The Settlement Patterns and Living Conditions of Irish Migrants in the United States - Essay Example

The Settlement Patterns and Living Conditions of Irish Migrants in the United s, And Canada in the Nineteenth Century. Introduction America witnessed millions of immigrants from Ireland and Germany caused by the discontent in Europe, which reached its peak in the 1850s creating a nation of fresh Americans. The migrations were caused by shifting economic conditions and unemployment that forced people to seek remedy elsewhere. Most of the immigrants moved to the USA because it was economically prosperous and land of opportunities. This paper aims to tackle the settlement patterns and living conditions that the Irish migrants in the USA and Canada. The Settlement Patterns and Living Conditions of Irish Migrants The Irish people immigrated in planned ways and mostly to specific regions of the New World. Their settling tactics were occupying one side by the ocean or a huge, passable river, which amalgamated the internal area to the ocean. They chose to live near the ocean a relatively limited area because it was a grassland region of the world is within such areas. They wanted a climate that suited the areas they were familiar with and was suitable for the type of agricultural production that they practised. Accessibility to the ocean enabled them to trade their produce with goods that were manufactured in Europe that they used before. This immigration was highly influenced by the Irish potato famine that affects the Irish people. The potatoes dish was a staple meal for the Irish and the lack of it forced many to move to the USA in search of better living. This was during the time when the American dream notion had spread worldwide. The Irish heard that America was a worry free land and different from the struggles that they were encountering back home. The potato famine of the 1840s led to Irish people struggling to preserve themselves alive thus they had to look for better healthy living conditions, as well as, secure employment. The famine was disastrous in Ireland as the British rulers failed to assist with the food shortage and the condition of grain exportation to pay proprietors their rent become unbearable for most people. This was practically the cause of the Irish immigration during the 1800s. The famine claimed over a million persons fading of starvation while survivors were affected by diseases such as cholera and typhus. This forced them to flee for the USA and Canada as the living conditions were unbearable in Ireland. It is also of necessity to comprehend that the ship the boarded to America was as terrible as the circumstances back home. The coffin ship, as it was known had poor conditions that many people lost their lives during the sailing trip to the USA and Canada without achieving their dream of a better life. Additionally those that, safely reached the promised dream settled in new environment that they struggled to adapt to, as they were not used to it as well as struggled to find shelter (Bekerman 123). During the shortage years, almost a million Irish came in the USA. The famine refugees were the initial immense group of deprived migrants to arrive in the U.S. The Irish potato famine started in 1845. The potato plants rotted and turned black because of airborne fungus phytophthora infestans. The fungus is highly toxic, and it infects thousands potato plants from just a single plant that has the fungus. During the 1846 summer, the Irish weather was not favourable to the people. It might be said that it was working against the Irish. The cool, moist summer helped spread the fungus to wider areas affecting more potatoes along the way (McKenna 320). This started the infamous Irish potato famine in Ireland that caused a difficult life for many people as well as their families. This famine turned Ireland upside down as well as other places in the world due to the immigration from Ireland. After the potatoes were destroyed, the Irish people started living off wild blackberries, nettle and old cabbage leaves as well as edible seaweed and green grass. According to (19th Century Migration) this was how dire the situation was that people had to live off unimaginable foods to keep them alive. It forced the whole family to look for work. From parent to children embarked in working but even this could not lessen the burden they were carrying. Sometimes children were left unfed as the parents coerced them to stay health so that they could keep on working. Under such conditions, it was inevitable that the Irish should look for better conditions and life in another country for new opportunities, jobs and god life. Although the Irish were assured of a healthier life in the U.S, contrary as they discovered upon arrival it was not the case. As (Greenwood and McDowell 56) writes the immigrants faced various problems including unfairness, segregation and the other varieties of discrimination. They lived in the most impoverished areas of slums that hardly had enough room for the whole family. As a group, the Irish was shunned and denied job opportunities as signs in working places that read Irish need not apply confronted them. The Irish were also discriminated against because of their religion. Since Britain was still dominating the new world, the Irish were persecuted for their catholic religion (Bekerman 122). The Irish immigrants were seen as the poorest among other refugees in the U.S. as they were prejudiced against constantly they were kept in a poor setting whereby they were offered the lowest paying, and the most backbreaking jobs that were available while the higher paying ones were for the natural American citizens (Smith 45). They were also limited due to their lack of skills unlike their counterparts from Germany and