At one point in history it was estimated that 80% of the infants born to an Irish immigrants family in New York City didn't make it past the age of one (2). As drastic as those statistics are, the conditions were worse in Ireland. Where nearly one million people died, one fourth of the population, all because of the great potato famine (A).

In the 19th century the British ruled Ireland. Making life miserable for the Irish Catholics who were prosecuted by the British. Not only that, but the British required them to pay steep taxes for there land and crops (1) . So when the great potato famine hit the people had no food and no money to pay the taxes with. Things looked pretty bleak. But then they got word from a place they thought of as a parades: America.

The population of Irish in Ireland was disintegrating. From dying...