Why did Irish people immigrate to the United States in the 19th century?

Still facing poverty and disease, the Irish set out for America where they reunited with relatives who had fled at the height of the famine. Between 1845 and 1850, a devastating fungus destroyed Ireland’s potato crop. The “Famine Irish” represented the first major influx of Irish immigration into America.

How did the Irish get to America during the famine?

No Irish Need Apply Instead, they settled in Boston, New York, and other cities on the East Coast. The men took whatever jobs they could find—loading ships at the docks, sweeping streets, cleaning stables. The women took jobs as servants to the rich or working in textile factories.

How long did it take for Irish immigrants to get to America by ship?

In the sailing ships of the middle 19th century, the crossing to America or Canada took up to 12 weeks. By the end of the century the journey to Ellis Island was just 7 to 10 days.

How were the Irish treated in Canada?

They were poor and the dominant society resented them for the urban and rural squalor in which they were forced to live. Yet, the Famine Irish had another characteristic: the propensity to immigrate to the US. Many had arrived at Canadian ports because of the cheaper passage.

What hardships did Irish immigrants face after their arrival in the US?

Disease of all kinds (including cholera, typhus, tuberculosis, and mental illness) resulted from these miserable living conditions. Irish immigrants sometimes faced hostility from other groups in the U.S., and were accused of spreading disease and blamed for the unsanitary conditions many lived in.

Why did Irish leave Ireland?

Thousands of families left Ireland in the 19th century because of rising rents and prices, bad landlords, poor harvests, and a lack of jobs. Many families arrived in a poor state – hungry, weak and sick – and found themselves living in overcrowded, unhealthy ‘court dwellings ‘. …