US History

U.S. History Study Guide

©2018 of 194 The Irish and German Immigrants In the mid-1800’s, more than much of the population of Ireland, immigrated to the United States with an equal number of Germans. Many immigrated due to hardships in their home country, such as, political unrest or famine. This wave of immigration affected almost every city and person in America. In Ireland almost half of the population lived on farms that produced little income. Because of their poverty, most Irish people depended on potatoes for food. When the crop failed three years in a row, it led to a great famine with horrendous consequences. Known as the Great Potato Famine, more than seven hundred and fifty thousand people starved to death. Over two million Irish eventually moved to the United States seeking relief from their desolated country. Impoverished, the Irish could not buy property. Instead, they congregated in the cities where they landed with many remaining in the northeastern United States. In the decade from 1845 to 1855, more than one million Germans fled to the United States to escape economic hardship. They also sought to escape the political unrest caused by riots, rebellion, and eventually a revolution in 1848. The Germans had little choice — few other places besides the United States allowed German immigration. Unlike the Irish, many Germans had enough money to journey to the Midwest in search of farmland and work. The largest settlements of Germans were in New York City, Baltimore, Cincinnati, St. Louis and Milwaukee. Nativism With the immense numbers of German and Irish coming to America, hostility to them was rampant. Part of the reason for the opposition was religious. All of the Irish and many of the Germans were Roman Catholic. Part of the opposition was political while part occurred because Americans in low- paying jobs were threatened and sometimes replaced by groups willing to work for almost nothing in order to survive. Signs that read "No Irish Need Apply" sprang up throughout the country. Ethnic and Anti-Catholic rioting occurred in many northern cities. Nativist political parties, political parties that resented immigrants and pushed for more favorable conditions for native born citizens, sprang up almost overnight. The most influential of these parties, the “Know Nothings” was anti- Catholic and wanted to extend the amount of time it took immigrants to become citizens and voters. They also wanted to prevent foreign-born people from ever holding public office. Women in the North Women were treated as minors before the law. In most states the woman's property became her husband's with marriage. Political activity was limited to the formation of associations in support of various pious causes, such as Abolition, and religious and benevolent activity. Professional employment was largely limited to, school teaching which led to education becoming dominated by women. The Women's Rights movement focused on social and legal discrimination, and women like Lucretia Mott and Sojourner Truth became well-known figures on the speakers' circuit. Achieve Page 147