Southern slaveholders courted Irish immigrants by contrasting Southern hospitality with Northern anti-Irish prejudice

Evidence

The first, from the Repeal Association of Louisiana, enclosed two hundred pounds along with a note reporting that a Native American Party—“the leaven of what appears to be the old orange party”—had sprung up there, and was accusing the Irish of being enemies of the slaveholders, “who received us among them with a liberality, and extended to us a hospitality which it is fair to presume would not be extended to us in the Eastern States, where prejudice against Irishmen and bigotry against their religion seem indigenous qualities.… [O]n behalf of your countrymen in the slaveholding States, I pray you to leave to Americans the control of their own institutions.… I assure you,” added the correspondent, “that, even in the Northern States … Irishmen have no feelings in common with abolitionists.…” — Noel Ignatiev, How the Irish Became White, 87

Categorization

• XREF: Directly evidences the reader’s stated case: Irish immigrants in the South found that loyalty to proslavery/Repeal position was the price of Southern acceptance and distance from Northern anti-Irish bigotry. — connects to: Pro-slavery Irish Americans argued Irish peasants were worse off than American slaves — Noel Ignatiev, How the Irish Became White, 87; Even O’Connell rebuked Irish immigrants who romanticized Southern slave conditions — Noel Ignatiev, How the Irish Became White, 89; Abolitionists courted the Irish as fellow laborers against slavery — Noel Ignatiev, How the Irish Became White, 55 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Abolitionists courted the Irish as fellow laborers against slavery #qualifies (0.80) — Noel Ignatiev, How the Irish Became White, 55
• Pro-slavery sentiment moved from America back into Irish nationalism #expands (0.80) — Noel Ignatiev, How the Irish Became White, 126
• Southern Irish repeal associations chose slavery over loyalty to O’Connell and abolition #corroborates (0.80) — Noel Ignatiev, How the Irish Became White, 108
• Even O’Connell rebuked Irish immigrants who romanticized Southern slave conditions #complicates (0.75) — Noel Ignatiev, How the Irish Became White, 89
• Southern employers preferred expendable Irish to valuable slaves purely economically #expands (0.75) — Noel Ignatiev, How the Irish Became White, 387