1840—1850年天主教爱尔兰移民及其在美国的政治参与

Irish Catholic Americans and Their Participation in American Politics

天主教爱尔兰移民是美国历史上第一支大规模的非新教移民团体。他们进入美国社会后,不仅引发了美国人宗教生活的长期震荡,而且对这个国家的政治生活产生了持续影响。通过建立自己的组织,他们发明了一套与主流群体打交道的方式,从而克服了从他们踏上这块土地第一天起就遇到的宗教、伦理方面的障碍。美国历史上最大的爱尔兰移民潮发生于19世纪40至50年代,其间爱尔兰天主教移民与美国早期新教移民的矛盾和冲突也最为突出,他们所遇到的问题以及解决这些问题的方式足以为我们了解美国移民史和美国文化特征提供借鉴。

The Catholic Irish were the first large,non-Protestant immigrant group in American society,which evoked ethnic problems that not only pounded American religious life,but also deeply influenced American political institutions.Facing the wide spread ethical bias,they developed their own way in dealing with the majority population,which helped them overcome the religious and ethical barriers that they had encountered since the first day they stepped on the American continent.Like other ethical groups,Irish immigrants experienced a long-lasting hardship in assimilating themselves into American society.The peak of Irish immigration occurred in the 1840s-1850s,during which the conflicts between Catholic Irish immigrants and earlier immigrants reached unprecedented heights.