IRISH IMMIGRATION TO THE UNITED STATES

Ireland treated as a British colony Land taken from the Irish and given to British nobility Peasants lose land and become laborers working for pitifully small wages Penal Codes discriminate against Irish who were not members of the Church of England Irish people forced to tithe to Church of England & taxed heavily IRELAND UNDER BRITISH RULE

IRELAND IN THE 1800’S At the dawn of the 19th century, agriculture was dominant. Since most of this land was under control of English landowners, peasants rented plots from these landowners Because of a lack of capital, farmed with antiquated implements and used backward methods.

The major crop in Ireland was the potato and peasants depended on this crop for sustenance Wages were low, 8 pence a day, one- fifth of the average U.S. wage A series of small crop failures, low wages, high taxes and high tithes kept the Irish poor and malnourished. Some people began to emigrate to America POVERTY IN IRELAND

The United States needed immigrant labor to grow and prosper The poor, uneducated Irish performed the dirtiest, most labor-intensive work. Early arrivals built canals. In 1818 over 3,000 Irish laborers were employed on the Erie Canal. By 1826 around 5,000 were working on four separate canal projects. One journalist commented: "There are several kinds of power working at the fabric of the republic - water-power, steam-power and Irish-power. The last works hardest of all." IRISH IMMIGRANTS TO THE U.S. BEFORE 1845

In the 1800’s, the Irish immigrant’s life was held cheap Many Americans looked down on the Irish Because the Irish were poor and desperate, they were willing to take poorly paid, dangerous industrial jobs for less money than less recent Americans were willing to make. Untold numbers of Irish immigrants lost their lives working and were placed in mass, unmarked graves. THE IRISH IN AMERICA Mass grave of Irish canal workers buried near Philadelphia

Philip Duffy, an Irish immigrant himself, received a contract for Mile 59 of the Philadelphia & Columbia Railroad in Chester County, PA He met the ship John Stamp which arrived in Philadelphia, June 23, 1832, and hired these new Irish immigrants to work on Mile 59 of the railroad. THE DUFFY’S CUT 57

Mile 59, located in Chester County PA, featured a large curve and a valley that had to be filled in by digging down the hills between the valley All summer long, the fifty-seven workers hired by Duffy worked to complete the track. Then, in mid-August 1832, cholera struck in Chester County and began to affect the railroad workers in September All the Irish laborers died. THE STORY OF DUFFY’S CUT CONTINUED

The fact that all of the railroad workers died is unusual since cholera, at its worst, has a 60% fatality rate. Moreover seven of these men’s bodies were found in the railroad fill, and evidence of foul play was indicated by a bullet hole in one skull and a gash consistent with a hatchet in another skull. The worker’s camp was burned so violence against these men may have been covered up, and we may never know if they died of cholera or met violent ends by their Protestant neighbors Cover-up by Railroad company of men’s deaths THE DUFFY’S CUT MYSTERY

DUFFY’S CUT MARKER

In 1845, a potato blight destroyed three-quarters of the Irish potato crop, and the next year returned, along with an outbreak of typhus. Many Irish people left their country unwillingly, feeling they had to leave to avoid starvation. At the end of 1854, nearly two million Irish people - about a quarter of the population - had emigrated to the United States in ten years IMMIGRATION TO U.S. INCREASES

Ships carrying lumber offered passage to the potato blight refugees in steerage. Ships were crowded to double their capacity They lacked: food (7 lbs. only a week) provided to each passenger, clean water, medical care, & sanitation. Sharks often followed the these ships and ate the dead as they were dumped overboard THE COFFIN SHIPS

Vast majority of Irish immigrants had spent their last cash on passage to the U.S. Had no money for land or transport They stayed where they docked in urban centers Competed for lowest-paid, unskilled, labor- intensive jobs: factory work, domestic service, work on railroads and canals Lived in worst housing and crime-ridden areas Faced discrimination due to poverty and religion LIFE IN THE U.S. FOR THE IRISH IMMIGRANT Five Points Neighborhood in NYC

Thousands of Irish laborers worked on building the railroads and some saved enough money to buy land. Many became coalminers and organized labor unions The Irish were ardent supporters of Andrew Jackson and many were Democrats. The Irish opposed the abolition movement Reason: economic competition with free blacks in North for jobs and afraid of competition from ex-slaves Despite the difficulties, there still was opportunity FIRST U.S. INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION BUILT ON BACKS OF IRISH LABOR