Chapter 2
group of immigrants was Irish.The potato
famine in Ireland resulted in an influx of
Irish immigrants during the mid to late
1800s.Most of these Irish immigrants
settled in the Eastern seaports.While some
came as families,the Irish population was
overrepresented by males.This changed
over time as young,single female
immigrants began to outnumber the
young,single male immigrants.The
massive immigration of the 1840s
transformed the Catholic Church in
America,swelling its numbers and
increasing anti-Irish and anti-Catholic
sentiment (Daniels,2002).
Aseriesof cropfailuresandafailed
revolutionbroughtanexodusof German
immigrantstoAmerica.Manyof these
Germanimmigrantssettledin
Pennsylvania,theMidwest,andthe
MississippiValley(Brinkley,2003).While
liketheIrishimmigrantsinmanyways,the
Germanimmigrantsbroughtaforeign
languageandrepresentedthreedifferent
religiousgroups—Protestants(mostly
Lutheran),Catholics,andJews.Germans
weremorelikelythantheIrishtomigratein
familygroupsandestablishclose-knit
groupsof Germanfamilies,manyof which
continuedspeakingGerman.Thispresented
asourceof contentionforEnglish-speaking
Americans(Daniels,2002).
Nativism,a policy of favoring the
interests of native inhabitants over those
of immigrants,may seem strange in a
nation of immigrants; however,the 1800s
reflect numerous examples of attempts to
exclude or limit newcomers.Nativists
complained the newcomers drank too
much,the Catholicism some of them
practiced was opposed toAmerican
Democratic principles,and their
willingness to work for the lowest of wages
threatened the livelihood of American
workers.Immigrants were blamed for
their own poverty,lack of education,
crime,and political corruption (Brinkley,
2003).
Nativism in the 1800s came in three
phases.The first phase was anti-Catholic,
aimed at Irish Catholics and to some
extent,German Catholics.The second
phase was anti-Asian,triggered by Chinese
immigration and ending with the Chinese
ExclusionAct of 1882.Finally,the third
phase,anti-all immigration,began in the
mid-1880s when a general restriction of
immigration gained popularity.Sadly,
there has never been a time inAmerica
when nativist attitudes did not exist.They
existed in the Colonial period,throughout
American history,and they are enjoying a
revival today (Daniels,2002).