Publisher's Synopsis
This project delves into the lives and experiences of two significant ethnic communities, the Irish and African Americans, residing in the major American cities of Philadelphia and Baltimore during the tumultuous Civil War era. Philadelphia and Baltimore held prominence as two of the nation's largest cities in the mid-nineteenth century. Notably, they were situated on the volatile border between slavery and freedom, serving as crucial hubs for the intersection of these two pivotal communities: Irish Americans and free Black Americans.
This study sheds light on the parallel trajectories, occasionally converging, pursued by both communities during this transformative period. Their shared objective was to assert their identity as full-fledged Americans, worthy of the rights and acceptance that citizenship entailed. Amidst the backdrop of the Civil War, both the Irish and African American communities endeavored to leverage this historic moment to enhance their standing as marginalized groups within American society.
