Discovery Assignment - Final Project

Irish Immigration of the 1700’s and America’s Nativist Response


Sad Irish Catholic. Clipart. Paddy's Day Image Collection. <http://paddysday.us/webset/StPaddytoon.gif>.

    During the Irish immigration wave beginning from the early 1700’s and lasting until the Revolutionary War of 1776, many had traveled from Ireland to New England, which had later become the United States of America. Throughout this wave around a quarter million of Irish had come to America in search of a better life either in search of job opportunity or to flee the increasing English rule in Ireland (Yale). With such a large population coming in to inhabit a newer colony like New England, encouraging change and consequentially a nativist reaction amongst the colonists who were already present in the New England area, seemed inevitable. However in most cases, the anti-foreign sentiments that arise from increased immigration generally tend to be based on race, but for this wave and time period, the ill sentiments arose from religious splits among Irish Protestants and Irish Catholics.
    The wave of Irish immigration prior to that of this colonial period involved many Protestants (primarily English and some Irish) groups coming to settle New England. Some of these protestants were still immigrating to America by the early 1700’s (McCormack). So for the first section of this wave, about 1700 to the 1730’s, the colonists had little problems with the newcomers. “Some ships were able to land at American ports in that year [1714] and after that a few more ships were admitted each year, until 1718, when as many as 15 ships may have off-loaded Settlers at northern American ports. The American Colonies had…opened up their ports to Irish Immigrants” (Migrations). The only concern that had arisen by the 1730’s was the number of the Irish coming through. Areas such as Pennsylvania imposed head taxes to try to discourage more foreigners from coming in to the colonies (Immigration). Aside from the population concern, the main issue was the religious identity of the newcomers.
    However, it wasn’t until the later part of the colonial wave that Irish Catholics started coming to New England; and that is primarily where the anti-immigration sentiments had begun (McCormack). Previously in Ireland, the original Protestants came here because of prior religious persecution from Catholic English rulers, but due to political events and new leaders, as well as the switching of the English religion from Catholicism to Anglican, the Catholics were now the new target of persecution (McCormack). Because of the Anglican church and British influence in New England, religious tolerance really only applied to the Protestants and the Catholics were stripped of many of their worshipping rights (McCormack). Also penal laws had been enacted in New York to discourage Catholic settlement and worship, too (McCormack). With an original population consisting of Protestant Irish people in the colonies and the gradual income of Irish Catholics, it is obvious as to how and why the negative sentiments arose between the two religious factions.  
    The main social and political events occurring in the colonies during this time was the Revolutionary War and the eventual signing of the Declaration of Independence to create the United States of America. Because the war was being fought between the Americans and the English (who had control over Ireland), Irish immigration had slowed down significantly (Bryant). The few immigrants who did come over here were questioned of their loyalty, especially those of Catholic religious identity because of the Catholic allegiance to the pope (McCormack). The war was lead by many Protestant leaders such as George Washington himself, who supported an anti-Catholic campaign. “The first flag raised by the Sons of Liberty in New York was inscribed ‘No Popery’” (McCormack). This anti-Catholic sentiment continued after independence had been declared also. “At the Constitutional Convention in 1777, a strong anti-Catholic faction was led by John Jay, first Chief Justice of the United States, who denied civil rights to Catholics until they swore an oath renouncing the authority of the Pope” (McCormack). Essentially, Catholics had to give up their religious authority in order to hold offices or even be equal citizens in the U.S. and the sentiment continued into the nineteenth century.
    Irish immigration and the nativist response in the late colonial period in New England is mainly a result from the Catholic and Protestant split, the political-religious events in England, and the colonial war of independence. The initial part of the 1700 wave only brought about concerns of population and the usual competition for work, land, etc. between the old colonists and the newcomers (Bryant). However as discontent with British rule and Catholic presence increased in the colonies of New England, anti-foreign sentiment grew, slowing down the rate of immigration by the time of the Revolutionary War; and this sentiment carried on in U.S. history for many years and with future immigrant waves.