What was the difference between Irish and German immigrants?
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About this bookIn the second half of the nineteenth century, hundreds of thousands of German and Irish immigrants left Europe for the United States. Many settled in the Northeast, but some boarded trains and made their way west. Focusing on the cities of Fort Wayne, Indiana and St Louis, Missouri, Regina Donlon employs comparative and transnational methodologies in order to trace their journeys from arrival through their emergence as cultural, social and political forces in their communities. Drawing comparisons between large, industrial St Louis and small, established Fort Wayne and between the different communities which took root there, Donlon offers new insights into the factors which shaped their experiences—including the impact of city size on the preservation of ethnic identity, the contrasting concerns of the German and Irish Catholic churches and the roles of women as social innovators. This unique multi-ethnic approach illuminates overlooked dimensions of the immigrant experience in the American Midwest. Keywords
Reviews“Donlon’s book is original, methodologically rigorous and makes a genuine and welcome contribution to migration and diaspora historiography.” (Sarah Roddy, Irish Economic and Social History, November 10, 2019) “An innovative, scholarly and highly readable comparative history of German and Irish immigrants to America’s Midwest, which draws upon rich demographic and textual materials to unlock the parallel and entwined lives of what were mid-nineteenth-century America’s largest European immigrant groups.” (Donald M. MacRaild, Professor of British and Irish History, University of Roehampton, UK) Authors and Affiliations
About the authorRegina Donlon works in the Department of History at Maynooth University, Ireland. Bibliographic Information
How were Irish and German immigrants different?Irish and German immigrants began coming to America in colonial times, but the early Irish were mostly Protestants from the north of Ireland who settled on the frontier, while the Germans were mainly religious refugees who clus- tered in Pennsylvania.
How were Irish and German immigrants treated?The Germans and Irish were frequently subjected to anti-foreign prejudice and discrimination. Ultimately, the Germans and Irish assimilated into US culture and society and became two of the most successful immigrant groups in the country.
What did German and Irish immigrants have in common?All of the Irish and many of the Germans were Roman Catholic. Part of the opposition was political. Most immigrants living in cities became Democrats because the party focused on the needs of commoners.
What was a key difference between the German and Irish immigrants of the 1800s?What was a key difference between the German and Irish immigrants of the 1800s? The German immigrants were often more skilled and educated.
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