Question #e5856
1 Answer
Poverty and exploitation.
Explanation:
The history of Ireland and its relationship with the United Kingdom is a violent and bloody one going back centuries. There has been Irish immigration to the USA for hundreds of years as there has been from other parts of the UK.
As far as Ireland is concerned, from an Irish perspective, the occupation of Ireland by the British and the treatment of the Irish led hundreds of thousands to seek emigration from Ireland to the USA.
It is certainly true that English and Anglo-Irish land owners including the Duke of Wellington with vast Irish estates exploited the people who were already living in grinding poverty. Anti-Catholic laws barred them from owning land and their general treatment was appalling.
This culminated in the Irish potato famine of 1845 to 1852 when over 1 million Irish starved to death or died from disease and 1 million emigrated, most to the USA. Throughout the entire famine, thousands of tons of food were exported from Ireland. This is indicative of the brutality shown by the British to the Catholic Irish population.This left an indelible mark on Irish history, culture and politics, and became a rallying point for nationalist movements who still enjoy considerable support within Irish communities in the USA
