Question

How did the potato famine in Ireland impact the United States?

Answer 1

The Irish potato famine of the 1840s was one of the worst travesties to hit Ireland. Many died... those who left headed for the United States.

Up until then, from its founding... the U.S. was comprised mostly of white people of Anglo-Saxon (British) descent or German descent. There were black people here, but at that time they were in slavery in the southern states. Most of these people were protestants (those who rejected the Roman church).

HOWEVER...

When the Irish came to the U.S. there was a whole new gene pool thrown into the mix, those of Hibernian (Irish) blood. They brought with them their Roman Catholicism and this saw the rise of many catholic dioceses across the country as well as the installation of bishoprics and other ecclesiastical orders. The Irish also arrived at a time when the Industrial Revolution was dawning with the advent of factories... so they provided plenty of cheap labor, which in the long run... helped to boost this nation economically in the beginning.

There was a disdain for Irish people, in the beginning... they were looked down upon as a lower race. They were seen as "hopelessly catholic" and as a bunch of drunkards. This served to polarize white society and further define a "class" system in a country that was still defining itself, period. It took the Irish several decades to eliminate this image in the minds of the English and German protestants... (we call them WASPs now).

Well anyway... that's just to name a few things. Hope it helps you out.

Answer 2

WOW ok thanks!

Answer 3

not a problem :)