1840s-60s and The Irish

Why were they fine with some but not a lot of immigrants

Strength in numbers could cause revolts

- job opportunity, social acceptance

weak economy may see immigrants as "taking jobs"

- displaces them

Irish to west, poor soil

What was the event that caused much Chinese immigration in the 1870s?

a strike where workers were needed

Where were the Chinese immigrants actually coming from?

Western US

What happened to allow these people to search for new jobs?

railroad finished, labor not needed

What is push and pull immigration?

forces at home push people out, forces here pull them in

What were popular jobs among Syrians?

peddlers, garment workers,s hoemakers

why was peddling popular?

cheap, English not required,

what did people "peddle"?

cultural foods, fruit, household items

What separated immigrants within ethnic groups?

class

what were the terms for Irish class separation?

Shanty and Lace curtain Irish

What are the buildings made of in the photo?

wood, brick, stone

why would brick and stone be preferable?

wood gets water damage, rots, fire prone

what was Boston like in 1860?

commercial Center, port

Why were commercial centers near residential areas?

workers needed to live close

What was the population makeup like in 1850?

elites descended from early settlers

why was Britain interested in the Americas?

trade

How was MA different from the southern colonies?

south had larger crops, MA had fishing and maritime industry

On what were people focused that was different from the beginning?

commerce

How did social networks help the economy?

people helped each other

How was MA more cash rich but VA was richer overall?

VA had resources, land, slaves

why was this helpful for businesses?

cash is how you start a business, can't do that with only resources

What ethnic groups make up the workforce?

largely made up of canadians, English, scotish

why was it natural for Canadians to come here?

proximity, maritime experience

what were the Azores specifically involved in?

whaling

what did people do with extra cash?

commission arts, invest

How did people protect assets?

insurance

What was the risk of having one lone main export?

poor crops, possibility of depreciation

Why don't the southern colonies grow much food?

not as profitable

How did this help MA?

bought food from us

What do the elites see themselves' as?

unique

Why were the elites considered progressive?

wanted change

What did they want out of BLS?

training for elite life and Puritanical values

what did they think of the influx of immigrants?

threat to social order

Why were they fine with some but not a lot of immigrants

Strength in numbers could cause revolts

Why would we look at economic conditions, when talking about immigration?

Boston was seen as land of opportunity

Would immigrants want to come when the economy is strong or weak?

strong

why would immigrants want to come when the economy was stong?

job opportunity, social acceptance: weak economy may see immigrants as "taking jobs"

What is nativism?

people born here see themselves as superior to immigrants

Why were Irish victims of nativism as opposed to other groups at the time?

coming from poverty, seen as a burden especially in cyclical depression

Why would people be concerned about Irish in regards to wages?

would work for less, taking jobs from Americans

Why was credit important?

large purchases, loans

Why is Ireland so important to England?

1st colony, guinea pig/template for other colonies

What is a plantation system?

economies like VA

What is the value of having dense English settlements?

spread beliefs, people get rich = government gets rich

How did the English achieve this?

encouraging settlement o

what effect did this have for native populations?

displaces them: Irish to west, poor soil

How did they benefit their settlers in Ireland?

penal codes: restrictions on language (banned Irish), religion: (banned catholic masses, schools, burials, catholics can't own property) 

what is the significance of the potato for Irish Catholics?

grew easily without much land, nutritious

what is the risk of having the potato be so central?

disease or weather can wipe out population, not good for immune systems

why would landlords want to export other foodstuffs?

money!

Why would it be bad for England not to have food? 

didn't want rebellion

What was required of absentee landlords?

support tenants

Why weren't the Irish allowed to hunt or fish?

trying to starve them 

Why was it becoming more popular to raise livestock than crops?

less labor intensive, more profitable

why were mass evictions allowed?

grazing space for livestock

why was it so bad if these potato crop failed?

it was their only food source

How did the blight make its way from the US to Ireland?

boats

Why do the Irish not like the word "famine?

takes blame away from British

what did, they call it instead?

the Great Hunger

why was the sickness and death of Irish people seen as positive?

more room for British settlers

where do the Irish go when fleeing?

Liverpool, Birmingham, Australia, US, Canada 

Why would some not want to go to Canada?

still under English control

What was Boston's appeal?

Irish population already there, climate, jobs, economy, sent food to Ireland

what groups send aid other than Boston?

Indians, Native Americans

why didn't the British give aid to the Irish?

could cause food shortage 

where did the Irish live when they landed?

in dense communities near the ports (ex. North, End, Eastie, Financial District) 

Why was the water front the cheapest place to live?

more of a commercial/industrial neighborhood, flooding, poverty and competition, poor infrastructure leads to dumping, rodents and other creatures, disease.

What were coffin ships?

dangerous ships that led to deaths and people being tossed overboard 

What does the city do to combat the influx of disease coming from the ships?

put pressure on captains to ensure no negative impacts on the city from the ships through fines

What is an economic contraction?

economy in a bad place 

Why is the issue of health weaponized against the Irish?

viewed as dirty, can't work as long or as hard, health risk and poor medicine

What is the issue between protestants and catholics?

not a religious issue, more about stereotypes

what was anti-social about the Irish?

drinking, fighting, perceived laziness

What made caricatures so popular?

universal, at the mercy of the artist so it doesn't need to be accurate

what is insularity?

being closed off from the rest of society

what is deportation and why was it allowed?

forced to go home, anti-pauper laws allowed government to deport people based off of their poverty

Why is it difficult for immigrants to have to pass a literacy test to vote?

many were illiterate or couldn’t speak English 

why is it problematic to not be able to vote?

can't Choose representatives

To what kinds of jobs were the Irish limited?

manual labor and domestic service

How were the Irish prevented from better education?

can't vote so can't change things, needed a recommendation and principals could be anti

How was the test fairer?

more merit based

Which local college was built to educate Irish people?

BC

What is the danger of poor housing and dense living quarters?

disease spreads quickly, unstable, poor insulation, no proper plumbing, fire safety, pests

What aid Shattuck devolop in 1845?

census

what is public health?

effect of diseases on the population as a whole

What got people interested in public health?

cholera outbreak

what led to the creation of this hospital?

cholera epidemic mainly affects the poor 

what happened by 1864 that led to the need for hospitals?

civil war

Who would benefit from a long war?

factory owners and workers

What happens in terms of development around hospitals?

residences for employees, more hospitals, people struggling with addiction go near there for support

what is a municipal hospital?

government controlled, tax