The Chance for a New Life

People from different lands went to America because they needed the chance for a new life. Among those who went in the nineteenth century was a large group of people from Ireland.

In the 1830's, life was very hard for the peasants of Ireland. The peasants rented the land on which they lived. In order to pay the rent, they spent much of their time farming for their landlord.

The British government ruled Ireland at this time. And most of the food grown in Ireland was shipped to England. Because the peasants had no money, they depended on potatoes for food. Potatoes could be grown on a small piece of land for a few pennies. For more than half the people in Ireland, potatoes were the only food.

In 1845, disaster came to the potato fields. A plant disease attacked the potato plants, and they turned black and rotted. For three years, the potato crop of Ireland was destroyed.

With their only source of food gone, the peasants were starving. People searched the countryside for food, and starving crowds gathered in the cities. The English government tried to help by setting up "soup kitchens" to feed the hungry. But it could not feed everyone. More than a million people died, and many of those left decided that they had to leave Ireland.

A great migration to America began. Thousands of people gathered at the seaports. Then they took steamships to a new land and a new life.