WHEN THEY GOT HERE
Irish in the American Economy
Map of Irish settlement in America- Most of the Irish immigrants chose to stay in urban cities, such as Boston, New York City, and Philadelphia
- They worked in industry and filled newly emerging public sector jobs, such as policemen, firemen, and sanitation workers
- The few immigrants who did not settle in the cities moved on to jobs in canal and railway construction
- The growing factory system of the Industrial Revolution also required a large amount of workers, so it was not hard for many immigrants to find jobs
- By 1900, 36% of Irish immigrants were employed in skilled or semi-skilled trades, such as construction, steel mills, mining, and transportation (Dolan, Irish 90)
- Not all of the immigrants had success in finding jobs
- Many employers did not want to hire the Irish
- NINA (No Irish Need Apply) signs appeared in windows throughout the cities
Religious Discrimination in American Politics
- Many people in America at this time were Protestant, so many of them disliked the Irish
- Many people worked to ensure that the Irish Catholic immigrants would not gain any political status
- They also wanted to increase the amount of time it took for immigrants to become citizens of the United States
- The main source of the political dislike for the Irish Catholics was the Know-Nothing Party
- Originally a secret fraternal organization
- Generally anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant, and in some places, anti-liquor
- The party gained power in 1854 and by the end of the following year they had already elected thousands of officials, including the mayors of Boston, Philadelphia, and Chicago
- Their main goal was to reduce the political power of Catholics and immigrants
- They disliked the Catholics because they thought that the hierarchical organization of their church prevented them from participating independently in a republican government
- Historians found that a large number of people would not have joined if not for the anti-Catholic views of the party