History

Becoming Irish American: The Making and Remaking of a People from Roanoke to JFK

Becoming Irish American: The Making and Remaking of a People from Roanoke to JFK

  • Downloads：5065
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2023-11-11 13:21:45
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Timothy J. Meagher
  • ISBN：0300126271
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

Purple Lorikeet ，

Irish immigration to the United States been a thing since 1585 when immigrants landed at Roanoke。 But the way the immigrants assimilated into their new surroundings was quite different depending on both the timing and their religion。 The earliest immigrants were from Northern Ireland and were mostly Protestant。 It wasn't until the mid-nineteenth century that there was a shift to mostly Catholic immigrants。 How these different groups viewed themselves in the new country was also different， depend Irish immigration to the United States been a thing since 1585 when immigrants landed at Roanoke。 But the way the immigrants assimilated into their new surroundings was quite different depending on both the timing and their religion。 The earliest immigrants were from Northern Ireland and were mostly Protestant。 It wasn't until the mid-nineteenth century that there was a shift to mostly Catholic immigrants。 How these different groups viewed themselves in the new country was also different， depending on timing and generation。 Timothy J Meagher has provided a fine timeline of Irish immigration in the United States。 He frames this first by providing an overview of Irish history， with particular regard to the background of the Protestant and Catholic peoples within the country and set up the circumstances under which they chose to leave Ireland for the American continent。 He then shows how the different waves of immigrants adjusted to their new lives but often still held strong ties to their mother country for identity， even when they were second generation and beyond。 In the latter waves there was also attention paid to other immigrant groups， such as those from Germany， Poland and Italy。 They had much in common with these groups and yet had distinction too。 Eventually there came the powers struggles that came in the political and gangland sectors， particularly between the Irish and Italians。 It was all quite interesting to read about and gave a better understanding of the place of the Irish people within the world and within the United States。 My only quibble with what I read was the way John F。 Kennedy's election as president felt more like a side note than the momentous part of Irish assimilation that it was。 I felt it was mentioned more in the epilogue than in the main text。 Otherwise， this was a most engaging read that I recommend to all who have interest in the immigration to the United States， both before and after it became a separate country。 But it is most especially of interest to those with Irish heritage and those with interest in the Irish American experience。 I will add that this tends more to a scholarly work and is not a light read。 As much as I enjoyed it， I took my time so that I could take in as much detail as possible。 Overall， I give this book four stars and highly recommend it for those not afraid of some heavy reading。 I would like to than Yale Press and Netgalley for giving me this advanced reader copy。 I have provided this review with no obligation。 。。。more

Jessica M ，

As someone with a fair amount of Irish ancestry， I was so curious to read this book！ Meagher does an amazing job discussing the experience of Irish immigrants and how they were treated in different areas of the United States through time。 There is also a discussion on religious differences from Ireland。 This was a quick， captivating read （especially for nonfiction） and full of food for thought。 I think this would be good book for anyone interested in learning about the experience of Irish Americ As someone with a fair amount of Irish ancestry， I was so curious to read this book！ Meagher does an amazing job discussing the experience of Irish immigrants and how they were treated in different areas of the United States through time。 There is also a discussion on religious differences from Ireland。 This was a quick， captivating read （especially for nonfiction） and full of food for thought。 I think this would be good book for anyone interested in learning about the experience of Irish Americans in the early days， or a good gift for someone interested in Irish history。 。。。more

Shari Burke ，

I do not have Irish ancestry， but my husband does--two of his grandparents （they were deceased long before I met him， so I never knew them） left Ireland to make their home in the US。 This was over a century ago， so neither of us knows much about their experience， However， he was able to get all of the information needed to allow him to get Irish citizenship by descent。 As a result， we made the journey in the opposite direction， from the US to Ireland， where we have lived for almost a decade。 I a I do not have Irish ancestry， but my husband does--two of his grandparents （they were deceased long before I met him， so I never knew them） left Ireland to make their home in the US。 This was over a century ago， so neither of us knows much about their experience， However， he was able to get all of the information needed to allow him to get Irish citizenship by descent。 As a result， we made the journey in the opposite direction， from the US to Ireland， where we have lived for almost a decade。 I am curious to know more about the Irish-American experience， from both anthropological and personal perspectives。 Although I never met my grandparents-in-law， the fact of their emigration has had a large impact on my life。 And emigration in general plays a huge role in Irish culture today。 For these reasons and more， I was intrigued to read this book--and I am so glad I did。Meagher does a fine job of explaining what the experience of immigrants from Ireland would have been like in different places within the US and at different times， ending with the election of John F。 Kennedy as president。 He points out that， even as they had--and still do-- in Ireland， religious differences between Protestant and Catholic immigrants had a large impact on whether/how quickly they assimilated， how they interacted with each other， and how much they were accepted by the larger culture。 Regional differences in Ireland led to tensions between Irish people once they arrived in the US。 He examines the attitudes of Irish-Americans to racism and slavery。 And in spite of 'Irish-American' being a category used for people to self-identify today， he argues that this was not always the case。 I learned a great deal from this book and it's a great read as well。 I found it to be well-written， highly engaging， filled with food for thought， and highly informative。 I read passages aloud to my husband and we talked about how we could see certain things played out in his own family。 If you're interested at all in immigration， ethnic identities within the US， assimilation， and other related topics， I can wholeheartedly recommend this book。Thanks to NetGalley， the publisher， and the author for a digital review copy of this book。 。。。more