The Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society (Complete)
Various Authors
9781465641175
100 pages
Library of Alexandria
Overview
People of Irish blood have been coming to this continent, voluntarily and otherwise, since the date of its earliest settlement. While they have been a valuable addition to colony and republic in all departments of human activity, their work and contributions have received but scant recognition from chroniclers of American history. Whether this omission springs from carelessness, ignorance, indifference, or design, is now of little moment. The fact that such a condition does exist makes it imperative that it should be remedied not only in the interest of historical truth, but of racial fair play. Certain elements in the make-up of the American people have not hesitated on occasion to masquerade, at the expense of the Irish, in borrowed plumes, and to pose under plundered laurels. It is the duty of honest historians to look after the rights of the lawful owners. The history of Irish immigration to this country is of profound interest. The motive that inspired this sturdy people in coming to these shores was largely the one that animated and inspired all immigration—discontent with the existing home conditions, civil, religious, political, industrial, and the hope of living under better and nobler conditions here. The American of English stock has his historical society; the descendants of the Dutch, Huguenot, and Spaniard have associations which specialize the historical work of the bodies they represent; and we feel that the story of the Irish element should be told before the mass of legend and fiction now flooding the country under misleading designations has completely submerged historic facts. The work of our projected society will be influenced by no religious or political divisions, for with us the race stands first, its qualifying incidents afterwards. It matters little where the people came from, whether from the north, the south, the east, or the west of Ireland. It is of minor importance in what church they worshiped; we wish merely to concern ourselves with the work done by them here; to record the story of their settlement; to state the extent of their participation in the civil, military, and political activities of the land, and to try truthfully and fearlessly to record their achievements. The society now in process of formation must, we believe, be made up of men who have the patience to search, the knowledge and wisdom to sift and discriminate, and the ability to place the results in acceptable literary form. Lastly, the character of the membership must be such that it will command the respect and attention of the community, so that its work will be accepted as having a definite historical value which can be used in general works treating of the growth of the republic by historians of a future date. This, in brief, is the project; it is ambitious, but it is worthy; it is absolutely necessary if the good name and influence of an essential, but much neglected, chapter in American history shall be perpetuated. To place the Irish element in its true light in American history, to secure its correct perspective in relation to historic events on this soil, is the final aim of the new society. Its primal object will be to ascertain the facts, weigh them in relation to contemporary events, and estimate their historical value, avoiding in this process the exaggeration and extravagance of poorly informed writers on the one hand and the prejudice and misrepresentation of hostile writers on the other. The organization will be constructed on a broad and liberal plan. It will be non-political, and no religious test will be required for admission to membership or the holding of office. Being an American organization in spirit and principle, the society will welcome to its ranks Americans of whatever race descent who evince an interest in the special line of research for which the society is organized.
