From the Department of the Interior, Office of Education study guide:

THE IRISH The Irishman has lent a greatly needed optimistic quality to American life—E. S. BOGARDUS.

Soon after the Pilgrims had landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620, small groups of Irish came to Virginia, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. It was not until the 1650's, however, that large numbers came.

The Early Irish.

After King Charles I was executed in 1649, Cromwell, the Protestant leader of England, became all powerful. As Lord Lieutenant (pronounced lef-ten'ant in the British Isles) of Ireland, he showed no mercy to the Catholic Irish. Deprived of their land and homes, thousands of small farmers left for Virginia and New England. Toward the close of the seventeenth century, the English passed laws which practically destroyed the great woolen and linen industry of northern Ireland. These laws were passed because North Ireland was taking away English trade. The Irish became poor and, during the eighteenth century, scores of ships bore spinners, weavers, and other skilled craftsmen to the New World. The tide of Irish immigration was still further increased after the famine of 1740. Like the Scotch-Irish, their hearts burning with the memory of the hardships they had suffered, the Irish were among the first to call for complete independence from England. As members of Washington's Continental Army, they fought gallantly in our struggle for freedom.

What They Did.

Between 1776 and 1783, it is estimated that thousands of Irish arrived in this country. In 1801, Ireland was united to Great Britain against her will and again many famous Irish families were exiled. In the 1830's, the English passed the Corn (grain) Laws which brought further hardships to Ireland. In the United States at this time, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was being built from Philadelphia to Frederick, Maryland, and west through the Cumberland Gap. It was the period of canal building. The federal government was also building its first great highway. The Irish took advantage of this demand for workers to come to the United States.

More Troubles.

Since the destruction of her industries, Ireland had become a one-crop country. When the potato crop failed in 1846–47, there was a terrible famine. During the next ten years, nearly a million Irish came to the United States. Like the earlier immigrants, these found ready employment on the railroads and in the coal mines of Pennsylvania. Between 1880 and 1890, Ireland was again in trouble—this time with the English landlords, who turned them out of their homes because they could not pay the heavy rents. As a result, more than half a million Irish came to the New England factories and to our great eastern cities. Because of the World War and the successful Irish fight for independence, immigration from Ireland has slowed down almost to a trickle. Yet, there are more Irish and Americans of Irish descent in this country today than there are Irish in the whole of Ireland. Irish Gifts. Partly because they are a good-natured people and born leaders of men, the Irish have prospered in our large cities. They have shown a particular love for such public services as the police force, fire department, and transportation. They have given us many leaders in city, state, and national government. The Irish brought us a spirit of adventure, a love of song, a sense of humor, fine optimism, and a unique literature.

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