By the 1840s the Repeal movement was led by established Irish-American middle classes

Evidence

This was no convention of laborers and canal diggers, but of substantial citizens, many of the second and third generation: merchants, traders, shopkeepers, doctors, lawyers, journalists, and contractors with political connections. — Noel Ignatiev, How the Irish Became White, 82

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: O’Connell’s abandonment of the Clontarf meeting destroyed the Repeal movement — Noel Ignatiev, How the Irish Became White, 115; Irish American voters wielded decisive electoral influence for slavery by 1840 — Noel Ignatiev, How the Irish Became White, 46; The Irish moved from an oppressed Irish race to an oppressing American race — Noel Ignatiev, How the Irish Became White, 31 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Irish-American leaders suppressed Irish abolitionist solidarity to protect Repeal unity #expands (0.85) — Noel Ignatiev, How the Irish Became White, 82
• The meaning of ‘middle class’ varies by national political history #qualifies (0.82) — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 2251
• The Irish moved from an oppressed Irish race to an oppressing American race #complicates (0.78) — Noel Ignatiev, How the Irish Became White, 31