Irish Dominated American Immigration for Decades


The Irish Immigration Supremacy Period

When Irish Were #1 (or Close)

  • 1840s-1850s: DOMINANT - Irish were the largest immigrant group by far
  • 1860s-1880s: Still #1 or #2 - Competed with Germans
  • 1890s: Declining - Germans, Italians, Eastern Europeans overtaking

 

The Numbers - Irish vs. Other Groups

1840s Immigration to America:

  • Irish: ~780,000
  • Germans: ~435,000
  • British: ~267,000
  • Irish = 45% of ALL immigrants that decade

1850s Immigration (Peak Irish Decade):

  • Irish: ~914,000
  • Germans: ~951,000 (Germans barely edged out Irish)
  • British: ~424,000
  • Irish = 35% of all immigrants
  • Combined Irish + German = 71% of all immigrants

1860s:

  • Germans: ~787,000 (#1)
  • Irish: ~435,000 (#2)
  • British: ~607,000

1870s:

  • Germans: ~718,000 (#1)
  • Irish: ~436,000 (#2)
  • British: ~548,000

1880s:

  • Germans: ~1,452,000 (#1)
  • Irish: ~655,000 (#3)
  • British: ~807,000 (#2)
  • Scandinavians rising
  • Eastern Europeans beginning

 

The Visual Reality

In 1850, if you walked through:

New York City immigrant wards:

  • Every other person = Irish
  • One in four = German
  • Rest = scattered other groups

Boston:

  • Nearly half the immigrant population = Irish
  • Irish were THE immigrant story

Philadelphia, Cleveland, Chicago:

  • Irish = largest or second-largest group
  • German was main competition

 

Why Irish Dominated This Period

The Famine Urgency (1845-1855)

  • Life or death desperation
  • No choice but to leave immediately
  • Sold everything to afford passage
  • Came sick, poor, starving
  • Other groups immigrated for opportunity; Irish fled catastrophe

Geographic Advantage

  • Ireland closer to America than most of Europe
  • Shorter, cheaper voyage
  • Established shipping routes
  • British ships made the run regularly

Chain Migration Multiplier

  • First wave sent money back
  • Paid for siblings, cousins, neighbors
  • Whole villages eventually emigrated
  • Self-perpetuating cycle

English Language

  • Already spoke English (even if accented)
  • Could navigate America easier than non-English speakers
  • No language barrier to overcome

 

Irish vs. Germans - The Big Two

Germans:

  • Similar numbers overall (1840s-1880s)
  • BUT more dispersed geographically
  • Many went to farmland (Wisconsin, Midwest)
  • More skilled, more capital
  • Protestant and Catholic mix
  • Better integrated initially

Irish:

  • Concentrated in Northeastern cities
  • Urban, visible, clustered
  • Poorest immigrant group
  • Almost entirely Catholic
  • More threatening to Protestant Americans
  • Created more backlash

The Perception:

  • Germans seen as "good immigrants" (skilled, Protestant many, rural)
  • Irish seen as "bad immigrants" (poor, Catholic, urban, problems)

 

Irish as Percentage of Total U.S. Population

The Growth:

  • 1850: 961,000 Irish-born (4.2% of U.S. population)
  • 1860: 1,611,000 Irish-born (5.1% of U.S. population)
  • 1870: 1,856,000 Irish-born (4.8% of U.S. population)
  • 1880: 1,855,000 Irish-born (3.7% of U.S. population)

Peak Irish Influence: 1850s-1870s

  • In major cities, percentage much higher
  • Boston 1855: 20% of entire city Irish-born
  • New York 1855: 26% of entire city Irish-born
  • Plus their American-born children = even higher

 

When Irish Stopped Being #1

1880s-1890s: The "New Immigration"

  • Italians began massive immigration
  • Eastern Europeans (Poles, Jews, Russians)
  • Southern Europeans (Greeks)
  • Asian immigration (Chinese, then restricted)

Total Immigration Numbers:

  • 1880s: 5.2 million total immigrants
  • 1890s: 3.7 million total immigrants
  • 1900s: 8.8 million total immigrants
  • 1910s: 5.7 million total immigrants

Irish Share Declining:

  • 1890s: Irish = ~388,000 (10% of immigrants)
  • 1900s: Irish = ~339,000 (4% of immigrants)
  • Italians, Jews, Poles now dominant

 

Why Irish Immigration Declined

Ireland Recovered (Somewhat):

  • Population stabilized at lower level
  • Emigration continued but less desperate
  • More went to Britain, Canada, Australia
  • Better economic conditions at home

Irish-Americans Established:

  • Could help relatives immigrate to other countries
  • Built communities in Britain
  • Australia, Canada became attractive alternatives
  • America seen as having "enough Irish" (discrimination)

American Restrictions:

  • Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) - started restriction trend
  • Literacy tests discussed
  • Quota system coming (1920s)
  • Nativist pressure mounting

Competition:

  • Newer immigrants took laborer jobs
  • Italians, Poles, Jews arriving desperate
  • Irish moving up economically
  • No longer bottom rung

 

The Irish Legacy of Dominance

What Being #1 Immigrant Group Created:

Political Machines:

  • Controlled major city governments
  • Tammany Hall (NYC)
  • Daley Machine (Chicago)
  • Curley in Boston
  • Irish mayors became norm

Institutional Control:

  • Police departments
  • Fire departments
  • Catholic Church hierarchy
  • Labor unions
  • Democratic Party urban base

Cultural Impact:

  • St. Patrick's Day became American holiday
  • Irish pubs part of American landscape
  • "Cop" and "firefighter" = Irish stereotypes
  • Political boss = Irish stereotype
  • Boston/NYC accents influenced by Irish

Numerical Dominance Translated to Power:

  • Because Irish were FIRST mass urban immigrant group
  • They got there before Italians, Jews, Poles
  • Established institutions and networks
  • Later groups had to work through Irish-controlled systems
  • Irish became "gatekeepers" for newer immigrants

 

The Timeline in Simple Terms

1840s-1850s: "The Irish are taking over our cities!"

  • They were - literally 40-50% of immigrants

1860s-1880s: "Irish and Germans everywhere!"

  • Together they're 60-70% of immigrants

1890s-1920s: "Now it's Italians, Jews, Poles!"

  • Irish now "old immigrants" with established power
  • Fighting to keep new immigrants down
  • Irish went from persecuted to persecutors in one generation

1920s onward:

  • Irish = established Americans
  • Quota system favored Northern/Western Europeans (including Irish)
  • Irish had become "white" and acceptable
  • New targets for discrimination

 

Why This Matters for Cleveland

Cleveland's Peak Irish Period: 1850s-1880s

  • Irish were plurality of immigrants
  • Built canals, railroads, worked mills
  • Established neighborhoods and churches
  • Got police/fire jobs as available
  • Built political networks

By 1900:

  • Irish still significant but
  • Italians arriving in large numbers
  • Eastern Europeans (Poles, Hungarians, Czechs)
  • Irish moving to middle class
  • Irish controlling city institutions

The Irish weren't just "an immigrant group" - for critical 30-40 years (1845-1885), they WERE the American immigrant story in major cities. Their numerical dominance during the formative industrial period gave them permanent advantages that lasted generations.


 

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