Irish Immigrants and National and Global Events

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Contents

Civil War (1861-1865)

Irish War Brigade
Irish War Brigade

The Irish fought on the side of the Union during the American Civil War. They were the most politically active and involved than any other immigrant group during that time. The Irish volunteers were motivated by the guarantee of a Catholic chaplain and Irish nationalism. The Irish loved America and fought fiercely along her side. They formed the famous Irish Brigade to fight against the South. President Abraham Lincoln’s call for volunteers evoked a sense of patriotism to the Union that was fanned by Irish newspapers and political and religious leaders. Patrick Donohue’s Boston Pilot, the ‘Irishman’s bible,’ enthusiastically supported the war to restore the Union. Archbishop John Joseph Hughes of New York, the ‘bishop and chief’ of the New York Irish whose influence was nationwide, also urged his flock to help suppress the rebellion. [1]

A number of support organizations soon emerged dedicated to maintaining the Irish regiments and their families. Women took active roles in such associations, involving themselves in matters ranging from support for the soldiers’ families to presentations of the distinctive green battle flags. Of the approximately 140,000 Irish-born soldiers in the Federal armies, about one-third came from New York. Ambitious Irish New Yorkers fanned out across the country, encouraging state governors to approve the Irish formations in other states while securing commands for themselves. Scattered Irish regiments were formed in the West, but the East provided the bulk of officially designated Irish units. [2]

World War I (1914-1918)

At the onset of World War I, Irish-Americans and German-Americans, the two largest immigrant groups at the time in New York City, were alienated. Irish for their hatred and sour memories of English Oppression and Germans because...well, they were the enemy. Irish-Americans faced harsh treatment from the government as well as the majority of the pro-British Americans. President Wilson worried about this division and regarded it as dangerous. Regarding Italian-Americans, German-American, Irish-Americans as suspect, he once declared "Any man who caries a hyphen around with him carries a dagger that he is ready to plunge into the vitals of the republic." [3] Anti-immigration sentiments flourished after the war, so Congress passed the Emergency Quota Act of 1921 and the Immigration Act of 1942. Albeit these two laws were aimed at barring certain ethnic groups, like the Asians, Irish immigration was reduced as well. The Great Depression that occurred about a decade later also decreased the influx of immigration.

World War II (1939-1945)

Irish Soldiers in World War II
Irish Soldiers in World War II

Despite alienation during World War I, many Irish-Americans fought alongside the British and the Americans during World War II. The country of Ireland was neutral during the war. During this time, the flow of Irish immigrants increased once again due to the need for workers in industries to help with the war effort.

References

  1. Irish Fought For Union
  2. Irish Fought For Union
  3. World War I