1840s-60s and The Irish

Global Boston Article

What was the event that caused much Chinese immigration in the 1870s? - a strike where workers were needed
Where were the people actually coming from? - Western US
What happened to allow these people tosearch for new jobs? - railroad finished, labor not needed

Syriantown

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

Immigration Separation

What separated immigrants within ethnic groups? - class
what were the terms for Irish class separation? - Shanty and Lace curtain Irish

Boston in the 19th century

What are the buildings made of in the photo? - wood, brick, stone
why would brick and store be preferable? - wood gets water damage, rots, fire prone
In what year was the photo taken? - 1860
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
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 was the workforce like? - 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
How did sailing become a useful skill? - scam power
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

Economic Conditions: 1850 Ireland

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? - 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

Act of Settlement 1653

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

### Poor Law Extension Act 1817

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

The Great Hunger 1845

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

### Nativism

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 the government to deport poor immigrants
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-Irish, poor schools' recs were of lesser value * How was the test fairer? - more merit based * Which local college was built to educate Irish people? - BC

Housing

What is the danger of poor housing and dense living quarters? - disease spreads quickly, unstable, poor insulation, no proper plumbing, fire safety, pests

Lemue Shattuck 1793 - 1859

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

Boston City Hospital

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-funded