In studying issues of immigration in the United States I think it is interesting to note that while it would take another 30 years for immigration restrictions to come to a stronger central role that much of the early decades of the 1800s focused in on the arrival of the Irish.
These Irish were not middle class or rich generally. They were not as rural as once believed but for the most part they were moving on mass (about 2 million between 1830-1860). This group were moving because of the effects of the potato famine of the 1840s. In 1845, as the Latter Day Saints were preparing to head west the Irish potato crops began a six year failure. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Jon W 
