how did the irish potato famine lead to increased immagration on the West?
97524
No food results in people leaving.  \n\nThe Great Famine or the Great Hunger (Irish: An Gorta Mór or An Drochshaol), known more commonly outside of Ireland as the Irish Potato Famine, is the name given to a famine in Ireland between 1845 and 1849. The Famine was at least fifty years in the making, due to the disastrous interaction of British economic policy, destructive farming methods, and the unfortunate appearance of "the Blight" —the potato fungus that almost instantly destroyed the primary food source for the majority population. The immediate after-effects of The Famine continued until 1851. The number of deaths is unrecorded, and various estimates suggest totals between 500,000 and more than one million in the five years from 1846. Some two million refugees are attributed to the Great Hunger (estimates vary), and much the same number of people emigrated to Great Britain, the United States, Canada, and Australia (see the Irish Diaspora).
292204
If you are talking about the American Revolution, then the answer is:\nWhen the white man finely suceded from the oppresion of the English, they stopped paying taxes (in the forms of tobacco, cotton, other materials).  The increase in product wealth encouraged the expansion to the west.  Whitie took over more and more land from the common Indian hunting grounds, forcing them to move westward.\n\nSonner than later they hit the west coast, and their wasn't anywhere left for the Indians other than the lands the white man didn't want.  It was normally very dry, poor soil, and lacked animals to hunt (since the white man slaughter the buffalos during this expansion).\n\nThe Indians were figuratively and literally raped by the white man.  But this probably would have happened regardless if the Americans lost the revolution too, since whiteman already brought guns to the new lands and had this advantage over the original inhabitants.
890571
Famine is different from poverty.  Famine mostly has to do with crops dying out and that type of thing.  A famine can cause poverty, which is pretty much being poor.  When's the last time you've seen a lot of successful crops, besides tobacco, in the Middle East?  It's mostly desert.  What type of faith most of the population is has nothing to do with famines.  It's just the part of world they are in.
256232
There is definitly too many.\n\nP.S Immigration to the US is not as common as it used to be, most Irish are now choosing to stay at home because our quality of life is pretty close to the US. People are only realy going abroad for a year etc. and then coming home to settle.
533114
ireland has always been expensive,i don´t think there has been a 360 turn on the racist front.and pretentious is not a word i would use to describe the irish either.
137989
Then are we going to pay back the Irish, what about Indians?  No.  There comes a point where you have to just move forward and forget the evil done to your forefathers
963885
What ultimately made life possible for the 'pilgrims' was something akin to capitalism. They started out in more of a commune system, which about killed them off, b/c there's no incentive to work (produce).\n\nYou need people that are focused on getting ahead, aggressively.
514305
at that time most families and communities were self sustaining, and the need to move outside of a village or farm/small holding was not there. only once there was industrialisation, starting primarily in uk with the industrial revolution, did large scale migration from rural areas into newly developing towns begin. this was to take advantage of jobs and to increase wealth etc. there wasnt transport available either so most people probably stayed very close to wherever it was they were born.
143990
Some of the reasons are for a better life, but migration began long before the 90's, and include Texas. Thier most valid reason (they say) is to claim the land they were forced from, do a little research on Google on Hispanic migration to the west
813514
Here:\n\nhttp://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/europe/ireland.jpg
1083216
Because of Englands unpopularity in these parts, it's convenient not to educate. Very few of todays generation know of Englands crimes in Ireland, the theft of the crops from the land leaving the Irish people destitute. Bearing in mind that it was a very poor country to start with. The big famine relates to the theft of the potato crops and the starvation and deaths. Read the book, The Great Hunger if you want to know more.\nHave you seen the movie Braveheart with Mel Gibson, it gives you a glimpse of Scotland trying to break free from Englands grip, and there is so much more.......
776140
Lol at babo02350, The vikings where reaching the shores of northern America in the 12:th century. That was waaay back. \n\nAbout the emigration around between 1840's and 1880's, many left the country because of famine, poverty, differences between classes (the rich were very rich, the poor were very poor) and a lot of promises that all this would change in "the new country". \n\nUnfortunately it wasn't exactly true of course, that they would turn fortunate just by migrating. but I guess that's the reason people are willing to give up old lives even in these days, a strong belief in a better life can make people do most anything. \n\nA recommendation of a good novel about this time and the situation in the old country is The emigrants by Vilhelm Moberg. Very good book. \n\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Emigrants-Vilhelm-Moberg/dp/0873513193/sr=81/qid=1162417961/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-5385838-4746533?ie=UTF8&s=books\n\nOn this page there are some links that could help you with the question on contribution:\nhttp://www.migrationinstitute.fi/nordic/Links/Scandinavian%20Organizations.htm
890803
http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/users/ireland/past/famine/agriculture_pre.html\n\nhttp://www.onderzoekinformatie.nl/en/oi/nod/onderzoek/OND1276918/\n\nhttp://www.sare.org/highlights/2006/farm_systems.htm
738970
Immigration of people to the planet causes world population to rise.  Emigration of people leaving the planet causes world population to fall.\n\nDuh!
214800
Ireland used to have a law that once a child was born in Ireland, the child and mother and father became Irish citizens. But what happened was that a lot of poor foreign nationals (I'm not saying this being racist, its just the truth) i.e, the nigerians, the romianians and a few other select nationality's, were coming over illegally when they were nearly at their full pregnancy term, having the babies in Ireland and claiming citizenship and then not working, so the Goverenment was paying for their house and the  raising of child etc. Im not saying that every foreign national did this, but a lot did and the Irish goverenment had to bring in legislation to stop this.Because of a select few, it has messed it up for other foreign nationals.
192790
Yes.  Not because of any political controversy, but because Patrick turned the Irish away from their Pagan roots and had them accept Christianity.  Now I know he saved western civilization through the monasteries, that they were the only literate people around, but still, could this not have been done anyway?  to lose the Pagan rituals, rites, stories, makes for a less rich heritage.  Sad.
576980
MORE MOTIVATED!\n\nImmigration will be one of the biggest factors I think also!