Modern World Civilization

Handout Eight A

Topic: The Irish Famine

OUTLINE: 

VIIIA. The Irish Famine.

1. Background.
2. Responding to the Crisis.
3. Political Consequences.
4. Coming to America.
5. American Perceptions of the Irish.

QUESTIONS: 

1. What was the basis of the Irish famine that occurred in the mid-1840s and was one of the worst tragedies in Europe in the nineteenth century?
2. How did the British government respond to the crisis? Who benefited from the Irish suffering?
3. What were the long-term consequences of the Irish famine for the Irish, the British, and Americans? Explain.
4. How did Americans view the Irish as they flocked to the United States? How was this portrayed in American political cartoons?

 TERMS:

 King Spud

Potato Blight

Fenian Brotherhood

New Poor Law of 1838

Amending Act of 1843

Exchequer

Nativists