GO DISCOVER NEW YORK!

Analytical Question: Analyze the social, political, and economic impact(s) of the Irish Immigration on New York.

Over the course of history, New York was known as the second home of many immigrants. Many immigrants come to New York to escape tyranny, hunger, disease, and oppression. For many New York was a place to begin a new life, it was a place of many different cultures and different religious beliefs. The Irish was one group of immigrants that have impacted New York’s history. They were one of the most significant groups that helped establish the culture of New York. The potato crop was the basis of agricultural and economic growth of the Irish. When the potato crop was struck by a disease (blight), so was the Irish nation. The infamous Irish potato famine wiped out more than two million Irish people. Scores of Irish people had traveled across the Atlantic Ocean in order to escape the pain and suffering the potato famine caused. As the Irish immigrants approached the shores of New York, they had faced many hardships, poverty, oppression, hatred, and abandonment of their beliefs. The Irish were strongly discriminated against because they were catholic and New York was dominantly a Protestant state. For many years they were just above free blacks on the social ladder. The Irish had worked laborious jobs that consisted of long hard hours and low pay. With the low pay that the Irish were receiving they had spent much of it to send for family or relatives to come. This was known as chain migration. During the civil war, a vast amount of Irish immigrants became involved in New York’s infamous Draft Riots. From their arrival in New York the Irish had competed with freed slaves for jobs and cheapest housing. After years of frustration and bottled-up emotions, the Irish finally erupted on the streets. Federal troops from Gettysburg had to be called in to stop the violence. The Irish immigrants harmed everyone and anything that wads in their way regardless if it was a black man or a rich man. Slowly throughout history the Irish began to make their way up the social ladder. After the Civil War, Irish immigrants provided the backbreaking work needed for the enormous expansion of rapidly industrializing America. Job opportunities were plenty during the building of the Erie Canal. Irish immigrants built new streets, sewerage, lighting, and transit systems, and residential, commercial, and public structures. However, wages were low, working conditions often dangerous, and work days long. Several Irish people began to establish themselves in politics and involved themselves in real estate. It was in the late 19th century, the Irish began to make their mark on New York. They soon became involved with Tammany Hall swaying the political votes and eventually became the model for every immigrant coming to New York.
The first large wave of immigrants came in the mid 19th century causing a huge revolutionary impact on New York’s political, social, and economic culture. As the numerous amounts of Irish began to arrive in the New York shores, they were quickly put at the bottom of society. However, many Irish people had come across fellow countrymen that guaranteed incoming Irish immigrants a place to live and security in return when it was time to vote the immigrants had to vote as they were told. In New York’s history there was one political machine that stood out and it was known as Tammany Hall. The infamous Tammany Hall helped the Irish rise to power. It was a powerful and corrupt organization that had traded jobs and favors for money and votes. As massive amounts of Irish immigrants unloaded onto the shores of New York competition grew for homes and jobs. This stimulated the creation of gangs in New York. Those that had struggled financially had eventually turned to crime with their own fellow countrymen. The Irish immigrants that turned to crime had formed the most dangerous gang of New York. Much of the Irish immigrants had lived in the slums of New York such as the five points. The five points was located in the lower part of New York that had connected five streets to form the most notorious gang violence. The five points area has produced a key members that was Irish such as Paul Kelly. Many of the immigrants that were packed into these tenements had died of violence, disease, hunger, and other insufficient living conditions. The five points was an area filled with sex, violence, crime, and garbage. Even though, the Irish immigrants took up many difficult and unskilled jobs that were available. While the women worked as cooks or maids to the prosperous families. Other women found an alternative way of earning money as they turned to prostitution. There was an intense rivalry that had taken place between the Irish and free blacks. The Irish were willing to do anything to maintain a job. They had worked long hours for very low pay. However, many were still without a job and this led to violent behavior to occur on the streets mainly in the “Five Points” area. Due to high rates of unemployment, a higher rate of alcohol was being consumed and crimes had increased because those that didn’t work had stayed outside all day and caused mischief. The Irish immigrants have found the easy way out and that way was through Tammany Hall. As large amounts of immigrants were now able to vote, they began to get very heavily involved in politics. Tammany Hall provided these immigrants with various opportunities. Tammany Hall did many things for the Irish immigrants. Tammany not only provided food, money, and a job but also a social benefit. It enabled all Irish immigrants a place of friendship for those that were unfamiliar with New York. Tammany Hall has helped the Irish rise to power. In the mid 1800’s, the incoming Irish immigrants had used violence to control the New York voting polls. In exchange for their vote they were given food and money to take care of themselves and their families. Tammany Hall had an Irish boss that played a significant in New York’s political and economical functioning. Boss William Tweed used the support and leverage of the Irish immigration to control business, government, and law enforcement. The Irish joined the Democratic Party that was Tammany Hall, established themselves into police precincts, city council, and eventually becoming political machines. They maintained long-time job security and stable paying job positions. Soon the government, police, and fire department were filled with Irish immigrants. Tammany had played in intricate role in the Democratic election of Al Smith. Out of Tammany Hall was a “grandson” of Irish immigrants who rose from the filthy tenements of the Lower East Side. Al Smith first emerged on to the scene as the governor of New York. Smith had lost the presidency election to Hoover but his hard work and determination led the way for many Irish immigrants in New York.
The impacts of the Irish immigrants are tremendous. They had made significant contributions to New York. They had established the identity of New York for years to come. The Irish began to make their mark on New York. They soon became involved with Tammany Hall swaying the political votes and eventually became the model for every immigrant coming to New York. As large amounts of immigrants were now able to vote, they began to get very heavily involved in politics. Tammany Hall provided these immigrants with various opportunities. The Irish set the precedent for many immigrants that came later on to follow.

Wikipedia Entry

After analyzing many aspects of the Wikipedia entry I have realized that the overall quality and usefulness of the entry was overall very helpful to my research project. The evidence provided in my entry is a timeline of the leaders and many pictures. It does include very scholarly sources in the bibliography and scholarly sources are also used in the citations. Most of the sources provided are reliable most are not scholarly and the information does differ from source to source. The entry does include detailed factual information and is supported by many citations. The entry does appear neutral but in one section of my entry the neutrality does seem to be disputed. The statement in the entry is not based on fact but rather opinion. The entry seems to very much compare with the materials read in class but not very much with my topic because the information presented seems to answer the factual questions but doesn’t provide much information to answer the analytical questions. Overall the entry is simplistic, it does appear logical, well-supported but not much of the topic was covered as a whole unit it was very wide-spread and not very narrowed in on one specific area.

Bibliography

· Glazier, Michael, ed. The Encyclopedia of the Irish in America (1999).

· Kenny, Kevin. The American Irish: A History (2000). New York: Longman.

· George W. Potter. (1960). To the Golden Door: The Story of the Irish in Ireland and America. New York: Greenwood Press.

· Anbinder, Tyler. Five Points: The Nineteenth-Century New York City Neighborhood (2001).

· Greeley, Andrew M. The Irish Americans: The Rise to Money and Power. (1993).

· Campbell Gibson, "The Contribution of Immigration to the Growth and Ethnic Diversity of the American Population", in: Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 136 (1992).

· Roger Daniels, Coming to America: A History of Immigration and Ethnicity in American Life, New York 1991