EDIT: Aaaaand I just took a second look at the FAQ and realized that this question, or one much like it, is on that list. Whoops...
As I understand it, at one point in the US immigrants from Ireland, Poland, Italy, and other places in Europe were heavily discriminated against. But at some point, apparently in the last hundred years, most of the discrimination has disappeared and these demographics have been promoted to White or Anglo or WASP or whatever you want to call it.
When did that happen? How did that happen? Why?
I'm curious because it seems like it has a lot of relevance to the Civil Rights movement and, by extension, pretty much the entire history of America in the 20th century. But I really don't know or understand much about it.
Help me /r/AskHistorians! You're my only hope!
Could you include a link to the answer in your edit? I can't seem to find it in the FAQ.
This is by no means my area of history, but I do have a quote which might interest you. These people, specifically referring to the Irish in this quote have never been considered non-white. Xenophobia has always existed in the US, but a lot of prejudices stem from sociocultural and language differences of different immigrating groups. Prejudices often stem from an origin outside of the US as well.
To the quote. Before Darwin the concept of a gradation of mankind was not uncommon. There was an idea that there were higher and lower forms of man. The Irish (Celts, Welsh, and what have you), most likely due to their low social stature were not exempt from this.
"I am haunted by the human chimpanzees I saw [in Ireland] . . . I don't believe they are our fault. . . . But to see white chimpanzees is dreadful; if they were black, one would not feel it so much. . . ."
(Charles Kingsley in a letter to his wife, quoted in L.P. Curtis, Anglo-Saxons and Celts, p.84)
I found this information from this site, it also contains some publications you may want to look for on the topic. http://www.victorianweb.org/history/race/Racism.html
Edit: It appears my flair was taken away due to disuse. Oh well.
hi! there have been a few threads about this; see these for previous discussions
How did the concept of "whiteness" as a racial identity develop and change over time?
When and how did ethnic groups such as Irish and Italians become "White"?
Were Irish people white...in the USA in 1931? (cross-posted from AskReddit)
Before the Irish became "white" in the US, how were people able to distinguish them as "non-white?"
... and I recall one about Swedish immigrants in the US, but can't find it. And I believe there were a few more, so search away :)