Category: Immigrants
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
David Blight Writes About Frederick Douglass’s Dream of a Pluralist Utopia
Pulitizer Prize winning historian David Blight writes in this month’s Atlantic Magazine about the post-Civil War vision of Frederick Douglass. According to Blight, Douglass had…
A Close Look at Thomas Nast’s Cartoon “Uncle Sam’s Thanksgiving Dinner” 1869 Immigrants Welcome Here?
One of Thomas Nast’s most reproduced cartoons is his 1869 Uncle Sam’s Thanksgiving Dinner depicting a new America at the dinner table. While an 1860 version of…
Democratic Newspaper Wonders if Grant Still Antisemite in 1869
Grant’s order expelling the Jews from territory occupied by his army was issued in 1862, but more than six years later Democratic newspapers were still…
African Americans Demanded that “Whites Only” Naturalization Law Be Made Color-Blind 1868
Naturalization is the process for an immigrant to become a citizen. In 1868 the Naturalization Law only allowed white immigrants to apply for citizenship. Although…