V32-20

Up until the mid-19th century, most Irish immigrants in America were members of the Protestant middle class. When the Great Potato Famine hit Ireland in 1845, close to 1 million poor and uneducated Irish Catholics began pouring into America to escape starvation. Despised for their alien religious beliefs and unfamiliar accents by the American Protestant majority, the immigrants had trouble finding even menial jobs. When Irish Americans in the country's cities took to the streets on St. Patrick's Day to celebrate their heritage, newspapers portrayed them in cartoons as drunk, violent monkeys.

The American Irish soon began to realize, however, that their large and growing numbers endowed them with a political power that had yet to be exploited. They started to organize, and their voting block, known as the "green machine," became an important swing vote for political hopefuls. Suddenly, annual St. Patrick's Day parades became a show of strength for Irish Americans, as well as a must-attend event for a slew of political candidates. In 1948, President Harry S. Truman attended New York City 's St. Patrick's Day parade, a proud moment for the many Irish Americans whose ancestors had to fight stereotypes and racial prejudice to find acceptance in the New World.


The author would agree with which of the following?

A. The conditions that the Irish immigrants found themselves in when they first came to America were unfair and prejudicial.
B. The main goal of the Irish immigrants in America was to gain a political footing to influence administration and show their strength
C. Harry S Truman attended the St. Patrick's Day celebration in New York City to gain the trust of the Irish and get their votes in the election.
D. If it weren't for the establishment of the "green machine" the conditions of the Irish immigrants in America would not have improved.
E. The Irish held menial jobs for several decades in the 19th century because they were culturally different than other Americans.