The Irish Famine in American School Curricula

Eire-Ireland:Journal of Irish Studies, Spring-Summer, 2002 by Thomas J. Archdeacon

In the State Senate, Michael Hoblock (Republican), whose wife is an Irish American, sponsored parallel legislation (S.4880). "Being from Ukrainian ancestral ties, I am keenly aware of the necessity to inform New York's children of the sacrifices and injustices suffered by many of New York's ethnic population," Hoblock said. "We must ensure that our children are educated to learn from past wrongs so that people of different ethnic origins are treated with respect and mutual understanding." (27)

Not everyone agreed with Crowley's initiative. Representative Bernard Mahoney (Republican, Syracuse) led the opposition to it in the Assembly. He saw no time for add-ons when schools lacked adequate time to teach the basics. Carl Hayden, the chancellor of the State Board of Regents, complained that the bill "sets in motion a set of ethnic rivalries that almost always is counter-productive." Mandating "every individual legislator's favorite piece of historical information," Hayden charged, would create "an unmanageable set of demands on schools." (28) The New York State School Boards Association objected, arguing that "it is the Regents' responsibility, and not the Legislature's, to decide what should be taught in the state's schools." (29) Not surprisingly, the amendment also disturbed British officials stationed in New York, and they carefully monitored its progress through the legislature. (30)

New York's Assembly passed Crowley's bill after three hours of debate. The Senate assented to the measure without prolonged discussion. The bills then proceeded to the desk of New York's governor. (31) Governor George E. Pataki (Republican) quickly signed the Crowley bill. The governor said:

   By making instruction on the mass starvation in Ireland a part of New York
   State curriculum, it is my sincere hope that our State's pupils--a great
   many of whom descended from Irish immigrants--will develop a respect and
   universal concern for human rights, the sanctity of human life and a
   tolerance of other races, religions and points of view. To instill these
   moral and ethical values in New York State's youth, it is imperative they
   receive a full appreciation of the lessons of history, however troubling
   they may be. (32)

"The years from 1845 to 1850 were a time of great tragedy for the Irish people," the governor added. "During this period, often referred to as the Great Irish Hunger, more than one million Irish men, women and children starved to death after a blight caused the potato crop--the food upon which the poor tenant farmers and their families subsisted--to fail. Millions more were forced to flee their native land to obtain food, with many of these emigres succumbing during the arduous, trans-oceanic voyage." (33)

Other remarks by Pataki contained more controversial judgments:

   During this very time period, while millions of Irish were suffering and
   dying, large quantities of grain and livestock were being exported from
   Ireland to England, under the supervision of the British government. While
   the Great Hunger often is characterized as a famine, a severe shortage of
   food resulting from an act of God, the concurrent export of food from
   Ireland to England demonstrates that the tragedy could have been avoided if
   the British had allowed Ireland to retain sufficient grain and livestock to
   feed its own people.