When America Despised the Irish: The 19th Century’s Refugee Crisis

The History Channel ^ | March 16, 2017 | Christopher Klein

[Az Joe]

Today, 32 million Americans—10 percent of the country’s population—celebrate their Irish roots. There was a time, however, when the thought of Americans honoring all things Irish was unimaginable. This is the story of the prejudice encountered by refugees from Ireland’s Great Hunger and how those Irish exiles persevered to become part of the American mainstream.

[Kenny Bania]

The Irish were no allies in WWII. Screw them.

The Irish in Ireland weren't. Americans of Irish descent, however, served in droves - and with distinction. Big difference. Same with the Italians.

[Az Joe]

Read up on it....not good.

[Brown Deer]

The Irish were no allies in WWII. Screw them.

SCREW YOU!

WWII was about a hundred years later!

Seven Union generals were Irish-born while an estimated 150,000 Irish-Americans fought for the Union during the war.

The Union Pacific was built primarily by Irish laborers from the Eastern Seaboard who were veterans of the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War.

[Az Joe]

Thankfully there’s this:

“Estimates of between 4,000 and 7,000 members of the Irish armed forces deserted to join the armed forces of belligerent nations, the majority serving in the British Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Emergency_(Ireland)

[morphing libertarian]

I’m watching Victoria on sunday nights on PBS. They are at the famine. They depiict England flush with food letting the Irish starve. Not an expert, but the wrist came off pretty bad in this series.

[golux]

As a hook-nosed, Red Sea Pedestrian third generation American NAVY (I hear we use ships now, not sandals and sticks, to project power to foreign aggressors) I don't really have a dog in this fight, but may I recommend a movie? Gangs of New York. It is very, very, very good. On par with any of the great American films - right at the top. Right on this topic.

[morphing libertarian]

I also recommend the book.

[Bratch]

Any of them come into the country illegally?

If so, they should have been sent back.

[Big Red Badger]

Gangs of New York...
Knockout!

[Peter Libra]

Your post #24 read carefully by me.

I am well aware of the large contingent of Irish volunteers who served in WW1. The obscenity of the horrible carnage, with men sent in against machine guns. The Irish fought bravely on Britain's side. The tragedy of Home Rule being rejected for Ireland and then later the "troubles". Assassinations and criminal acts by both sides in the 1920's.

I have record of a Great Grandfather born in County Cork, though of English parents. London relatives married persons of Irish descent. The misery of human beings should be recognized with empathy. Then find the reason why they act as they do. Lastly it is the immortal Scottish bard that said it best.

Man's inhumanity to man, makes countless thousands mourn.
Robert Burns.

[Mears]

“Any of them come into the country illegally?

If so, they should have been sent back.”

—

Of course they should have been sent back——why would you even bring that up?

.

[kiltie65]

“they hated the English”.

And no wonder, did you know Ireland’s population was decimated by the hundred of thousands and there were more Irish slaves, sold into slavery all over the world, than there ever were black slaves.

[Wallace T.]

Next to the blacks, Irish Americans, at least the liberal ones, are the worst whiners in this country. Numerous other immigrant groups: Germans, Italians, Poles, Jews, Greeks, etc., had their share of problems, but none constantly complain about the past than those of Irish descent. The Jews received horrible treatment in Russia, Poland, etc., yet they left their grudges against the Tsars and pogroms when they arrived here. Ditto for the southern Italian peasants, who were under the thumbs of the landowning aristocracy and the Mafia.

[hout8475]

[Peter Libra]

Your post #26.

Daniel Day-Lewis as Bill Cutting, the nativist, was a masterpiece. What photography and recreation of how old New York looked. I read extensively of the actual character who existed at the time. He was William Poole, a nativist. Lewis had him down pat. Poole was mortally wounded in a bar room scuffle. When dying he cried out he was glad to die an American.

[Az Joe]

Were the Germans, Italian, et alia discriminated against like the Irish? I never heard of that.

[RayChuang88]

A HUGE problem with the Irish immigrants that came to the USA after the Potato Famine of the 1840's was:

1. They were of Catholic faith (not exactly viewed highly back then).
2. They will illiterate and spoke very little to no English (being native Irish Gaelic speakers).

As such, it essentially took two generations later from these original immigrants to finally integrate into American society. It was only in the 1890's that they were considered members of mainstream American society.

[nutmeg]

bookmark

[RayChuang88]

Italians particularly, but Italian-Americans integrated into American society within one generation. So were eastern European Jews initially until that group became powerful on Wall Street (many Wall Street firms are founded by Jewish immigrants from the late 19th Century) and founded the modern movie industry (every major movie studio in Hollywood were founded by people of Jewish descent who wanted to get away from a certain tyrannical person by the name of Thomas Edison).

[Salamander]

The Cromwell Cruise Lines.

My family knew it well.

/not born right-wise