Irish Immigrants In America

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With the array of different cultural communities in American society today, the United States, well known around the world as a metaphorical melting pot, continues to grow in population and diversity. People, cultures, and ideas, amass from across the globe to change what the world now calls America. One of the greatest ingredients in the melting pot, the Irish, helped to transform what constitutes Americanism. After the Potato Famine in Ireland, Irish immigrants flooded the New World, bringing with them dreams of a bright future that would change America forever. Throughout American history, Irish immigrants took a huge role in shaping what truly represents America; thus, they changed the way the world views the American dream today, through …show more content…
The growing amount of Irish immigrants proved hard to control at times and this often fed anger and resentment towards the Irish. However, these hurtful and unjust ideas only fueled their need for equality, thus Irish immigrants worked steadily towards changing the American workplace to provide certain aspects of fairness and opportunity that many see today. As a result of this treatment, the Irish community faced a difficult decision to either endure discrimination in the workplace or unionize America and so,“[i]n New York Harbor, the American Longshoremen’s Union (ALU)... [was] founded by followers of Henry George, [who] took its motto ‘all men are brothers’ and refused to make distinctions based on race, color, or creed” (Barrett 118). Equality in the workplace among all immigrants and Americans increased in importance when creating a Union for the Irish immigrants. They pushed for impartiality and in doing so, they helped to create and reinforce the idea of America being the land of equal opportunities. While the Labor Movement continued, it produced a struggle for workplace equality, and many Irish-American leaders rose to the top. John Fitzpatrick, one such person, became one of the many leaders that did not let race, nationality, gender, or even skill influence him. Though an Irish nationalist and a devout …show more content…
As shown by their hard work in unionizing the workplace, Irish immigrants’ drive for equality often led them to rise to the occasion in American history, such as Justice William Brennan, who helped to further equality in the courtroom. Brennan, one such Irish-American, became known as the “The Conscience of the Court,” for his work in the Supreme Court in 1956 to 1990. He spent his years in the Supreme Court protecting basic human and civil rights (“Contributions”). Justice William Brennan helped to change the way people all over America and the world see the American court system today. A huge aspect of current American life includes the protection of individual rights. Without the Irish immigrant, William Brennan, working to better the American court system, America might not enjoy the same equal rights for all, that the United States currently possesses. Not only did the Irish alter the American justice system, but the Irish community added greatly to America’s literature through many talented Irish-American writers, one such example being Eugene O’Neill, who became “... considered by many literary critics to be the ‘American Shakespeare.’ This famous Irish-American dramatist drew on his own life experiences to create some of his masterpieces, including Long Day’s Journey into Night and The Iceman Cometh. In 1936, he became the first and only American dramatist to win the
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