Irish Immigration: Famine, Survival, and Prejudice
- Rosie Jayde Uyola
- Jan 4
- 4 min read
Updated: Jan 7
Target: I can explain the reasons for Irish immigration and the prejudice they faced by analyzing an eyewitness account and a political cartoon.
Key Vocabulary
Famine: A severe shortage of food causing starvation.
Push Factor: A bad situation (like hunger or war) that pushes someone to leave their country.
Nativism: Hatred or prejudice against immigrants by people born in a country.
Stereotype: An unfair, simplified idea about a group of people.
Caricature: A drawing that exaggerates features to make someone look funny or scary.
Part 1: Do Now (5 minutes)
Directions: Read the prompt below and write a 5-8 sentence response.
Prompt: The Unwanted Guest. Imagine your home is destroyed by a flood, and you have no food. You travel to a nearby town begging for help. Instead of helping, the people there draw cartoons of you looking like a monster and put up signs saying you are violent and dangerous.
In a complete paragraph, answer: How would this reaction make you feel? Why might the people in the town be afraid of you, even though you are the victim? Is it fair to judge a desperate person by how they look when they are starving?
Sentence Starter: If I were treated like a monster after losing my home, I would feel... The people might be afraid of me because I look... It is unfair to judge desperate people because...
Part 2: Analyzing the Sources
Directions: Analyze the two documents below and then answer the questions that follow.
Source 1: William Bennett, "A Journey in Ireland" (Adapted Excerpt, 1847)
Original Text | Simplified Text |
"We entered a cabin. Stretched in one dark corner... were three children huddled together... pale and ghastly... perfectly emaciated [thin], eyes sunk, voice gone, and evidently in the last stage of actual starvation." | "We went into a small house. In a dark corner, three starving children were huddled together. They were so thin they looked like skeletons, their eyes were sunken, and they were too weak to speak. They were dying of hunger." |
"Crouched over a turf fire was another figure, wild and all but naked, scarcely human in appearance. It was the father. He denied himself the food for the sake of the children." | "By the fire sat the father. He looked wild and almost naked, barely human because he was so skinny. He was starving himself so that his children could have the food." |
Image Description | Symbolic Meaning |
The Irish Figures: The Irish men in the cartoon are drawn to look like violent apes with huge jaws and long arms. | Meaning: The artist (Thomas Nast) is saying Irish people are less than human ("sub-human") and naturally violent. |
The Action: The Irish "apes" are attacking police officers, who look like normal, dignified human beings. | Meaning: The cartoon suggests that Irish immigrants are criminals who hate law and order. |
The Flag: The Irish figures are standing on a torn American flag. | Meaning: This suggests the Irish are not loyal to America and are destroying the country. |
Analysis Questions
Directions: Answer questions A and B on your own. Then, work with a partner for the Discussion.
Question A (The Reality): Based on Source 1, why did this family leave Ireland? How does the author's description of the father ("denied himself food") contradict the idea that Irish people were "savages"?
Sentence Starter: The family left Ireland because of a "Push Factor" which was... The father proves he is not a savage because he... This shows that Irish immigrants were actually...
Question B (The Stereotype): Look at Source 2. How does the artist Thomas Nast dehumanize the Irish? Identify one specific visual detail (like the ape features or the torn flag) and explain what message it sends to the American public.
Sentence Starter: The artist dehumanizes the Irish by drawing them as... One specific detail is the... which sends the message that Irish people are...
Partner Discussion: Share your answers with a partner. Discuss the following: The father in Source 1 is sacrificing himself for his kids. The men in Source 2 are attacking police. Why did Americans choose to believe the cartoon version instead of the reality?
(No writing required for this section, just discussion).
Part 3: Exit Ticket (5 minutes)
Directions: Answer the following prompt in a complete paragraph (5-8 sentences).
Prompt: In the 19th century, Irish immigrants were often called a "threat to the Republic." In a detailed paragraph, explain the gap between the reason they came (famine) and the reaction they faced (nativism). Use the word "Dehumanization" and evidence from the cartoon to support your answer.
Sentence Starter: The Irish came to America because of... but they were treated with hatred because of... This is shown in the cartoon, which uses dehumanization by depicting them as... The reality was much sadder, as shown in Source 1 where...
Regents Practice
Topic: Immigration & Nativism
Passage:
“. . . Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; . . . “Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Source: Emma Lazarus, “The New Colossus,” 1883 (adapted)
Which group would most strongly oppose the idea expressed in this poem?
(1) nativists
(2) industrialists
(3) suffragists
(4) imperialists
These words on the Statue of Liberty reflect 19th-century American support for
(1) socialism
(2) populism
(3) immigration
(4) neutrality
