The main reason that the Irish people immigrated to the United States is to escape the widespread Potato Famine that plagued the country. People found that they had to leave the land to find hope for survival. Below are links that will further explain the widespread affects of the Potato Famine.

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Rhodes/6477/potato.html

This is a great website that offers a very simple and concise view of the Irish potato famine. It gives a brief synopsis of the pros, the cons, and the background surrounding the famine. It also lists important people that stood out during that time, as well as some of the aftermaths that resulted from it. The website used sources from two books, Modern Ireland, by R.F. Foster and The Great Starvation and British Imperialism in Ireland, by Seamus Metress.

http://www.nationalarchives.ie/famine.html

This is a comprehensive website of the National Archives of Ireland. This organization was formed in June of 1988 when the Public Record Office of Ireland and the State Paper Office were combined. The website is a great place to do research and trace ancestry. There is a lot of historical information as well, especially about the great potato famine that affected the country. There are many links to primary sources, such as registries, and distress papers that were used during the time. There are also links to administration and other policies that were implemented during the time.

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modsbook28.html#European%20Immigration

This is a website created by the Internet History Sourcebooks Project, edited by Paul Halsall. The Internet History Sourcebooks are collections of public domain and copy-permitted historical texts presented cleanly (without advertising or excessive layout) for educational use. Not only does this website have great information that relates to the Potato Famine, there is also a lot of information for other historical topics as well. There are links to four great websites, including a large collection of online original texts from Ireland, England, and America on the Irish Famine.

http://www.people.virginia.edu/~eas5e/Irish/Famine.html

This is a simple website on the Irish Famine that will serve as a good point to start off. There is a brief summary and explanation of what happened during the famine, and also some of the effects that it had. There is also a link to photographs and drawing that were representative of the time period. The pictures serve as great primary sources. Another strong feature of the website is that there are links to other primary sources, such as diaries from people who suffered during the famine, as well as some of the American and English views of the famine.

The Making of a Melting Pot-Irish Immigration to America From 1700 to the early 1800s

Includes information about contributions made by Irish immigrant's professions of those immigrating and why they came to America, conditions of living in New York, and what they did once they came. Special section o Irish entrepreneur

Irish Immigration into Maryland during Industrial Era 1865-1930

Includes information about Irish Immigration in Maryland. Describes living conditions in Baltimore and what work immigrant engaged in.
Has links to:

Irish Immigration to Maryland during the Industrial Era

Gives chronological history of Irish immigration. Discusses reasons they left and the voyage of coming to America, and the experience of being a newly arrived immigrant, including where they settled and what work they did.

Irish Immigration to Maryland during the Modern Era
Brief description of life as an Irish immigrant today.

Irish in the Hudson Valley

Describes history of Irish immigration into the Hudson Valley. Discusses attitudes
they faced, the reason why they cane, employment in the valley, ad social practices the immigrants engaged in.

Journey To America

Discuses history of Irish immigration, what work they engaged in when they came especially in the industrial field. Also describes social practices and how they established their own ethnic community in America.

Irish Immigration to America-some highlights

Provides a chart that organizes data of how many Irish Immigrants settled in
different regions of the United states. Also discusses the types of jobs immigrants had. Part of a larger paper, which discusses various aspects of Irish immigration.

Many Americans during this time held the view that Irish-Americans were dirty, lazy and stupid. They were credited for the economic problems and the degradation of American society.For more information and resources on the discrimination faced by the Irish-Americans, you can refer to the following websites:

Immigration and Discrimination

The site describes the plight of the Irish-Americans before they set sail for America, the substandard conditions they were forced to face during their long journey to a new land and the discrimination they faced because of their accents and surnames.

Religious Conflict and Discrimination

The site describes the discrimination faced by the Irish Americans once in the United States and the ways in which their religious beliefs exacerbated an already tense situation for the Irish.

Yale-New Haven Teacher's Institute: Irish Immigrant Families in the Mid-19th Century America

The Irish in America: Long Journey Home

Immigration: The Journey to America-The Irish

Irish Immigration

The Irish-American Historical Society

Subject(s): Language Arts & Social Studies

Grade: 5th

Concept & Goal(s):
Introduce students to the collective experience of Irish immigrants in early America, including labor exploitation, poverty and discrimination.
Students will:
Experience using the Internet as an important research tool
Gain an understanding of why many Irish left Ireland and chose America as their new home
Make connections between the experiences of immigrants then and now

Standards:

Social Studies ­ 5.8 Students trace the colonization, immigration, and settlement patterns of the American people from 1789 to the mid 1800s, with emphasis on the role of economic incentives, effects on the physical and political geography and transportation system

Language Arts ­Reading Comprehension (Focus on Informational Materials) 2.0, Writing Strategies 1.0, Listening and Speaking 1.0, Speaking Applications 2.0

Technology 7 ­ Use telecommunications and online resources to participate in collaborative problem solving activities for the purpose of developing solutions or products for audiences inside/outside the classroom)

Objective(s):Students will construct knowledge of why the Irish came to America by using the Internet as an important research tool.

