Today is the 69th Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Do not forget those that died on that day, or those who died in combat fighting in World War II.
Thousands of Irish emigrants traveled to Boston to escape the horrors of the Great Famine. These travelers had not yet escaped tragedy once they had climbed the gangplank. The accommodations aboard ship were appalling, especially those who elected to sail to Canada because the steerage fare was about half of the cost for the United States route. Many of the transport ships used were formerly used in slave trading in America and timber ships, freshly unloaded of their Canadian forest products. Before, during, and for a time after the famine, these voyagers, well and sick, old and young, were packed into the ship’s holds until they were crammed. They were kept below deck for the six or seven week journey unless there was fair weather. Provisions of food, water, and medical attention, were minimally adequate. Sailing with them as shipmates were the byproducts of the tight quarters and unsanitary conditions…. infectious illnesses, such as typhus, TB, and cholera. The air was foul with the vile odors that accompany disease and poor hygiene. It was estimated that an average fifteen percent of the passengers never made it to their destination alive. These vessels earned the name of “Coffin Ships”.
Once arriving in Boston the Irish soon found themselves faced with new challenges, horrors and ordeals.
Use tonight's reading to answer the following questions:
- Why were landowners in Boston able to take advantage of the Irish immigrants?
- How many Irish immigrants arrived in Boston in 1847?
- What disease plagued the slums of Boston and other U.S. cities? Why was it able to spread so much?
- What impact did immigration have on the crime rate? Why?
- Explain the competition between the working class members of Boston and Irish immigrants. Make a prediction: How could this lead to future anti-immigration movements in the U.S.?
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