Assimilation Nation: Becoming Irish-Americans

Philadelphia Nativist Riot, 1844

"In the century after 1820, 5 million Irish immigrants came to the United States. Their presence provoked a strong reaction among certain native-born Americans, known as nativists, who denounced the Irish for their social behavior, their impact on the economy, and their Catholic religion. Nonetheless, by the early 20th century, the Irish had successfully assimilated," says Kevin Kenny, a professor of history at Boston College in his article for the U.S. Department of State.

But I wonder about those who arrived in Philadelphia just before or during the Great Depression. Perhaps they came to America for a better life, and when they got here, conditions were worse than they were in Ireland. While on the whole, the Irish have had a very low rate of return emigration, I want to find out if some went home to work the family farms during the Great Depression instead of heading west to California, as so many Americans did.

N.B. I know I promised accounts of visits to the historical societies; I wasn't able to get to either the Germantown or Pennsylvania Societies, but I will, before the summer ends!