Irish "hordes" were the targets of discrimination for decades. Many Americans thought they were poor, dirty, uneducated, and participated in an "alien religion." It was not until the 1960 election of President John Kennedy, a Roman Catholic descendent of pre-famine Irish immigrants, who faced anti-Catholic propaganda throughout his career, that the Irish finally got rid of some of the discrimination (Purcell 33). POLITICS IN AMERICA Irishmen did well in America, many becoming well known in their community because of their involvement in local politics. The Irish arrived in the United States at a time when the political procedures were becoming more democratic. By 1840 nearly every white male in the United States, rich or poor, could cast his ballot in elections. One man described it this way: "the gentry yielded to professional politicians who viewed party management as a vocation." The Irish soon became part of these "party managers," who had enormous influence within the Democratic Party (Reimers 52). By the end of the 1840's, the Irish "bosses" were controlling ward politics in cities with lots of Irish, such as Boston and New York, and later, Jersey City and Chicago. In an era lacking in social services for the poor, ward bosses acted as one-man charitable institutions. They raised funds for christenings, weddings, and funerals, gave money to poor widows, and did many favors for people who were living on the edge of being homeless or starving. In return, the grateful people turned out for every election and cast their ballot as they were told (Reimers 50-54). Under this system which lasted well into the 20th century, Irishmen won mayoral elections across the nation. Boss Frank Hague of Jersey City held the office of mayor for three decades, from 1917 to 1947, and Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago, the last of the big-city bosses, reigned over Chicago from 1955 to 1970. Many of these men are in the history of American politics, but es...
