Final answer:
The Irish Potato Famine of 1845 led to over a million deaths and prompted a million more to immigrate to the United States, where they settled primarily in East Coast cities and experienced significant discrimination. This mass emigration occurred during a period of increased immigration to the U.S., including groups from Germany and Scandinavia. Later, immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe arrived and encountered similar prejudice.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Great Famine and Irish Immigration to the United States
The Irish Potato Famine of 1845 was a catastrophic event that led to widespread starvation and a mass exodus from Ireland. The disaster was caused by a potato blight, which destroyed the staple food that many Irish peasants relied upon. The response from the British government was criticized as insufficient and prejudiced against the predominantly Catholic Irish population. As a result of the famine, over a million people died, and another million emigrated to avoid starvation, with many settling in the United States, particularly along the East Coast.
In the U.S., Irish immigrants faced significant discrimination and were often regarded as lower-class citizens. They typically found work as laborers in urban areas. The term Black Irish is believed to have originated from this period, referring to those who fled Ireland due to the famine. This contrasts with earlier Irish immigrants who were able to assimilate into mainstream American society more easily.
The influx of Irish immigrants coincided with migration from other parts of Europe, including Germany and Scandinavia. By the 1890s, however, new waves of immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe would face similar discrimination, as they arrived in the United States in search of better opportunities and to escape the political and social turmoil in their home countries.