Irish Americans

The Irish were the first and largest early group of immigrants into the United States. Today, Irish Americans remain one of America's largest ethnic groups, with almost 37 million Americans of Irish descent. They take great pride in both their American identity and their Irish heritage and traditions, elements that have infused the national culture.

Even before the United States gained independence, more than 100,000 Irish, both Catholics and Protestants, had already arrived. One Irish American, Senator Charles Carroll of Maryland, signed the Declaration of Independence (he was also the only Catholic), and another, Representative Thomas Fitzsimons of Pennsylvania, signed the U.S. Constitution.

Since most Irish spoke English (however, many were illiterate), they did not face the linguistic isolation experienced by most of the later groups of immigrants. Yet, they soon encountered discrimination based on their physical appearance, on their willingness to take low-paying jobs, and, in the case of Irish Catholics, on their religion. Enmity between the Irish and the British was already deeply entrenched. That enmity quickly influenced American perceptions of Irish immigrants.

Generally poor, most Irish looked for inexpensive places to rent. They quickly clustered into urban neighborhoods in such eastern cities as New York, Boston, and Philadelphia. Irish urban enclaves often bordered on, or crowded next to, neighborhoods that housed poor, but free, African Americans.

This established a pattern that later immigrant groups would replicate: the creation of [Page 1235]self-contained ethnic neighborhoods, often referred to as ghettoes. Over time, many large cities became dotted by ethnic neighborhoods that defended their turf. Those who crossed the lines of demarcation could face possible reprisal from ethnic gangs, some of which were in well-established Irish American neighborhoods.

An Irish American stereotype soon emerged, combining visual representation and pejorative labels. Irish American neighborhoods became viewed as shantytowns, so “shanty Irish” entered the American lexicon as one of the early ethnic pejoratives. Anglo-American cartoonists delighted in exaggerating certain facial characteristics by creating an “Irish” look, characterized by a pug nose, a long upper lip and jaw, and certain curly hair styles. Men were depicted as “paddy,” the cheerful local bartender, or the street tough with a chip on his shoulder. Females were labeled “biddy,” the fumbling and inefficient domestic worker.