History of Irish in Rhode Island

There was a growing Irish community prevalent in Rhode Island prior to the immigrants from the Famine. Irish-Catholic immigrants came to Rhode Island to work on public construction projects during the 1830s; however, they were not paid well and faced much discrimination. In 1842, the Dorr Rebellion occurred, in an attempt to spread voting rights to most white males, including Irish immigrants, but the reformers did not succeed, and it took more than a century to eliminate all voting barriers. As immigrants from the Famine began to settle in Rhode Island, more dislike towards the Irish population grew. Despite this, the Irish developed a prominent community. They built places of worship, started literary and temperance societies, and many became members of the Democratic Party. Irish women became seamstresses, teachers, domestic servants and textile mill operatives. Irish Rhode Islanders constantly send donations back to Ireland. Before the 20th century the Irish became the largest ethnic group in Rhode Island, and Rhode Island became the country's first state with a Catholic majority.^[1]

^[1]  Ibid.