Scandinavian. They were forced to live in the northern urban centres and find employment, as those urban areas could hire industrial unskilled labourers. The Irish immigrants were instrumental in the building of the new nations’ infrastructure and ultimately contributed strongly to the unions’ cause during the Civil War. They were also influential in the broader presence of the Roman Catholicism. Even though, Catholics existed in the U.S since the Maryland colony was founded in 1634, the Irish added for presence (Greenwood and McDowell 68). The arrival of so many immigrants in the U.S had several outcomes in the northern cities. The immigrants contributed positively to the cities as they provided cheap labour but also they caused massive problems. Te problems included sanitation problems, irrational fears. Xenophobia mainly touching the Irish caused a counterattack. The Irish was also instrumental in the formation of the know-nothing American party as those who believed that low-wage earning immigrants would take away their jobs were fearful of the held authoritarianism of Catholicism (Eliot 236). As it was then, immigrants move to other countries in search for a better life than they are living presently. Mass immigration takes place if something serious and monumental affects a country. This could be a political or economical reason. Political reasons are the major causes of migrations as they lead to violent outbreak that leaves hundreds and millions of people death. The political reason that forced the Irish immigrants to flee their country can be traced back to the levies put on them (Games and Adam 321). During the famine, they were undergoing turbulent times of providing for themselves. To be required again to provide wheat rain to the proprietors was like worsening a situation that was getting worse. Since the Irish could not handle such a difficult situation, they decided to immigrate to escape away from these routine problems. The British colonisers oppressed the Irish to a point where many had to die of hunger without any help from their rulers. The economical problem that drove the Irish people out of their country was the potato famine. Though the famine was a natural disaster, its effects were dire to the economy of Ireland. The Irish people are agricultural people, and the famine cut short their produce thus meaning that they had no alternative way of resolving the challenge that was before them, as they had no produce. This meant that since they had no produce they were not economically viable. They began to struggle in providing for their families, but when they had lost so many they had to leave for different life or risk starving to death. As immigration was, the only possible way out the Irish people relocated to the land of opportunities of the U.S, which they had heard that was a worriless place. They crossed the Atlantic Ocean and went to live the American dream (Eliot 234). The Irish people had been an integral in helping forge the new nation precisely when innovation labour and creativity were needed. They were among the many immigrants that went on to produce influential men and women that made significant contributions to America. For instance, President John F. Kennedy could trace his family tree roots back to the first wave of Irish immigrants who came to Massachusetts (Smith 45). Some Irish migrants had made recommendable significance in the education, industrial and technological development of the U.S. even when they were discriminated against and had to embark on hard and unskilled labour they managed to make a significant contribution to the industries where they provided cheap labour for quality and increased production. They were also instrumental in the spread of the Roman Catholic religion, which they practised from their native country. Conclusion The eminent immigration of the Irish people to U.S and Canada was significant in the development of the two nations. The immigrants provided the low-priced labour for industries that exploited then leading to an established strong industry. They were also critical in the growth of a diverse culture as they were one among many tribes. Their settlement and living behaviours affected the economy; agriculture and family behaviours where they contributed significantly. Works cited "19th Century Migration: Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage." Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage/Patrimoine de Terre-Neuve et du Labrador--Entry Page: Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2012. Available at;. 1850s, the. "Immigration Patterns of the Early 19th Century: Irish and German Migrations Changed American Society | Suite101.com." Michael Streich Writing Profile | Suite101.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2012. Available at; . (Bekerman 123) Bekerman, Zvi. International handbook of migration, minorities and education: understanding cultural and social differences in processes of learning. Dordrecht: Springer, 2012. Print. Elliott, Bruce S.. Irish migrants in the Canadas: a new approach. 2nd ed. Montre?al: McGill- Queen's University Press, 2004. Print. Games, Alison, and Adam Rothman. Major problems in Atlantic history: documents and essays. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2008. Print. Greenwood Michael and McDowell. the macro determinants of international migration: a survey by institute of advanced studies on mass migration. Vienna, Austria. 1-70. http://www.colorado.edu/economics/courses/fall11-4292-001/Macro%20Determinants.pdf McKenna Patrick. Nineteenth Century Irish Emigration to, and settlemet in, Argentina. < http://eprints.nuim.ie/325/1/thesispmckenna.pdf> Smith, Page. The nation comes of age. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1981. Print. Read More