Irish History
Irish History: Pennsylvania Early Years
In the early years of Pennsylvania, the Penn family invited settlers of all kinds to colonize the state. To this call, responded many Irish, mostly from the northern Irish provinces. The massive Irish emigration was unexpected and they were not the most respected people. But it was too late to retract the open immigration policy.
The Irish settled in the counties of Chester, Lancaster, Northampton and Northumberland. As well, a large population settled along the Maryland line in the area disputed between the Penns and Lord Baltimore. This land was suitable to squatters, which many of the Irish were, because it was not yet for sale and was considered hard to govern, given the land dispute.
Beginning in the early 1700's German emigration from the Palatinates on the Rhine brought large, strong, community orientated, industrial groups to the same Pennsylvania counties of which the Irish had already immigrated to. These Germans were known for prejudice against the Irish whom they considered not suitable to be colonist. As well, the Quaker proprietors of Pennsylvania considered most of the Irish to be stubborn squatters, as many of them truly were. Quarreling was abundant.
The Irish, bowing to some of this pressure, as well as being generally hardy, stubborn and bold people, gradually began migrating west or south-west. The Irish were known for being intolerant of Indians, as well as for others who had any prejudice against them, and so disputes were many. In the mid 1700's the disturbances between Germans and Irish encouraged the Pennsylvania proprietors and administrators to convince Germans to migrate to the eastern part of the state and the Irish to migrate westward.
Large parts of York County were settled by these migrating Irish, and later many of the settlements became a part of Adams County which is largely Irish today. A little later they began migrating west along the Juniata River and over the Alleghany mountains. Since this was prior to land settlement agreements reached between the Penn family and the native Indians, this caused more disturbances between the Irish and the Indians.
Eventually one disputed area after another was settled, and treaties made, much of the time just after very violent skirmishes between the Irish and the Indians. It seemed that as soon as an area was officially settled, the Irish would again migrate westward to yet more unsettled territory. When the Pennsylvania counties west of the Allegheny River were official declared and mapped, the Irish had already been there for some time. During this same period, many of the Irish joined military ranks and fought in the Revolutionary War. They were known as tough and ready fighters.
In 1795, owing to a ratified treaty made by General Wayne and the Indians, it became safer to cross the Allegheny River and settle lands there. The bold, ever curious Irish were the first to rush into this area in mass and begin families and farms. It wasn't long until most of western Pennsylvania, near the Ohio border, was predominantly Irish and Scotch-Irish. The migration of the Irish across the state was complete.
Mark Jordan is a researcher, freelance writer, and thinker living near Harrisburg Pennsylvania. More Celtic related information can be found at http://celticpennsylvania.com , http://freecelticdesigns.thecelticgiraffe.com and http://hotliveinfo.com/ireland-videos
Where do people get the impression the Irish are racist & why are natives grouped with Americans of descent?
I was shocked when looking over this website to find a lot of people asking questions like "are all Irish racist?" also taking incidents of Americans of Irish descent into account despite their ties being cut long ago. They adhere to American culture and know little of actual Celtic heritage or current Irish culture but choose to label themselves as Irish due to the recent revival and popularity of Celtic heritage. They are not Irish just because their great great great great Grandmother had an Irish name, period.
I live in the North and have come across few racists who have been ignorant and more focused on sectarianism which is, and has always been, the big problem here and is due to ignorance in the same respect as racism. This is in a country with 30ft walls separating communities based on religion and nationality much in the same way Israel walls itself off from Palestine (guess where they got the idea from, no joke.)
In every country there are the ignorant who are xenophobic because they lack the mental tools to understand other cultures, however I could count the ones I've met on one hand. These racists/sectarians are usually the product of a childhood spent being barraged with the political opinions and views of their sectarian/racist parents whose hate comes from having spent years going through bomb scares and having their houses targeted by paint bombs, petrol bombs and bricks. These Irish/British (depending on descent) don't like each other, is it not understandable that they may be wary of foreign "outsiders" given that "outsiders" can apply to their neighbor? In modern NI they are in decline, education saving the young from similar ignorance.
The insinuation that Ireland is a hovel full of slack jawed yokels who fear other races and cultures is absurd and highly offensive to a proud if somewhat dysfunctional nation. If your looking for a cause of dysfunction you haven't read enough on Irish history. 800 years of oppressive legislation from the English parliament which destroyed the productivity of Ireland as well as depopulating entire areas through genocidal movements from the English military and ruling classes has taken it's toll on the average Irish psyche, more in the older generations who of course incite residual feelings into their children. As for the Anglo-Irish or British they have come to fear that one day their culture might be lost due to a resurgence in Irish power in the north and have become paranoid that they might not like tomorrow. Take all this into account with the fact that all countries have their far right movements who dislike anyone not of national descent and you can see why there might be some raw feelings.
There are also those who think that most Irish citizens have an avid dislike for immigrants and then call them hypocrites due to the mass Irish emigration in the past few centuries which was caused by the previously mentioned legislation issued by the English parliament. The Irish were shipped to the west indies as slaves, massacred to depopulate areas so that English citizens could settle on the lands left empty and any manufacturing businesses that were in competition with the English market were shut down completely. Exports were banned driving Ireland into poverty and the Irish were forced to work the land to feed the English meanwhile trying to sustain themselves on a potato a day(more the hyperbole). If any Irish did emigrate it was under the status of refugee, trying to escape genocidal, oppressive movements more commonly associated with Africa rather than, as some would suggest, simply trying to better their lot. When they reached these "greener pastures" they were treated much the same, thus some resentment. Those with Irish names would be turned away from jobs, signs hung up worldwide saying "No Blacks, No Irish, No dogs".
It should also be noted that colonialism was born and perfected in Ireland, the Irish being the lab rats for the new political movement that became synonymous with the British Empire in India, Africa, Asia and America. The Irish were the prototype for the mass slaughter of the Native Americans and the subjugation of nations worldwide.
In more recent history (post partition) the Irish in the North had no rights, they could not vote, they had curfews that they could be beaten for breaking, were shot while peacefully protesting and could be arrested and sentenced with no trial. Long after African Americans had been emancipated, given rights, liberty, a voice,a vote and fair jobs the Irish in the north were still considered no less than animals by their "master", Britannia, that needed beating and put in place hence the term they were referred to by, "The Niggers of Europe".
Most Irish know their history and it has taught us well, most of us do not judge on creed nor colour and are accepting of everyone, except each other (south dislikes north,
[continued]
North British Hate North Irish and vice versa, in some communities), so how have we earned a reputation for being racist?
Sorry for the lack of paragraphs, ran out of characters even when I revised it and initially didn't have the [continued] as I thought it was submitted with the initial content.
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I need help from an Irish History buff?
Im doing short answer questions and I need some help
Explain characteristics of northern ireland (Economics, religion, culture)
Explain characteristics of Ireland free state
Explain why the tension did not feign with IRA and Sinn Fein
Explain why Eamon de valera left Ira and sinn fein
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Do Americans learn about Irish history in school?
Maybe I have this wrong but do most Americans think Irish people are British?
I kept getting called British and asked how is life in the uk. It was annoying I'm Irish not British and no I'm not from the uk.
@ Sarah - Great Britain is an island. Only 6 counties in the North are part of the uk (not great britain) most of ireland is independent and its just annoying when they assume all of ireland is part of the uk.
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