The Paddy Camps. The Irish of Lowell 1821-61 - Hardcover

Mitchell, Brian C.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0252013719 ISBN 13: 9780252013713

Publisher: University of Illinois Press, 1987

Synopsis

Disdained by many Yankee residents as Catholic lowlifes, the growing Irish population of the Lowell, Massachusetts, "paddy camps" in the nineteenth century proved a tempting source of cheap labor for local mill owners, who took advantage of the immigrants' proximity to exploit them to the fullest. Displaced by their cheaper labor, other workers blamed the Irish for job losses and added to their plight through repression and segregation. Now in paperback and featuring a new preface, Brian C. Mitchell's "The Paddy Camps" demonstrates how the Irish community in Lowell overcame adversity to develop strong religious institutions, an increased political presence, and a sense of common traditions.

About this title

Book Description:

The dramatic story of the fights and compromises that shaped an Irish community

Disdained by many Yankee residents as Catholic lowlifes, the growing Irish population of the Lowell, Massachusetts, “paddy camps” in the nineteenth century proved a tempting source of cheap labor for local mill owners, who took advantage of the immigrants’ proximity to exploit them to the fullest. Displaced by their cheaper labor, other workers blamed the Irish for job losses and added to their plight through repression and segregation.

Now in paperback and featuring a new preface, Brian C. Mitchell’s The Paddy Camps demonstrates how the Irish community in Lowell overcame adversity to develop strong religious institutions, an increased political presence, and a sense of common traditions.

About the Author:

Brian C. Mitchell is president of Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. 

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Illinois Press
• Publication date: 1987
• ISBN 10: 0252013719
• ISBN 13: 9780252013713
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 260