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The great Irish potato famine of 1845
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Potatoes have become a staple to the diet of humans.They have become so popular since they come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and tastes. They are also cheap and easy to grow, and they taste delicious! Potatoes have changed the course of history in several ways. Who knew that potatoes, just a starchy vegetable, could have helped shape the world in so many ways. First, the Irish Potato Famine killed a million people and caused another million to move out of Ireland. Second, soldiers in the United States army were able to eat potatoes throughout the war. Third, they prevented a famine from occurring in England after there was not a sufficient amount of crops going to sustain the country's cries for food. Many people wonder if potatoes have …show more content…
In Ireland, at the time, there was only one strain of potatoes being grown. At the time, citizens of Ireland were mainly eating potatoes and drinking milk. These two menu items provided them with all the necessary nutrients required for a healthy diet(History Magazine). The Irish were only growing one strain of potatoes at the time. When a fungus came through Ireland that only affected that strain of potatoes, it wiped out the entire potato population in Ireland, causing a famine to occur. This famine killed one million people and caused two million to move out of Ireland in a quest to find food. Potatoes killed one million people, or should I say the lack of potatoes killed one million people. This famine became one of the deadliest famines in history. After the potatoes were wiped out, the Irish started growing more than one strain of potatoes in order to ensure that another famine similar to the Irish Potato Famine of 1845 could not happen again. The Irish Potato Famine led to the Industrial Revolution(Ted Talks). When 2 million people were forced out of Ireland while the famine was going on, they moved to European countries. This boost in population aided the Industrial Revolution because now there were enough people to sustain the positions needed to run factories. We do not know where the world would be if the famine had not happened, but it definitely would not be in the same place it is …show more content…
They have changed the course of history in more ways than we can count. They helped aid the Industrial Revolution by causing people to move out of Ireland and into England when the Irish Potato Famine of 1835 occurred after a bacteria ran through the strain of potatoes and killed all the crops. Not only did they aid in the industrial revolution, they kept the soldiers alive in the wars since they were able to grow them underground and keep them hidden from the enemy troops. Finally, they stopped a famine from occurring in England since the wheat being grown was not sufficient enough to feed the country. Potatoes have had such an impact on the world’s history and they have definitely been one of the most influential
“It must be understood that we cannot feed the people” (Kinealy Calamity 75). The mid 1800s in Ireland were characterized by extreme poverty, death, and emigration. The Great Potato Famine, also known as “The Great Hunger,” first hit in 1845; however, its effects lasted into the 1850s and can still be seen today. Prior to the famine, Irish manufacture and trade was controlled and suppressed by British government, which made Ireland an extremely poor country. Farmers in Ireland were forced to export crops such as corn, wheat, and oats to Britain, which left the potato as the main dietary staple for the people, especially the poor. Therefore, when the fungus Phytophthora infestans caused some, and eventually all, of the crop to rot over the next couple of years, the reliance on the one crop made the people of Ireland extremely susceptible to the famine. The effects were devastating, and poverty spread across the nation causing a huge increase in homelessness, the death-rate, emigration, and a change in the Irish people and country overall.
While Maize thrived among Mediterranean countries, potatoes were met with prejudice do to its ugly appearance but eventually became a staple of Ireland, who used the calories to provide wheat for England. New crops increased output pin the same area of land, allowing England to have plenty of food, land, and export enough to begin industrialization. Coal further increased production in Britain, allowing it ti collect large enough profits in industrial goods to import foods, freeing up
The Irish began immigrating to North America in the 1820s, when the lack of jobs and poverty forced them to seek better opportunities elsewhere after the end of the major European wars. When the Europeans could finally stop depending on the Irish for food during war, the investment in Irish agricultural products reduced and the boom was over. After an economic boom, there comes a bust and unemployment was the result. Two-thirds of the people of Ireland depended on potato harvests as a main source of income and, more importantly, food. Then between the years of 1845 and 1847, a terrible disease struck the potato crops. The plague left acre after acre of Irish farmland covered with black rot. The failure of the potato yields caused the prices of food to rise rapidly. With no income coming from potato harvests, families dependent on potato crops could not afford to pay rent to their dominantly British and Protestant landlords and were evicted only to be crowded into disease-infested workhouses. Peasants who were desperate for food found themselves eating the rotten potatoes only to develop and spread horrible diseases. ¡§Entire villages were quickly homeless, starving, and diagnosed with either cholera or typhus.¡¨(Interpreting¡K,online) The lack of food and increased incidents of death forced incredible numbers of people to leave Ireland for some place which offered more suitable living conditions. Some landlords paid for the emigration of their tenants because it made more economic sense to rid farms of residents who were not paying their rent. Nevertheless, emigration did not prove to be an antidote for the Famine. The ships were overcrowded and by the time they reached their destination, approximately one third of its passengers had been lost to disease, hunger and other complications. However, many passengers did survive the journey and, as a result, approximately ¡§1.5 million Irish people immigrated to North America during the 1840¡¦s and 1850¡¦s.¡¨(Bladley, online) As a consequence of famine, disease (starvation and disease took as many as one million lives) and emigration, ¡§Ireland¡¦s population dropped from 8 million to 5 million over a matter of years.¡¨(Bladley, online) Although Britain came to the aid of the starving, many Irish blamed Britain for their delayed response and for centuries of political hardship as basi...
