Immigration
Populations were on the move in the 1800s, and the population of the New World increased dramatically as millions of immigrants arrived. Starting with the Irish during the Famine, successive waves of immigrants arrived in the United States, and American cities swelled with their numbers. Immigration also populated Australia, which had been a distant penal colony.
The Know-Nothing Party Opposed Immigration to America
Learn about the American political party called the Know-Nothings, which campaigned against immigrants, specifically new arrivals from Ireland in the 1840s and 1850s.
Learn about the American political party called the Know-Nothings, which campaigned against immigrants, specifically new arrivals from Ireland in the 1840s and 1850s.
The Great Famine: Turning Point for Ireland and America
The Great Famine that ravaged the potato crop in Ireland in the 1840s caused widespread starvation, thanks in part to the British Empire's handling of the crisis. The population of Ireland would be cut in half, and waves of Irish immigrants landing in North America would have effects that resonated for decades. Lowly spores infecting the potato would eventually remake both Ireland and the United States.
The Great Famine that ravaged the potato crop in Ireland in the 1840s caused widespread starvation, thanks in part to the British Empire's handling of the crisis. The population of Ireland would be cut in half, and waves of Irish immigrants landing in North America would have effects that resonated for decades. Lowly spores infecting the potato would eventually remake both Ireland and the United States.