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Donaji Diaz
Maddie Fusco
Alex Lizarraga
Sonny Stephens
Jenny Stevens
American Studies
Kelley & Whipple
03/02/2014
The Irish-American Triumph
Many different groups of people come to the United States in hopes of a better life for
themselves. Each group has its own distinct culture, and many find different ways to preserve it
in their strange new home. For the Irish, maintaining an identity while achieving success was
very important. The 19th-century Irish who emigrated to America maintained their identity
through the media of writing and speaking. Their works reflected the prejudice they endured and
their past struggles. Once in the U.S., they also expressed their identity through solidarity and
eventually through politics.
The writings of Stephen Crane exemplified the struggle of these immigrants. In his book,
Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, he depicts the struggle of poverty faced by the Irish in 19th-century
America. The story centers on the daughter of Irish immigrants living in the Bowery, a poor
section of New York City. Readers get a sense of the destitution endured by these immigrants
when he describes Maggie as a girl who blossomed in a mud puddle (Crane 30). The metaphor
compares life in the dark region, that is, the tenement district, to living in dirt and filth (Crane
41), proving that the experience of being raised in an Irish immigrant family was considered
undesirable. The metaphor illustrates the Irish immigrants desire to rise from their poverty and
marginalization. However, Crane acknowledges that the Irish-American perspective of this time
period was complex. For instance, Maggies parents were both alcoholics who didnt care to
leave the tenements, while others tried to rise from their inauspicious situation.

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The Poet Louise Imogen Guiney also captured the psyche of the Irish immigrant of the
19th century. She was the daughter of Patrick Guiney, an Irish-Catholic immigrant and general in
the Union Army (Poetry Foundation). Her old-English styled writing portrays the struggles both
in Ireland and in the developing United States. Guineys first collection of poems, Songs at the
Start marked the beginning of her writing career which often expressed the life of an Irish
descendant. In her poem, Irish Peasant Song, she highlights her perspective on the hardships
of the Irish. Guiney uses metonymy with the phrase knead and spin to describe the busy work
peasants had to do, and explains their poverty and how their lives are low (Guiney). Thus,
readers understand the mundaneness of the life of a poor Irishman, and his solemn and depressed
mood. Her poem is also significant in that she recognizes the struggles of her ancestors that
solidify the Irish history and identity.
The arrival of Irish immigrants on the east coast was driven by their escape from the
famished homeland. The main push factor that prompted thousands of Irish to emigrate to the
United States was the Great Famine, known as the Gorta Mr in Irish. The Great Famine
(1845-1849) occurred when the potato crop failed in Ireland. The potato was a staple for most
lower class Irish, and once it failed they lost their source of subsistence, causing many to starve.
The famine was caused by a fungus that caused the potatoes to rot just a few days after
harvesting. In addition, the British Government had prevented Irish Catholics from purchasing
land, so many of the subjugated Catholic families had to rent out small plots. When the crop
failed, they were unable to feed themselves or pay the rents (Digital History). The fears of the
Irish immigrants are exemplified in the letters exchanged between the homeland Irish and their
family members in America, who worried of the dreadful state of potatoes in Ireland, and who
also feared losing their identity in America. Many who stayed in Ireland would write to their

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immigrant family members, reminding them to not neglect [their] Christian duties (Curtis).
Other letters shared concern over the treatment of Catholics in Ireland, referring to how the
British government was putting penal laws on [their] Bishops (Dunne). The United States
offered an escape from the disease, hunger, and persecution that ravaged Ireland, but the journey
was very dangerous. The ships on which they traveled were so unseaworthy that they were
referred to as Coffin Ships (Shure). Most of the immigrants came to Boston, where they had
work and opportunity, but also faced prejudice and discrimination. A clear example of this is the
sign No Irish Need Apply, which was hung in many store windows and featured in many
Help Wanted ads of the nineteenth and early twentieth-century.
The Irish eventually began to rise in American society through their solidarity, hard work,
and obtainment of political power. Over time, the Irish began to take political office throughout
the Northeast, proving that they understood the power of the vote. In the 1850s Tammany Hall
was established, a political machine in New York City that served Irish needs. The machine
represented the interests of the impoverished, ensuring that they received food and coal during
the winters. The machines role was crucial since at the time there were no social welfare
programs (Rattigan). These structures helped the Irish slowly rise in American society, and
succeed on their own. Although Tammany Hall was politically corrupt, it offered much needed
assistance to the poor immigrants of the city (McNamara).
In order to understand the Irish today, Americans must focus on the historical successes
the Irish have achieved in literature, politics, and maintaining their cultural identity. Currently,
the Irish are a united people who have achieved in nearly all fields, have overcome tremendous
odds, and have determined their own fate.

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Works Cited
Crane, Stephen. Maggie: A Girl of the Streets. Peterborough, Ont.: Broadview, 2006. Print.
Curtis, Hannah. Letter to John Curtis. 24 Nov. 1845. MS. Historical Society of Pennsylvania,
Philadelphia, PA.
Dunne, William. Letter to John Curtis. 2 Apr. 1851. MS. Historical Society of Pennsylvania,
Philadelphia, PA.
Guiney, Louise Imogen. Irish Peasant Song. poemhunter.com. Poemhunter.com. n.d. Web. 03
Mar. 2014.
"The Irish Potato Famine." Digital History. University of Houston, 2006. Web. 02 Mar. 2014.
"Louise Imogen Guiney." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2014.
McNamara, Robert. "Tammany Hall." 19th Century History. About.com, n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.
Rattigan, John. Personal interview. 18 Feb. 2014.
Shure, Robert. Boston Irish Famine Memorial. 1998. Bronze and Granite. Boston, MA. 17 Feb.
2014.