There are several circumstances to take into consideration when looking at the causes of the Great Potato Famine in Ireland. Due to the great dependence the Irish people had on the potato, it is clear how blight could devastate a country and its people. To understand the Irish people's dependence on the potato for diet, income, and a way out of poverty, it is necessary to look at several key factors that were evident before the famine. Factors such farming as the only way of life, rise in population, and limited crops explain why the people of Ireland relied on the potato. But not only do these reasons clarify why the famine hit the Irish people so hard, other important factors play into effect as well. By looking at the weak relationship between England and Ireland through parliamentary acts and trade laws, it is more evident what the causes of the Great Famine are and why it was so detrimental.
“It began with a blight of the potato crop that left acre upon acre of Irish farmland covered with black rot.”(The Irish Famine, 1) This of course is in reference to the Irish Famine. The Irish Famine was another cause of the tensions in Ireland. As crops across Ireland failed, the price of food soared. This made it impossible for Irish farmers to sell there goods, the good which the farmers relied upon to pay their rent to their English and Protestant landlords.
I find it really funny that at the time, such a small and untapped region, such as the New World, was traded by the Dutch for a 2 mile, by 0.5 mile sandbar in the Indian Ocean. It is very ironical that Manhattan eventually grew to become part of New York and eventually one of the major cities in the world, while not many people have heard of Run. Standage also makes another, lesser seen argument. He is saying that at one time, a possession may be valuable, but sooner or later, it depreciates, and that other possession becomes grossly valuable. In a sense it’s a trade-off.
The potato famine in Ireland from 1845-1852 sent thousands of poor farmers to America in hope of finding jobs. The Irish were overly dependent on the potato for a means of income, so when it faltered, so did their source of income. In America, the Irish worked in factories with
Due to the relative ease of growing the potato it became the major staple in the diet of the people in Ireland. An Irish legend wrecked of the Irish coast in 1558, were carrying potatoes and some of them washed ashore (Stradley, 2004). The potato was cultivated by the Inca Indians from Peru in about 8,000 B.C. to 5,000 B.C. (Potatoes Goodness Unearthed, 2014). It is believed that the potato arrived in Northern Europe because of Spanish exploration (Mann, 2011). Forty percent of the Irish ate no solid food other than potatoes. In fact, according to Cecil Woodham-Smith, "That cooking any food other than a potato had become a lost art. Women hardly boiled anything but potatoes. The oven had become unknown after the introduction of the potato prior to the Great Starvation." Small land holders could grow potatoes easily ...
During the mid 1840’s, blight in the potato crops in Ireland caused widespread starvation and migration of Irish citizens to the United States. Yet, the massive loss of life and massive exodus could have been avoided if British taxation upon the working class of Ireland was nullified. Though the struggle for liberation was already taking place, the potato famine furthered the cause and helped spread awareness. Furthermore, the potato famine made the average Irish family more reliant upon the government for subsidies and supports to get by.
With 3 million either gone or dead from the island of Ireland, 1845 was possibly the most painful year in its history. It was also obvious that something was afflicting Ireland, with the smell and sight of the crops. Death rate grew high, and immigration even higher during this time period of the famine. The Great Potato Famine of 1845 had a massive effect on Ireland in population decrease, the reactions of the people, and effects it had on the future of Ireland.
The populations of the New and Old Worlds were greatly affected by the Columbian Exchange. In the Old World, populations and life expectancies of individuals were flourishing. This was due to the exchanging of various edible plants between the two lands. In Europe, the introduction of the potato would greatly increase populations in many countries, especially Ireland. “The potato was originally grown in the Andes mountains” where the Natives first grew the tubular root (“Potato.”). Much of Europe was hesitant in growing and consuming the new food, but in 1794, during a wheat famine, soon came to love the new source of energy (“Potato.”) In Ireland, the potato quickly became a staple food as the population grew “by seven million in two centuries (“Potato.”).” With milk and approximately three acres of healthy potatoes planted, a family could be fed for two years, assuming no potatoes spoiled (“Potato.”). However, the Europeans weren’t the only ones who experienced the benefits of the Columbian Exchange. Maize was brought to Asia, causing rapid population growth, and wheat, beef, and plantain were of benefit to Native American’s nutrition (Crosby). However, Amerindian...
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once said “All things must change.” This is true in every single thing out there. For my essay topic I was asked not only how Tom Joad and Jim Casy changed from being in jail but also how the jail system has changed. The prison system has changed majorly since the 1930’s. Jim Casy found religion again in jail. In jail Tom Joad learned to cool his hot head. For both Tom and Casy jail improved life.
...o Ireland, but this only hurt them worse. Potatoes are very nutritious, and the transition of corn which lacked the nutrients caused scurvy. But in the end the British assumed if they just kept buying from the Irish they would pay their rents and buy some of their food from Britain. (History)
Everyone remembers the devastation of the great depression, causing the decline of the mining and timber industry in the Upper Peninsula. Unemployment reached its peak in the cold winters and short growing seasons of the great depression. President Roosevelt initiated many new deal programs to provide relief to certain industry. One of his relief programs transformed Houghton County into one of the most successful potato-producing counties.
Food is an important factor in the everyday human life. Humans need food to be able to live. But how did the food people eat today come about, no one really knows the in depth explanation. What about more common foods that are a part of everyone’s everyday lives, like potato chips. They are a simple, easy snack food that is commonly in every American household. But does anyone know how they came about, who invented them. Well, let me explain a little about who that person was.