Irish had no love for the British and fought passionately in the war fighting against British tyranny and for freedom and justice. Many of Washington's most trusted generals were of Irish descent and led Irish brigades at most of the battles including Gettysburg and Fredericksburg. Irish Americans were amongst those who signed the most important foundational documents of the United States - the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. The early 1800's marked the beginning of the Industrialization of America and the age of steam power and the railways. Irish Immigration to America increased with the rising numbers of jobs for cheap, unskilled laborers. The Irishmen provided the backbreaking labor to build the canals, roads and railways of America and were in great demand. It is difficult to separate religious, political, and economic reasons for Quaker emigration. Like other Irish Dissenters, the Quakers conflated spiritual and material concerns, and in southern Ireland, where they were surrounded by Catholics, the Friends' self-image as a "peculiar" and a persecuted people was naturally heightened.
Irish had no love for the British and fought passionately in the war fighting against British tyranny and for freedom and justice. Many of Washington's most trusted generals were of Irish descent and led Irish brigades at most of the battles including Gettysburg and Fredericksburg. Irish Americans were amongst those who signed the most important foundational documents of the United States - the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. The early 1800's marked the beginning of the Industrialization of America and the age of steam power and the railways. Irish Immigration to America increased with the rising numbers of jobs for cheap, unskilled laborers. The Irishmen provided the backbreaking labor to build the canals, roads and railways of America and were in great demand. It is difficult to separate religious, political, and economic reasons for Quaker emigration. Like other Irish Dissenters, the Quakers conflated spiritual and material concerns, and in southern Ireland, where they were surrounded by Catholics, the Friends' self-image as a "peculiar" and a persecuted people was naturally heightened.