Irish-American Civil War Experience - PowerPoint Presentation

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Irish-American Civil War ExperienceSlide2

Before the War

First immigrant group to arrive in large numbers

Between 1800 and 1920, 5 million Irish men and women emigrated to the United States

Were only half involved in American culture

Were tasked with constructing an image of themselves as both Irish and Americans

There was already a stereotype about the Irish before they arrived

Lived in extreme poverty Slide3

Before the War

“NO IRISH NEED APPLY”

Lived in their own poor communities

Were considered to be bad for the community

Estimated 80% of all children born to Irish immigrants in NYC died

Considered to be “racially different”

Filled a lot of the jails

Loved America but never gave up their allegiance to Ireland

WASP constrained the Irish and prevented them from asserting their own identity in America Slide4

Civil War Experience

Sanitary Commission reported that 144,221 served in the Union army

Irish Brigade – regiments in New York, Boston and Philadelphia

Irish volunteers hoped that the war would be short and that they would gain military experience to help them defeat the British occupants in Ireland

The Irish Brigade is the story of the Americanization of its officers and men

Thomas Meagher Slide5

Civil War Experience

Irish-American:

“we call on you by the sacred memories of the past… be true to the land of your adoption in this crisis of her fate”

Many Irish already lived in the Northern states

Formed their own units that had Irish customs

First casualties of the war were Irish

March 3

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1863 Draft Riots – Congress passed the Enrollment Act

Angered many whites, especially the Irish

They were expected to fight for a new nation shortly after arriving in America Slide6

Civil War Experience

Started the 1863 NYC Draft Riots – looted stores and burned newspaper buildings down

Targeted African-Americans, blamed them for the war

Over 121 people died in the riots

Eventually calmed down and the Irish volunteered in large numbers

Irish regiments flew Irish flags to showcase their love for the Union while still holding onto their roots

At first, Irish-Americans were forced to do manual labor again, instead of actual fighting Slide7

Civil War Experience

Battle of Fredericksburg – December 1862

Suffered the most casualties – went from 1600 to 250 (estimated)

146 Irish-born received the Medal of Honor during the Civil War

Thomas Plunkett became famous all across America because he lost both of his arms while clinging to the national flag

Many Irish women went to war with their husbands and brothers Slide8
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Memory

After the war, the Irish had to find a way to merge into American culture and to be seen as Americans

Irish veterans gathered to remember former comrades and be honored by the Irish-American community

Veterans wanted to preserve the memory by publishing histories and constructing memorials

By doing this, they were able to cement their place in the narrative of the Civil War

The memory of the charge of Fredericksburg was the defining moment of the Irish’s wartime experienceSlide10

Memory

Commemorations allowed the veterans to meet old comrades and remember the sacrifices they had made

They also allowed the Irish-American community to honor the men as well as remind the country of the sacrifice that they had made during the war

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mphasizing the achievements of Irish regiments helped to rehabilitate the Irish image in the US

By using the memory of their war experience, the Irish-Americans made great strides towards being accepted as full-fledged Americans