Posted in Book Reviews Civil War Immigrants

Radical Warrior: August Willich’s Journey from German Revolutionary to Union General by David Dixon

Radical Warrior: August Willich’s Journey from German Revolutionary to Union General by David Dixon published by University of Tennessee Press (2020) $40.00 Hardcover. Author David…

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Posted in 14th Amendment Cartoons Immigrants Redeemers White Supremacy White Supremacy Apologetics White Terror

Irish World Cartoon: White League “Leave the Negro Alone” Deep Dive

The Irish World, the most popular Irish immigrant newspaper in late 19th Century America, took a firm stand against white supremacist violence during Reconstruction. I…

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Posted in Immigrants

A “Torrent of Immigrants” Arrive in New York April 1869

While we think of the Reconstruction Era as a time of change and reaction in the South, the North was also being remade. Immigration spiked…

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Posted in Immigrants

The Suffering of Immigrants in North Carolina December 1868

Many Southern states made attempts to encourage immigration to replace Black labor lost through the end of slavery. While some European and Chinese immigrants did…

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Posted in African Americans Emancipation & Reconstruction Immigrants White Supremacy White Supremacy Apologetics

White Immigrants Needed to Replace the Dying Black Race Alabama January 1869

After Emancipation, one of the continuing dreams of many white Southerners was that the “Black race” would die out or be exterminated.  In this editorial,…

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Posted in Immigrants Lost Cause Religion

Fr. Ryan, “Poet Priest of the South,” Denounces “Richmond Irish Radical Republicans” Sept 1868

Fr. Abram Joseph Ryan was one of the most visible Catholic priests in the South. A firm Confederate, he served as an army chaplain. After…

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Posted in Civil War Immigrants Veterans

Irish Brigade Association Formed January 1869

The Irish Brigade Association reflected the cohesiveness of the Irish Brigade itself. The core New York regiments of the Irish Brigade had been formed specifically…

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Posted in Immigrants

Before the Republican Wide Awakes There Were the Know Nothing Wide Awakes

I write pretty extensively on another blog about immigrants during the Civil War. One of my articles is about the anti-immigrant Know Nothings of the…

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Posted in Immigrants Women and Gender

When Louisa May Alcott Endorsed “No Irish Need Apply”

Like many of her background, Louisa May Alcott had strong prejudices against Irish immigrants. While we remember her for Little Women, Alcott was a frequent…

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Posted in Immigrants Refugees

How German Refugee Thomas Nast Invented How Santa Claus Looks Today Back During the Civil War and Reconstruction

Thomas Nast did not invent the American Christmas, but the German immigrant did develop the iconic image of its central celebratory figure, Santa Claus. Nast’s…

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