User:Brookebetancourt99/Irish Culture in America

Ellis Island
Today there are about 32 million Americans or roughly 12 percent of the US population that are of Irish ancestry. These individuals came to America to seek a new life, escape the social, economic, and political turmoil in their motherland and provide their families with better opportunities. The phenomenon of the Irish immigration to America is complex and situations varied for immigrants based on their religious convictions, the time period in which they immigrated, and their economic status

Ellis Island was an island in New York City where immigrants came to seek citizenship in the United States. Ellis Island was the most used way for immigration between the years of 1892 through 1924. Ellis Island truly was an "Island of Hope" - the first stop on their way to new opportunities and experiences in America. For the rest, it became the "Island of Tears" - a place where families were separated and individuals were denied entry into the United States. Back then, officials would require immigrants to pay a certain amount of cash, if they did not have it, they would be turned away. Many immigrants came to America to seek new life. Also, the potato famine took place in Ireland around 1852-1852. This was when their potatoes became bad and molded and all of the crops were damaged. Millions of Irish people starved to death. However, some Irish people were able to make it to America to escape the famine. The roaring twenties were taking place and the economy was booming. During the duration of Ellis Island, 4 million Irish immigrants came to America

It was a struggle for Irish immigrants to find work after arriving in Ellis Island. Many immigrants looking for work were denied because they did not speak the English language and were turned away from employers. In 1912, men were earning less than ten dollars a week. Many employers were taking advantage of immigrants arriving from Ellis Island because they knew that they were desperate to find work. However, in 1812, Congress passed the Alien Contract Labor Law which stopped the contract of immigrants working for manufacturers in return for migration into the country.

When the Irish came to Ellis Island, they were bringing so many things with them. For example, Irish step dancing was a major aspect in Irish culture. Irish step dance came from the Celtics and Druidics. Like America, Ireland also had many travelers. It is believed that Irish step dancing came was a major influence from the Quadrille. A Quadrille is a square dance performed by four couples. It contains five choreographic figures. Each of these figures is a complete dance sequence of itself. This type of dance was performed at royal balls and other celebrations and came to prominence across the United States. There are six different types of Irish dancing. These are traditional Irish step dancing, modern Irish step dancing, Irish set dancing, Irish Ceili dancing, Irish Sean Nos dancing, and as well as Irish two hand dancing. All six of these types of dances do differ in dancers and costumes, however, they all share the Irish spirit.

Saint Patrick's Day became a more known holiday after the Irish immigrated to America. Saint Patrick's Day takes place on March 17. It is the death day of Saint Patrick. He is the patron saint of Ireland because he taught the Irish about God and urged them to stay away from the polytheistic faith. He used the three leaf clover, known as the shamrock to explain the Blessed Trinity: the three persons in one God: God the Father, God the Sun, and God the Holy Spirit. This is why an individual sees the famous three leaf clover around Saint Patrick's Day. People tend to engage in alcoholic beverages to celebrate the holiday. However this is because the Irish dedicated Saint Patrick's Day as a celebration of his life and held a great feast for which Lenten food and alcohol restrictions were temporarily removed. Also, it is a misconception that people wear green on Saint Patrick's Day because the flag of Ireland has green in it. The reason why people wear green on Saint Patrick's Day is due to the shamrock, the famous three leaf clover.

Ireland brought the pub culture to America. A pub is another term for a bar, however, it is more of a gathering place. Ireland once dominated the world's market for whiskey, producing 90 percent of the world's whiskey at the start of the twentieth century. Another famous alcoholic beverage that came from Ireland was Guinness. This is a dry stout that originated in Dublin, Ireland and now is made in over fifty countries.