Final answer:
Irish immigrants faced widespread discrimination in the labor market, which limited job opportunities, forcing them into menial and physically demanding occupations. These experiences were part of the larger context of systemic prejudice that influenced their integration into American society.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that Irish immigrants faced limited job opportunities due to discrimination is True. During the time preceding and following the Civil War, Irish immigrants, especially after the Irish Potato Famine of 1845, faced significant challenges integrating into American society.
They mainly settled in East Coast cities where they were widely employed as laborers, though they confronted significant discrimination in the workforce. Employers often perceived them through a lens of bigotry as dirty, lacking ambition, and fit only for menial work. Such views were institutionalized in society and can be evidenced by employment advertisements from the time, such as the infamous "No Irish Need Apply" postings, which indicated a systemic preference against hiring Irish workers.
Despite prejudices, Irish immigrants formed close-knit communities, becoming an integral part of America's working class. They engaged in rigorous, physically demanding work such as building railroads and digging canals, often the kind of labor native-born Americans were unwilling to undertake. While direct evidence of widespread employment exclusions like "No Irish Need Apply" is not abundant, the experience of widespread prejudice and economic discrimination is documented and formed a quintessential part of the Irish American narrative.