natives saw the mass settlements of Irish and German Catholics as a threat to their hard-won religious and political liberties. This hostility resulted in several conflicts between Protestants and Catholics.

Government

• The United States government policies and programs affected the Scotch-Irish because during the Great Famine which was a period of mass starvation during the year 1845 and 1852. Over 1 million people died and those who did not emigrated from Ireland to America. The Irish moved to America for a new beginning. They hoped to obtain jobs in the major cities to provide for their families; however, the Americans did not approve of this. They disliked the Irish because they began taking their jobs and began discriminating them often looking down at them by giving them the worst jobs a man could get. This was also known as the “No Irish need apply”. The No Irish need apply was a slogan that originated in England after the 1798 Irish Rebellion. This slogan was seen as a prejudice and discriminating sign according to the Irish. It was seen as that because according to an article by Richard Jensen, “No Irish Need Apply” “The signs said that employment was available here and invited Yankees, French-Canadians, Italians and any other non-Irish to come inside and apply.” The N.I.N.A slogan allowed any other race to obtain jobs except the irish which was discriminating towards the Irish settlers.
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