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In the second half of the nineteenth century, hundreds of thousands of German and Irish immigrants left Europe for the United States. Many settled in the Northeast, but some boarded trains and made their way west. Focusing on the cities of Fort Wayne, Indiana and St Louis, Missouri, Regina Donlon employs comparative and transnational methodologies in order to trace their journeys from arrival through their emergence as cultural, social and political forces in their communities. Drawing comparisons between large, industrial St Louis and small, established Fort Wayne and between the different communities which took root there, Donlon offers new insights into the factors which shaped their experiences-including the impact of city size on the preservation of ethnic identity, the contrasting concerns of the German and Irish Catholic churches and the roles of women as social innovators. This unique multi-ethnic approach illuminates overlooked dimensions of the immigrant experience in the American Midwest.
List of contents
1. Introduction.- 2. An Uncertain Future: The context of European emigration.- 3. Making the Transition: Irish and German immigrants arrive in the Midwest.- 4. A Peaceful Conquest: Immigrant settlement in St Louis and Fort Wayne.- 5. Production, Enterprise and Innovation.- 6. A Reputation of Respectability: Social and cultural aspects of immigrant life.- 7. The Church on the Hill: Religious entities in the American Midwest.- 8. From Discrimination to Domination: Immigrant political participation.- 9. Piety, Poverty and Perseverance: The experience of immigrant women.- 10. Conclusion.
About the author
Regina Donlon works in the Department of History at Maynooth University, Ireland.
Summary
In the second half of the nineteenth century, hundreds of thousands of German and Irish immigrants left Europe for the United States. Many settled in the Northeast, but some boarded trains and made their way west. Focusing on the cities of Fort Wayne, Indiana and St Louis, Missouri, Regina Donlon employs comparative and transnational methodologies in order to trace their journeys from arrival through their emergence as cultural, social and political forces in their communities. Drawing comparisons between large, industrial St Louis and small, established Fort Wayne and between the different communities which took root there, Donlon offers new insights into the factors which shaped their experiences—including the impact of city size on the preservation of ethnic identity, the contrasting concerns of the German and Irish Catholic churches and the roles of women as social innovators. This unique multi-ethnic approach illuminates overlooked dimensions of the immigrant experience in the American Midwest.
Additional text
“Donlon’s book is original, methodologically rigorous and makes a genuine and welcome contribution to migration and diaspora historiography.” (Sarah Roddy, Irish Economic and Social History, November 10, 2019)
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"Donlon's book is original, methodologically rigorous and makes a genuine and welcome contribution to migration and diaspora historiography." (Sarah Roddy, Irish Economic and Social History, November 10, 2019)
