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The Cause And Causes Of The Great Famine

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Food is the most colorful part of the day. With its gastronomic ranges, the possibilities are endless. Everyone in the world depends on food, whether to experiences that burst of flavor in the mouth or to survive. But when there is a shortage of food, what is to blame? The people who eat and cultivate it? Or factors outside their control? The Great Famine is an example of this question.
The Great Famine was caused by blight that accidently came from America and affected the potatoes growing in Ireland and in turn, affected the Irish. This was especially hard on the Irish because in 1845, the potato was their main source of food. They had an average of 14 spuds a day so they relied heavily on them. Potatoes only lasted two to three months so …show more content…
However, Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel of England knew about the Famine and made a scientific commission to find the cause along with the remedy. Despite Peel and the commission’s efforts, it was useless since technology wasn’t as advanced as it is today. As a substitute, Peel imported maize and tried to sell it at a low price so the market would stay down. But the British repealed Peel. So ¼ of the population or 2 million people lived in squalor due to the lack of help. Many also lived in workhouses with the worst living conditions so they wouldn’t live off the rates. Public works, or places to help the poor find work, were also set up so they could afford to buy food. In the summer of 1846, free trade became more restricted. Farmers in England and eastern Ireland received an increase in prices for grain because of heavy tariffs on foreign imports. This influenced all producers to steer clear of selling in Ireland. The rich Irish weren’t always charitable either with their own people either. They sold crops to the English for the highest market price since they weren’t required to sell in Ireland and they would refuse to interfere with free market of oats, wheat and …show more content…
The farmers were the first to emigrate via steam boats to England and Scotland. They were the wealthier people but as time passed, the people emigrating became poorer. 75% were laborers and servants. These kinds of people found it hard to pay for the ride over to America. But it didn’t matter. 1 ½ million left Ireland in 1847-1851 for NY. Economic expansion in the US with industrial depression in Ireland increased migration. The fees to cross the Atlantic Ocean were high and the Parliament regulated it. Adult was single soul and children under 12 were half soul. It was hard to tell who was what age because of lack of passports. At first when they left, they were jubilant. But there were too many on the ships and it was like hell on sea. The voyage took about six weeks or three months. There were too few doctors for medical inspection so many that were on the ships were sick. The sick were sent to St. John as a dumping ground yet they all couldn’t be regulated and a plethora died on the ships. Many were so used to death and inhumane conditions at sea that they didn’t care if they were sleeping next to a corpse. “They were without fear or emotion” (BBC, 1995). When people left, it was a “chain migration” (Fleeing the Famine, pg. 21). They emigrated in continuous succession groups of two or more and usually had a job or relative waiting. The movement depended on the placement of family. They

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