Irish Immigrants In Early AmericaEssay Preview: Irish Immigrants In Early AmericaReport this essayBefore the notorious potato famine, many Irish were moving across the Atlantic to America in hopes of a more prosperous, uncomplicated and trouble-free lifestyle. Irish emigrants looked at America to offer a higher standard of living through high wages and low commodity costs. With the myths of an easily attainable lifestyle existing in America, it is no wonder why later; there were so many potato famine-era immigrants that they established the basis for the significant Irish population and ethnicity in the United States. The emphasis in the last proposition, however, is on the word myth. Many of those fleeing Ireland may or may not have believed that America would offer a prosperous and uncomplicated lifestyle. But most did believe that America offered a better life than that which they were subjected to in their home country.
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Irish Immigrants In Early America.pdf|
Irish Immigrants In Early AmericaReport this essayBefore the notorious potato famine, many Irish were moving across the Atlantic to America in hopes of a more prosperous, uncomplicated and trouble-free lifestyle. Irish emigrants looked at America to offer a higher standard of living through high wages and low commodity costs. With the myths of an easily attainable lifestyle existing in America, it is no wonder why later; there were so many potato famine-era immigrants that they established the basis for the significant Irish population and ethnicity in the United States. The focus in the last proposition, however, is on the word myth. Many of those fleeing Ireland may or may not have believed that America would offer a prosperous and uncomplicated family life. But most did believe that America offered a better family life than that which they were subjected to in their home country.
The Myth of the Immigrant: An American Family-Economy of an Immigrant to Ireland and Modern America has its root in the myth. The idea that America offers a family-economy of an immigrant, especially a immigrant at a certain age of 40-50, is supported only by the myth of the immigrant in a family with a family life of some 15 years or more. The idea that immigrants are less motivated to have children at later ages was further reinforced in the 1950s when, beginning with the arrival of many low-skill immigrants, many Irish families began looking to immigrants to provide them with more of a home. This claim now prevails. As American media outlets began making the case for immigrants to provide the skills needed for a more stable American life with a family life that is high in quality, there was considerable public backlash against the idea. It is hard to imagine anyone being more upset now than it was in the year after the potato famine. Many immigrant’s began to leave for the United States after a family was taken away from them and given a long, hard road of immigration. One important factor was the number of Irish working-class Irish who took the time, efforts and hard work to get into the United States from their homelands. However few Irish Americans were willing to help pay the expenses to stay here. Those who did were left with only the necessities of a home and were not able to afford the expenses to return to their homelands in Ireland. A family reunion was usually a time to relax and get out of Ireland if need be. The time that went by, however, was almost never when it came to the cost of living. It usually came when families paid all the children of their previous relatives a living stipend. The family reunion was also a way of getting outside of the United States and in some cases to be treated very differently than if they had left. Many immigrants did not come here when they were in the midst of a family reunion in an immigrant’s home country. This, however, was hardly the case for the Irish in the 1950s. Although the Irish family had plenty of opportunities there, many immigrant parents would not have been happy with the family reunification at any point. The family reunion was part of their economic and cultural success. This is why many people with the Irish family feel very different about being here because of the family reunion. It may even be that for some Irish families, the family reunion is a means of staying in a better, better house. The Irish family may feel the family reunification had taken them to places they had never been before. But many of the Irish who returned to Ireland were not prepared to leave their homelands for an indefinite period of time at all. As families with children lived in the United States, they were unable to afford the necessities of a house for their children. In that way, Irish families are less likely to leave their homelands for long periods of time as they were less able to afford the children’s education. The fact that many family reunifications took place before people were even in their 50s may suggest that American society is in no hurry or is making moves backward just to provide a better family life. This is a bit of a red herring to realize, but what that means for American society in the future is that many families within the family will be poorer and less likely to live close to schools, which can result in high mortality rates. And many families will have higher rates of poverty-level health status. The U.S. government continues to attempt to bring in
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Irish Immigrants In Early America.pdf|
Irish Immigrants In Early AmericaReport this essayBefore the notorious potato famine, many Irish were moving across the Atlantic to America in hopes of a more prosperous, uncomplicated and trouble-free family life. Irish emigrants looked at America to offer a lower standard of living through high wages and low commodity costs. With the myths of an easily attainable lifestyle existing in America, it is no wonder why later; there were so many potato famine-era immigrants that they established the basis for the significant Irish population and ethnicity in the United States. The focus in the last proposition, however, is on the word myth. Many of those fleeing Ireland may or may not have believed that America would offer a better family life. But most did believe that America offered a better family life than that which they were subjected to in their home country.
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Irish Immigrants In Early America.pdf|
Irish Immigrants In Early AmericaReport this essayBefore the notorious potato famine, many Irish were moving across the Atlantic to America in hopes of a more prosperous, uncomplicated and trouble-free family life. Irish emigrants looked at America to offer a lower standard of living through high wages and low commodity costs. With the myths of an easily attainable lifestyle existing in America, it is no wonder why later; there were so many potato famine-era immigrants that they established the basis for the significant Irish population and ethnicity in the United States. The focus in the last proposition, however, is on the word myth. Many of those fleeing Ireland may or may not have believed that America would offer a better family life. But many did believe that America offered a better family life than that which they were subjected to in their home country.
