Compare and Contrast German and Irish Immigration to America
...migrants between 1850 and 1860, many of them were political refugees fleeing after the liberal Revolution of 1848 to the haven of democracy, but the majority came in the hope of finding better economic conditions. The majority of the German immigrants were more well to do, unlike the poorer Irish immigrants. Many of the new immigrants arrived in the country through New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New Orleans. The Irish settled mostly in New York, Boston, or New England. New York rapidly became the largest Irish city in the world. The Irish were not wealthy and most were forced to live in squalor. The wealthier Germans had the means to move to the more pleasant Midwest, notably Wisconsin, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Chicago, and Milwaukee. Both the Irish and the German immigrants had significant effects on their newfound home. The Irish immigrants worked their way up in low class jobs, but became more and more attracted to politics. They managed to gain control of powerful city machines, such as Tammany Hall in New York. Slowly they began to take over the police departments, and the Irish vote began to be sought after by politicians. The German vote was also sought after by politicians, but they were not as politically important as the Irish because there strength and influence was more widely scattered. The Germans were more involved in promoting public education, stimulating art and music, and championing freedom and anti-slavery ideas. Both the Irish and the Germans enriched America culturally by imbuing American culture with their own cultures brought with them from their native countries. Although the immigrants were beneficial for America in many ways, the American natives did not want them there. They were afraid that they would be taken over by the new foreigners and that they would cease to be predominantly Anglo Saxon a...