Irish Emigration to Canada, 1815-1870

Paper Summary:

This paper describes the conditions in Ireland that pushed people to leave for Canada, the pull factors that made British North America so attractive. The author states that the immigration was successful for both Ireland and British North America: Ireland reduced population and Canada received Irish immigration who provided the unskilled labor required to develop the country, a population to protect the colony under any further attacks from the United States and the political and economic influence of the Irish people. The paper states that there were problems such as an overwhelming flood of immigrants in the case of the exodus of 1847, cholera outbreak in Canada in the 1830s and poverty. Annotated bibliography.

From the Paper:

"From 1815 to 1870 approximately 875,000 Irish embarked on ships heading to British North America. Usually immigration had a positive impact for both the homeland and the colonies; for owners of timber ships it solved the problem of sending empty ships westward across the Atlantic, and for Irish landlords it could be used to reduce unnecessary labor on their estates. For most emigrants the effects of moving from their homeland was also positive, because many found employment, land and wealth in Canada that they could not have obtained in Ireland. For the entire century various factors played a part in the experience of emigrating. The class, religion and wealth of the people themselves varied, with the highest classes and wealthiest leaving before the famine, and with the poorest fleeing around mid-century. The factors pushing emigrants from Ireland and pulling themselves towards British North America also changed as the century progressed. For most people the lack of opportunity in Ireland, and the plentiful employment, land, and the chance of improving ones position in society in Canada, were cited as being the main reasons for leaving."

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