Irish Emigration to the United States

Activity 1. Print out and read Irish Emigration to the United States. Answer the following questions:

(a) Why did so many Irish farm labourers emigrate to the United States at the beginning of the 19th century.

(b) Why did an increasing number of Irish people decide to emigrate to the United States after 1847?

(c) What did Michael Cudahy, Thomas Ryan , Franklin Gowen and Patrick Joseph Kennedyhave in common?

(d) What did John Downey, William Grace, James Phelan and John Francis Fitzgerald have in common?

(e) Were Irish settlers more likely to support the Democratic Party or the Republican Party?

(f) How many Irish settlers joined the Union Army and the Confederate Army during the American Civil War?

Activity 2: Print out the Chart UG1. You will need to look at the following web-pages before completing the chart.

(a) German Emigration to the United States

(b) Swedish Emigration to the United States

(c) Irish Emigration to the United States

(d) Italian Emigration to the United States

(e) Immigration: 1820-1920

(f) Immigration: 1820-1978

(g) Immigration: Peak Years