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The Potato Famine Begins
The first signs of the blight appear and lead into many years of hardships to come. -
Britain Begins Short Lived Relief Programs
The attempted aid was short lived and quite unhelpful. This included opening soup kitchens, having public works programs and distribution of cornmeal. -
Irish Immigration Rises in Boston
In 1847 alone, 37,000 Irish Immigrants arrive in Boston in search of a better life. -
Irish Immigration Takes Over America
As told by Immigration records, 43% of the foreign born population in the US was Irish. -
Death Toll rises to One Million
Although it is impossible to calculate an exact toll, the approximated number of deaths rose to one million is 1851, just six years after the famine began -
The Know-Nothing Party Reaches It's Peak
Massachusetts elected Know-Nothing candidates to every statewide office. This political party was started due to anti-Irish and anti-Catholic feelings which created the basis for their platform. -
Terrible Conditions for Newcomers
As described by Jacob Riis's "How the Other Half Lives" the conditions for the poor in New York was disgusting. Many of the people in poverty were Irish Immigrants.
http://www.voki.com/site/pickup?scid=12762074&width=575&height=323&chsm=f80190e68009d6f8fe773736d773844a -
The Civil War Begins
When the Civil War began over 140,000 Irish enlisted in the Union Army; The issue of immigration was trumped by the issue of slavery so many Irish had mild relief from the focus on Irish discrimination. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QukxWigwUtg] -
The Civil War Ends
With the ending of the Civil War, the country began to rebuild. The Irish provided the difficult manual labor for building new factories, railroads and other devices to help advance America, including the Transcontinental Railroad. -
Alexander Graham Bell Patents the Telephone
Laying the foundations for the modern telecommunication industry, Bell patents his invention of the Telephone -
JFK is Elected President of the USA
JFK, a descendent of Irish Immigrants is elected President. This is a big landmark for the Irish, who are now politically influential.
