Redmond 1 Joseph Redmond Professor Raymond English 1102 February 24, 2014 The American March There are

many instances in history that caused great migration from region to region. One of these times is the migration of the Irish. It was caused by one disease that humans could not contract. It was a blight that changed the country forever dismantled families and the nation of Ireland itself. I chose to research the potato famine because it is a direct cause of my descendants coming to America. The potato famine not only shaped the history of Ireland forever, but also America. I think it is important to understand the complexities of an issue that caused major displacement between countries. To try to understand the migration, we first have to look at the initial situation that the Irish were in. Since King Henry the VIII invaded and ruled, the Irish have been obedient to the wishes of the English. It had been this way for many years. The Irish were not permitted to own their own property and paid rent to the English landowners. The potato was the staple of life for the rural Irish. It was looked at as a miracle crop because of its vitamins, fiber, and carbohydrates. The potato also flourished in moist environments, which Ireland is commonly known for. The crop is believed to have arrived from South America in the late 16th Century. (Moments in Time). The crop led to a spike in population. The country saw a population of 1-2 million to 8 million since its arrival. It could support entire families with only a quarter of an acre of crops. The crop was seen as a lazy mans crop by the English, and they believed the potato

Redmond 2 kept the Irish poor. For the Irish, life was difficult and there was little to look forward to, the rent collectors were brutal if rent was not paid. Families could not get ahead and try to break out of the current mold. Then one day they woke up to a foul odor. Rural Ireland was the most densely populated rural region in the world, but that would soon change in 1845(Digital History). The crops that the farmers woke up too were covered with black spots. They said that the odor would cause a person to vomit. Entire fields of crops were destroyed in days. These rotting potatoes were poisonous to eat. If the smell of the potatoes would not cause nausea, then consuming them would make a human sick for weeks. This lone disease completely destroyed Irish rural Culture. Many were buried without a grave or a tomb. Soon the stench of death masked the odor from the blight. Meanwhile in London, government officials believed that this was an act of god. Later evidence revealed that the blight might have come from Mexico (Moments in Time). The Landlords offered stay in houses where they became indentured slaves. These Workhouses mirrored jails and work camps (Digital History). Some of the rules were meals must be eaten in silence, food rations could be traded for hard work, and if you happen to break a rule you would be sent into solitary confinement. The only food was given in soup form. It was watered down soup with barley and nearly 1/3 of the Irish population lined up for this ration everyday. Hunger was not the only thing that the Irish were fighting. Infections like typhoid fever swept through the starving people (Digital History). The Workhouses only created more problems for the Irish and the Landlords. The solution? Ship them to America. For the people to escape the Workhouses they had to march from the countryside to Dublin where they would aboard ships to take them to America. The march killed many, especially the weak such as children and the elderly. The only thing that these people had left is a

Redmond 3 faint hope of a free America. Once the survivors reached Dublin, they boarded onto old wooden outdated ships and crossed the Atlantic. Travel times often took up to 2 months. They lived in confined quarters with limited food. This was a typhoid breeding ground and many fell victim to these newly claimed Coffin Ships. In Ireland, militias formed by the few whom still live in Ireland are now targeting landlords. They begin to assassinate over landlords through out the country. Authorities quickly responded and skirmishes broke out along the countryside. Rent collectors began to destroy entire homes and sent many families to the streets. Many aboard ships headed to the United States. This eventually sparked a war between Ireland and England and ultimately leads to Irish independence. The Irish slums in New York are not considered to be any better than the life they left. Cholera is a household disease that spreads in the filth of the streets. In one slum there is 1 bathtub per 1000 people and 1/3 of all babies died before they reached the age of 1. (Moments in Time). Even though the conditions in America were difficult, the Irish were hard working folks and begin to change their lifestyles. Within less than a generation Irishmen pulled themselves out of poverty, and catapult them into political positions in cities. They begin working for government projects and help build the international railroad. By 1900 there were more Irish in Chicago and New York than in the city of Dublin (Moments in Time). Discovering stories of your past makes you appreciate family. The struggles and hardships that our ancestors endured to make future generations better off than what they had is truly a humbling experience. Knowing that some of my relatives did the same for me is heartwarming. We cannot change what has happened in the past, but it is important to be knowledgeable on the events that shaped who we are today.

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Works Cited

Columbia University. The Irish Potato Famine digitalhistory.uh.edu Digital History, Feb 2014. Web. 23 Feb 2014.

Famine to Freedom: The Great Irish Journey Moments In Time. PBS. 17 Oct 2003. Terra Nova Television. Steve Elder.

Ruth Rodgers. Irish Potato Famine Flash irishpotatofamine.org GCD Technologies. Web. 23 Feb 2014