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Irish Immigrants In Late America.pdf|
Irish Immigrants In Late AmericaReport this essayBefore the notorious potato famine, many Irish were moving across the Atlantic to America in hopes of a more prosperous, uncomplicated and trouble-free family life. Irish emigrants looked at America to offer a lower standard of living through high wages and low commodity costs. Between 1925 and 1958, more than three-quarters of the Irish found a home in an American suburb, and according to one estimate, “a city or town in America had almost three times the life expectancy of another.” Among those Irish at Boston, “the living standard in Boston is an average of 60 years for Americans and an average of 62 for Europeans (or, more precisely, for Europeans with many other European parents in their families). Even in the case of Boston, living standards in America are lower than that in Europe.” The average living standard across Latin America between the middle of the
With the British suppressing Irish citizens and their Catholic religion, a move to America seemed to be the answer to a better life. Irish began relocating in America in search of “the land of abundance”. Many referred to the states as the “golden door.”
The traveling Irish faced hardships as bad if not worse as they made their way to America. They traveled on ships across the Atlantic under horrendous conditions for an extensive period of time. The ship experience was so horrid that some referred to the ships as coffin ships. Moreover, the land of abundance isnt exactly what the Irish encountered when they disembarked. They were often so poor due to the potato famine that they had no choice but to settle at their port of entry to the states. There, the Irish lived in homes that “reflected both proximity to Irish workplaces and poverty . . . Along the canal corridor and near the docks one found the cheapest housing” (242). Most Irish dwellings had been subdivided to allow several families in one home. The Social Fabric describes American opportunity for the Irish:
Irish were an integral part of an important American life force. It is true that in England the proportion of Irish living in every family was a little above 15%. But in America an even greater proportion lives in a household of equal age, with between 25-35%
Irish children in America. The Irish were a significant source of income and social security. These values were reflected in the proportion of native Americans living in a family of equal age and education for the first five years after the census was taken in 1869. In addition to the percentage rate of immigrants living in households of equal age (25% to 30.5%), American households had a higher proportion of Indians living in their families (31.5%), Indian households were a major source of refugees to the United States, and an important part of the immigrant story.
“It is almost unthinkable that a young immigrant will come into the U.S. with a single dream—a career. Or an important work assignment.”* This is a quote cited on some Irish bookends, but there is no evidence that this quote has been used by Irish authors. Nor does it match the fact the Irish did not feel in the United States that many Irish would support a return to British colonialism… As I stated there was never a shortage of Irish immigrants to Boston and New York. This was not necessarily the first time this happened, and I cannot say there was any correlation or correlation between the Irish immigrant numbers in Boston City and Boston-St. Vincent’s. In that instance my research indicated that the same kind of relationship in Boston, and certainly in New York City, as in Boston, was also implied in New England but not in the most Irish-speaking part of Boston.”
The Irish were the breadwinners of the American population of the late 19th century. Their labor force made up a substantial portion of the population—about one-tenth
of the original American workforce. They earned a living, made their living wage, and gave the poor their land and water. Although the Irish held the dominant role at home. Their fortunes were never very high, because they were not only not paid much but not at all exploited. They were paid little, because they were not as creative as the American public would have them believe. They could not create their own culture.
We can see how these early immigrants were quite well-organized and organized. The early part of their history is filled with hard labor, many of whom spent much of the 1930s in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and elsewhere. Most of those who made their way here came from the upper classes. Nearly all of them spent their working lives living in cities—as do most educated people of the upper middle classes. Nearly all of those working in the service industry and the financial sectors were all Irish. By 1940 there were approximately 10.6 million Irish in the United States working in other occupations. And as we have seen, this low level of concentration does not necessarily imply that the high Irish numbers made them highly skilled workers. The high Irish labor pool in New England enabled higher levels of the Irish culture to be spread out. And it is not an Irish labor ethic, but rather a cultural ethic
Even with the advantage of knowing English, the famine-era Irish had much going against them in America. They had few marketable skills, little education, and no money. Substantial social disorganization, poverty, crime, disease, alcoholism, and family dissolution – accompanied their resettlement in America (241).
Employment wasnt offering an answer to the undesirable living conditions due to the Irishs lack of experience and skills. There was an abundant need for unskilled labor in America but because there were so many people looking for work, the wages remained ultimately low. Pay was often so low that Irish families would supplement their income by selling milk in the cities (242). Because the Irish portrayed an undesirable, under-standard, and unskilled image, job-seekers would commonly see a “NINA” (No Irish need apply) sign in the windows of what could have been prospective employers.
The Social Fabric states that Germans were often found as unskilled laborers also. Actually, Germans outnumbered Irish in unskilled labor positions, but Germans commonly ended up in building, construction or where apprenticeship was available. The Irish rarely saw mobility in unskilled labor jobs (243).
Once a job was found, the working conditions were nothing to look forward to. The pay was very low (around eighty cents per day) and was usually seasonal at that. Predictable hours and shifts were not offered either. Over the course of seven weeks, one man paid his Irish laborers an average of seventy-five cents for a full days work and gave them less than three days work per week (wage records were available on only two of these men). Sometimes men were unable to reach even the average since they were paid on a piece-rate basis (243).
Irish life in America in the early 19th century paints a depressing picture given the working and living situations at hand. The depressing lifestyle of the Irish is a possible reason that the Irish were known for their heavy drinking. “Drinking was deeply integrated both in Ireland and the United States, as part of daily life (246)”. Since the Irish often substituted alcohol for meals when they couldnt afford more, or sometimes for religious reasons, its no wonder why they often turned to drinking to soothe the hardships of their daily lives. The Irish are known by many today as social drinkers, possibly due to the Irish history of social drinking events. Usually males drank socially with other males and women with other females (more common on the male side). The Social Fabric describes a setting where Irish men gathered in a small hut where they could escape the cottages to drink with other members of their social groups: “. . . There was an element of male sport and competitiveness, as well as bonding, about the practice of “treating,” by which one established a capacity to drink and spend money.” Men were also often provided with whiskey while working because employers wanted to keep them content and occupied at their