Disease of all kinds (including
cholera, typhus, tuberculosis, and mental illness
) resulted from these miserable living conditions. Irish immigrants
What did the Irish immigrants do in America?
Irish immigrants often entered the workforce at the bottom of the occupational ladder and took on the menial and dangerous jobs that were often avoided by other workers. Many Irish American women became servants or domestic workers, while many Irish American men labored in
coal mines and built railroads and canals
.
What happened in Ireland that forced many Irish to immigrate to America?
The potato blight
which destroyed the staple of the Irish diet produced famine. Hundreds of thousands of peasants were driven from their cottages and forced to emigrate — most often to North America.
What happened when Irish families immigrated to the United States?
The fungus which decimated potato crops created a devastating famine. 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. … Between 1820 and 1860, the Irish constituted over one third of all immigrants to the United States.
Why did Irish immigrate to America?
Pushed out of Ireland by religious conflicts, lack of political autonomy and dire economic conditions, these immigrants, who were often called “Scotch-Irish,” were pulled to America by the
promise of land ownership and greater religious freedom
. … Many Scotch-Irish immigrants were educated, skilled workers.
Where in America did the Irish settle?
Most were illiterate, and many spoke only Irish and could not understand English. And although they had lived off the land in their home country, the immigrants did not have the skills needed for large-scale farming in the American West. Instead, they settled in
Boston, New York, and other cities on the East Coast
.
What religion did the Irish bring to America?
Roman Catholics
The religion of Irish immigrants was Roman Catholicism, although there were some Protestants. The Irish faced hardship and discrimination because they made up a small population of Roman Catholics in a sea of Protestant Americans.
Why did Irish leave Ireland?
Thousands of families left Ireland in the 19th century
because of rising rents and prices, bad landlords, poor harvests, and a lack of jobs
. Ireland was then a part of Great Britain, ruled from London. …
How many Protestants died in the Irish famine?
Superficially, these results seem to support the idea that Catholics were the main victims of the Famine. Of the 2.15 million people lost over the period, 90.9% were Catholic, and for
every Protestant lost 7.94 Catholics
were lost.
Where do most Irish live in America?
- Boston, Massachusetts 22.8%
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 16.2%
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 14.2%
- Louisville, Kentucky 13.2%
- Buffalo, New York 11.23%
- Nashville, Tennessee 9.8%
- Kansas City, Missouri 9.66%
- Raleigh, North Carolina 9.5%
When did the Irish first go to America?
The First Wave of Irish Immigration,
1715 to 1845
The majority arrived in Boston between 1714 and 1750, as most Ulster immigrants went to the mid-Atlantic area via Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Charleston beginning in the 1750s.
How did most Irish immigrants come to America?
At this time, when famine was raging in Ireland, Irish immigration to America came from two directions:
by transatlantic voyage to the East Coast Ports (primarily Boston and New York)
or by land or sea from Canada, then called British North America.
Where did most Irish immigrants settled between 1820 in 1850?
As the map at the right suggests the largest numbers of Irish immigrants coming into the United States as a result of the potato famine settled in two states – Massachusetts and New York – and actually in two cities –
Boston and New York City
.
What is the main reason immigrants came to America?
Immigrants chose to come for various reasons, such as
to live in freedom, to practice their religion freely
, to escape poverty or oppression, and to make better lives for themselves and their children. Some people already have members of their family residing in this country, and desire reunification.
What is the most Irish state in America?
- New Hampshire: 20.2%
- Massachusetts: 19.8%
- Rhode Island: 17.6%
- Vermont: 17%
- Maine: 16.6%
What religion were most Irish?
Ireland has two main religious groups. The majority of Irish are
Roman Catholic
, and a smaller number are Protestant (mostly Anglicans and Presbyterians). However, there is a majority of Protestants in the northern province of Ulster.
