
How did US anti-Irish sentiment decline?
1 Expert Answer
Anti-Irish discrimination was at it's highest in the 1850's, because the Americans that were already here perceived that "too many" Irish were coming here fleeing the potato famine, which had started in 1845. The unexpected surge of Irish put stress on already crowded east coast cities and infrastructure and created even more competition for the few jobs that existed; hence the famous signs in the window. The discrimination had actually started in England however, and then sort of spread to the United States. What turned it around was the U.S. Civil War. Savvy Army recruiters for both the north and the south frequently met newly arriving ships containing Irish immigrants and would offer them a job in the army with food and pay immediately, right at the pier. Many took the offer, and the Irish that were already here joined up too, once hostilities had broken out. The Irish gave good account of themselves during the war. Seven Union generals and six Confederate generals were Irish-born while an estimated 150,000 Irish-Americans fought for the Union during the war. Many Irish-Americans on both sides formed their own units which embraced Irish customs such as Catholic masses and priests. After the war, the Irish were conidered pretty much mainstream Americans, as they had paid their dues. They started moving into mainstream American professions on every front. History has consistently proven for many ethnic groups that it is very hard to return to discrimination against a group of people who have visibily fought and bled and died alongside you for 5 years.
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Kenneth H.
Anytime one deals with the subject of racism or ethnic discrimination there are multiple underlying factors, and ultimately the answer is subjective based on one's interpretation of the evidence. That being said, I'll offer a few ideas that may be worth considering. 1) Over the 19th Century the number of Roman Catholics in the US grew--Irish and Italian immigrants, 2nd generation Roman Catholics. Did this affect attitudes? Did Italians or other groups divert attention from the Irish? 2) As time went on, the Irish became political leaders, especially in city machines. How did that factor into acceptance? 3) The Irish also climbed up the economic class ladder. That might alter perception of the Irish among Americans as well. 4) The economic argument is a very good one. Competition for jobs among the lower classes caused a lot of anti-immigrant feeling. As other groups came in, did the reaction regarding the Irish change? As the Irish became 2nd generation Americans, did that change perception of the Irish? Did all this have a combined effect?11/11/19