Resources: The Irish-American Experience. http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/courses/ed311/kafai/Team%204/immigration
Welcome to Adobe GoLive 5. http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/activity/theycame/teacher_notes.html.
Welcome to Immigration. http://teacher.scholastic.com/immigrat/ellis/3dstop1a.htm

Materials: computer w/internet access, chalk or grease board, chalk or dry erase markers, internet search hand-out, Irish Immigration websites hand-out, poster board, markers, crayons, scissors, glue, construction paper

Vocabulary: Ireland, Irish, famine, immigration, Ellis Island, Republic

Pre-assessment:
Have students jot down responses to the following questions: 1) What do you know about Ireland?; 2) Do you or have you ever known or met someone from Ireland or of Irish descent?; 3) What do you know about Irish immigrants in early America?; 4) What would you like to know about Irish immigrants in America?. Follow with a class discussion. Have a couple of volunteers take notes on board.

Prerequisite Skills:
Students need to know how to do an effective search on the Internet.

Detailed activity & time (two 50 minute sessions):
1. Working in groups of four, have students research the immigration of Irish to America. You may want to have roles available for each member in the group and allow group members to chose their preferred role (ie: organizer, note taker, lead researcher and group process monitor).
2. Give both hand-outs (effective Internet research and Irish Immigration website list) to each group for this activity. Students must visit at least two of the sites on the hand out, in addition to the site in with the virtual tour of Ellis Island at http://teacher.scholastic.com/immigrat/ellis/3dstop1a.htm. Instruct students to take notes based on their findings.
3. After Internet research is completed, allow students to discuss findings with another group. Encourage them to share information and any surprising facts.
4. Next have students regroup in original four member groups and instruct them to create a poster that represents their research findings. Let them know that you are looking for evidence of (1) why many Irish left Ireland, (2) why they chose America, (3) how many may have felt about leaving their homes and (4) what they may have first saw (landmarks, monuments, etc.) upon arrival on the American soil. Encourage students to title their posters.
5. Upon completion, allow time for each group to share and explain their posters.

Assessment:
Anecdotal: Walk from group to group and note productivity, collaboration and construction of understanding. Does each group meet the criteria stated for their posters? Does each group thoroughly, coherently explain their representations?

Standards:

Social Studies ­ 5.8 Students trace the colonization, immigration, and settlement patterns of the American people from 1789 to the mid 1800s, with emphasis on the role of economic incentives, effects on the physical and political geography and transportation system

Language Arts ­Reading Comprehension (Focus on Informational Materials) 2.0, Literary Response and Analysis 3.0, Writing Strategies 1.0, Listening and Speaking 1.0, Speaking Applications 2.0
Technology 5 ­ Use technology tools for individual and collaborative writing, communication and publishing activities to create knowledge products for audiences inside/outside the classroom.

Objective(s): Students will understand the collective experience of the Irish in early America and make connections (compare/contrast) between the reasons for leaving homelands and the treatment of Irish immigrants then and recent immigrants now.

Resources: The Irish-American Experience. http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/courses/ed311/kafai/Team%204/immigration
Welcome to Adobe GoLive 5. http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/activity/theycame/teacher_notes.htmlImmigration and Discrimination. http://www.sunflower.com/~caitlin/Immigration.html.
Smith, B. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. 1998. Perennial.

Materials: Computer w/Internet access, publishing software, copies of "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith, newsletter checklists

Vocabulary: Coffin ships, Catholicism, exploitation, discrimination

Detailed activity & time (seven 50 minute sessions):
1. Within groups, instruct students to research working conditions and discrimination against Irish Immigrants in early America.
2. Have students take notes and discuss their findings within their groups.
3. Have students discuss findings as one large group

4. Using the jigsaw method instruct each group member to read a portion (one chapter) of "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." Explain they have a responsibility to report back on their designated chapter to the group. If necessary, some of the reading may be given as homework (it's a long book and will require several days of reading and reporting back).

5. After completing the novel, have a discussion on what students discovered about conditions and experiences affecting early Irish immigrants in America.
6. Using a "T" chart, have students compare and contrast the experiences and conditions endured by early Irish immigrants with those affecting recent immigrants to America today
7. Summarize by allowing time for students to reflect in journals about what they have learned about the Irish experience in early America.

8. Tell students that the class will be putting together a newsletter about the immigration experience, using personal experiences and newly learned information about the Irish experience as resources.
9. Explain that everyone will have a special role and that the newsletter will be the result of a collaborative class effort. Let them know that special duties are available for everyone. Dependent upon interest, as a group, select (1) an editorial team, (2) writing team, (3) photography team and (4) a publishing team. Thoroughly explain the duties for each team and give appropriate checklists. Students will use publishing software to complete this activity. Once newsletter is completed, send copies home with explanation of project and make copies available within the school.

Assessment:
Does the student's reflection exemplify his/her understanding of Irish immigration and the Irish experience? Did everyone fulfill his/her duty to the group?