Immigration from Ireland to America in the 18th and 19th centuries

 

 

Immigration from Ireland to America in the 18th and 19th centuries represents two distinct waves that differed almost entirely in terms of religion, economic status, settlement patterns, and reception.

In the 1700s, the migrants were primarily Protestant farmers who settled the American frontier. In the 1800s, specifically after 1845, they were primarily destitute Catholic laborers who crowded into American cities.¹

Quick Comparison: 1700s vs. 1800s

Feature	The 1700s (The "Scotch-Irish")	The 1800s (The "Famine Irish")
Primary Religion	Protestant (Presbyterian)	Catholic
Region of Origin	Ulster (Northern Ireland)	South and West of Ireland
Primary Motive	Rising rents, religious seeking, land	Starvation (Potato Famine), poverty
Scale	~250,000 – 400,000	~4.5 Million+
Destination	The Frontier (Appalachia, PA, VA)	Coastal Cities (Boston, NYC)
Occupation	Farmers, Frontiersmen	Unskilled Laborers, Servants

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1. The 1700s: The "Scotch-Irish" Settlers

The 18th-century wave consisted largely of descendants of Scottish Presbyterians who had previously colonized Northern Ireland (Ulster).² In America, they became known as the "Scotch-Irish."³

• Push Factors: They left Ireland due to rising rents charged by English landlords and the "Test Acts," which discriminated against non-Anglican Protestants (like Presbyterians) by barring them from public office.

• The Frontier Mentality: Unlike later immigrants who stayed in cities, these immigrants had enough money to travel inland. They sought land to farm and settled the "backcountry"—the Appalachian Mountains, western Pennsylvania, Virginia, and the Carolinas.⁴

• Legacy: They became the quintessential American frontiersmen. They served as a buffer between the coastal English colonies and Native American tribes. Cultural icons like Andrew Jackson and Davy Crockett came from this stock, and their influence is still heavily felt in Appalachian culture and country music.

2. The 1800s: The Catholic Exodus and the Famine⁵

While there was a steady stream of immigrants in the early 1800s (often to build canals), the demographics shifted drastically with the Great Hunger (Potato Famine) beginning in 1845.⁶ This was a refugee crisis rather than a standard migration.

• The Great Hunger: The potato blight destroyed the primary food source of the Irish peasantry.⁷ Millions faced starvation.⁸ Between 1845 and 1855 alone, over 1.5 million Irish fled to the U.S.⁹

• Urban Poverty: Unlike their 1700s predecessors, the Famine Irish arrived with absolutely nothing. They could not afford to travel inland to buy farms. Consequently, they became stuck in the ports where they landed—Boston, New York City, and Philadelphia—creating the nation's first massive urban slums.

• Labor: Men worked dangerous unskilled jobs (building railroads, digging sewers), while women often worked as domestic servants in wealthy homes.

3. Reception and Discrimination

The reception of these two groups by the existing American population was starkly different.

• 18th Century (Moderate Friction): The Scotch-Irish were viewed as rough and "foreign" by the English elites of New England and Virginia, but because they were Protestant and moved to the frontier (away from established cities), they were generally tolerated and rapidly assimilated.

• 19th Century (Hostility): The Catholic Irish faced intense nativism.

  • Religious Prejudice: The Protestant majority in the U.S. deeply feared Catholicism, viewing it as a superstitious allegiance to the Pope that threatened American democracy.

  • "No Irish Need Apply": Discrimination in employment was rampant.¹⁰ The "Know-Nothing" political party was formed largely to stop Irish Catholic influence.

  • Stereotypes: They were often caricatured in the press as drunk, violent, or sub-human, struggling for decades to achieve social acceptance.

Summary

The 1700s immigration was a movement of colonizers seeking land and religious autonomy, who eventually blended into the fabric of rural America. The 1800s immigration was a flood of refugees escaping death, who were forced to build a new identity in the hostile, industrial environment of American cities.

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