In September 1845, the farmers of Ireland made a chilling discovery-much of their potato crop was black, mushy, and rotten. The crop failure marked the beginning of the Great Irish Famine, one of the greatest humanitarian crises of the nineteenth century. With some 3 million Irish people dependent on the potato for their survival, starvation and epidemic disease soon devastated the population. During the famine years, at least a million people died, and another million left their homeland for good. Was the famine the inevitable result of an unprecedented natural disaster? Or was the British government's neglect of the Irish poor to blame for the mass death and destruction? The Great Irish Famine brings readers to the mid-1800s to explore the conditions that surrounded the event and its effect on Ireland that can still be felt today.
A graduate of Swarthmore College, Liz Sonneborn has written numerous books for children, young adults, and adults. Her works include The End of Apartheid in South Africa, The American West, The California Gold Rush, A to Z of American Indian Women, The Great Black Migrations, and The Ancient Kusbites, which the African Studies Association's Children's Africana Book Awards named an Honor Book for Older Readers in 2006.
Milestones in Modern World History introduces students to seminal historical events that helped shape the modern world. Bolstered by biographical sketches, illustrations, photographs, excerpts from primary source documents, and first-person narratives, this curricuium based series, is ideal for students writing reports.
1 Skibbereen 7
2 Before the Famine 18
3 The Blight 27
4 The Crisis Grows 38
5 Starvation and Disease 50
6 Feeding the Hungry 58
7 Leaving Ireland 68
8 Eviction 77
9 The Later Years 89
10 Legacy of the Great Irish Famine 99
Chronology and Timeline 110
Notes 114
Bibliography 116
Further Resources 117
Picture Credits 118
Index 119
About the Author 124
Overview
In September 1845, the farmers of Ireland made a chilling discovery-much of their potato crop was black, mushy, and rotten. The crop failure marked the beginning of the Great Irish Famine, one of the greatest humanitarian crises of the nineteenth century. With some 3 million Irish people dependent on the potato for their survival, starvation and epidemic disease soon devastated the population. During the famine years, at least a million people died, and another million left their homeland for good. Was the famine...