Irish in Philadelphia Timelines: The Catto Years

Irish potato famine begins with widespread failures of the potato crop and Irish immigration to America increases, producing increased competition with blacks for employment. The Irish form the largest ethnic group to come into Philadelphia. In the 1840s and 1850s, anti-Catholic sentiment grew against the Irish, and eventually led to nativist riots and the Lombard Street riot, where Irish targeted blacks. Blacks and Irish lived in adjacent communities.