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The '''Catholic Irish''' have been a major American ethnic group since they started arriving in the 1840s in the wake of the horrible [[Irish Potato Famine]]. Extremely poor with a strong group cohesiveness, high interest in politics, and high rates of alcoholism and violence, they settled in the slums of large cities. many worked in construction gangs. The Irish rose rapidly in the ranks of the Democratic party, the Catholic Church, and (after 1880), the labor unions. The Irish were very well organized, and, since 1850, have produced a majority of the leaders of the Catholic Church in the U.S., labor unions, the Democratic Party in larger cities, and Catholic high schools, colleges and universities. Politically, the Irish Catholic typically voted 80-95% Democratic in elections down to 1964.
The '''Catholic Irish''' have been a major American ethnic group since they started arriving in the 1840s in the wake of the horrible [[Irish Potato Famine]]. Extremely poor with a strong group cohesiveness, high interest in politics, and high rates of alcoholism and violence, they settled in the slums of large cities. many worked in construction gangs. The Irish rose rapidly in the ranks of the Democratic party, the Catholic Church, and (after 1880), the labor unions. The Irish were very well organized, and, since 1850, have produced a majority of the leaders of the Catholic Church in the U.S., labor unions, the Democratic Party in larger cities, and Catholic high schools, colleges and universities. Politically, the Irish Catholic typically voted 80-95% Democratic in elections down to 1964.
==Migration==
Irish Catholics began arriving in the 1830s and especially 1840s, in the wake of devastating [[Irish Potato Famine|famine]] in Ireland. (Others went to Britain, Canada and Australia.)
Very high group cohesion enabled labor bosses to organize unskilled workers into construction gangs and move them to locations wehere canals and railroads were being built. Native Americans rarely did this work (although in the South slaves were used, and in California Chinese.) The Irish fought for the jobs against other irish work gangs.
Most went to the largest cities, especially Boston and New York, as well as Chicago, San Francisco, Saint Louis, Hartford, Albany, Philadelphia and Detroit. In the Northeast, Protestant owners of texile mills fired the Yankee women working there and replaced them with cheaper Irish women.
Many served in the Civil War (on both sides) but they resented the draft and rioted in New York on a major scale in 1863.
== Irish in politics and government ==
== Irish in politics and government ==
The Catholic Irish moved rapidly into law enforcement, and (through the Catholic Church) built hundreds of schools, colleges, orphanages, hospitals, and asylums. Political opposition to the Catholic Irish climaxed in 1854 in the short-lived Know Nothing Party.
The Catholic Irish moved rapidly into law enforcement, and (through the Catholic Church) built hundreds of schools, colleges, orphanages, hospitals, and asylums. Political opposition to the Catholic Irish climaxed in 1854 in the short-lived Know Nothing Party.