History

1-1 Discussion Question

In your first post, introduce yourself to your instructor and peers. Share who you are, where you are from, and what your goals are in taking this course.

Then, as you read the webtext, respond to the following prompt in one to two paragraphs.

Choose a sentence or short section from the article embedded in your webtext reading about Irish immigration. Copy and paste the sentence or section into your discussion post. Along with this sentence or section, briefly explain how your choice illustrates the concept of change over time.

You should also answer the following questions in your post:

How does this article give you a better understanding of the changing perception of Irish immigrants in America?

What forces allowed the Irish to be assimilated into U.S. culture despite initial resistance?

In response to your peers, compare and contrast their understanding of the changing perceptions of Irish immigrants to your own understanding of those changing perceptions.

Post 1

Jennifer – Hello everyone, my name is Jennifer De Jesus Sanchez. I am a Mexican-American born in the state of Oregon near the Columbus River, and I am currently living in the state of New York, also near a river which I still do not know its name. I am the eldest child out of two in my family and the first to continue my education after high school. I am currently pursuing my Environmental Science degree. I know for sure that I will be doing multiple research papers that require me to look back at the past from a legal and experimental standpoint studying human and land interaction. And I still believe that historians are the best examples of being open-minded and knowledgeable from multiple perspectives of an event with a non-bias mind.

And when seeing the past events that happen to the Irish community during the 1820s and later, I notice that most of the information and about them seem to imply that they were discriminated against because of their lack of knowledge and skill and being seen as job thieves. As they tried to survive in the lower class getting as many jobs to suffice and read to prove the U.S of their loyalty for a chance of acceptance. “But even as the Irish were fighting to preserve the Union, many balked at the goal of abolishing slavery. Since first arriving in America in great numbers, Irish immigrants had frequently found themselves competing economically with free African Americans. Tensions between the two communities, both struggling on the lower rungs of the socioeconomic ladder, had flared into violence on several occasions before the war, including the Cincinnati riots of 1829 and 1841 (Osofsky, 1975).”

And it took more than a few decays before the U.S could assimilate the Irish community, as it was not until they did their part in the Civil War, although there was tension and distrust between the Irish and African American communities. And it was only after bigger machines came and they earn more along with being more educated did the society accepted them for now, they are “assimilated fully into American society and culture. While the Irish immigrants of the 19th century were poor and ill-educated, today’s Irish Americans as a group rank well above the national averages for household income and educational attainment (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014).”

Response –

Post 2

Omar – My name is Omar Rivera Guadalupe, and I reside in the state of Connecticut. I want to learn most from this course about the investigative techniques needed to figure out situations and events.

I chose this short section from the article, “Irish-American political bosses retained power in many cities though the Great Depression of the 1930s, and in some cases, well beyond that.”

I think that this section proves their assimilation into American society well, despite their hardships at the beginning. Furthermore, this section proves that over time they adapted and successfully integrated themselves into American society.

This article gave me a better understanding of the changing perceptions of Irish immigrants in America by explaining how Irish immigrants assimilated into American society by acquiring positions of power eventually.

The forces that allowed the Irish immigrants to assimilate into U.S. culture despite their initial resistance were the military and politics, to name two. Many of these enlistees joined all Irish “heritage units” led by Irish American officers. Through the military, they became powerful assets to America. And many Irish Catholics sought to protect their community and assert their strength by organizing politically.

Response –