New Orleans, the Irish lived in the swampland, living with diseases such as yellow fever and malaria. The Irish men were looked at as lower than slaves, as one historian puts it "If a plantation owner loses a slave, he loses an investment, If a plantation owner loses a laborer he can just find another" (Walt). Because of this, many were put into very dangerous jobs. In cities such as Boston and New York, Irish immigrants were packed into slums and many still were dying as a result of hunger and disease. The Irish were discriminated against, mainly for being Catholics in an almost exclusively Protestant society. Many factories and employers posted signs on their doors, "workers wanted, no Irish need apply" (Considine 5). With the low wages that the Irish were earning (although much higher than they would receive in Ireland), one would think that the money would all be spent on feeding and housing the worker and their family, but this was not the case. "Through backbreaking sacrifice, they were able to send home a few shillings or pounds at a time until a sister, a brother, a mother, father, daughter, aunt, uncle, cousin or friend had enough money to buy the ship ticket" (Considine 46). This devotion of the Irish to their family and their fellow countrymen is a remarkable aspect of their culture.From the depths of society, the Irish begin to rise to greatness, slowly Irish workers begin finding better jobs and many buying land and living on their own. The first event, which told the Americans that the Irish were truly American, was the Civil War. The Sixty Ninth New York State Volunteers or "The Fighting 69th," was made up of all Irish men fighting to preserve the union. This Irish brigade soon became known for its bravery and willingness to die for the cause. By the end of the war, "The Fighting 69th" had fought in every major campaign in the eastern front of the war. Of the two thousand regiments of the Union Army, the NYS...
