Bartoletti's The Story Of The Great Irish Famine

The Irish Famine of 1849 to 1852 was a catastrophic event in Irish history that wiped out a quarter of Ireland’s population. Ireland was the most densely populated country in Europe at the time, with a population of eight million in 1845. This population mainly consisted of Irish Catholics, who were discriminated against by the English. This discrimination led the Irish to have very little rights and say in the matters of their own lives. The land system gave wealth to the landowners, and some to the farmers, but none to the labourers. For the most part, the landowners were English, and the farmers and labourers were poor Irish. The lack of support on part of the British was a major cause of the famine. The economic system of laissez-faire

Sir Robert Peel, the British Prime Minister (1788–1850), found himself to be acquainted enough with the Irish to admit that Ireland was facing a legitimate issue. He also recognized that without potatoes, many would starve. Bartoletti, the author of Black Potatoes, The Story of the Great Irish Famine, 1845-1850, clarifies the position of the British government and citizens, stating that, “Letters… about the crop failures poured into the British government, but the British leaders remained cautious and skeptical. Many didn’t believe the extent of the crop damage …. The Irish, they said, had always had a tendency to exaggerate.”. This quote goes to show that while Britain may have had the means to support Ireland in their time of need, they actively chose to ignore and leave the state be, because they did not believe the letters. British discrimination against the Irish was heavy, to the point where the British were willing to allow a significant portion of the Irish population to die from preventable causes. The British sent relief to Ireland in 1845 and 1846, in the form of the grain, maize. Maize, also known as ‘Indian corn’, was native to the Americas and unknown to the Irish. Therefore, they were also unaware of the initial process needed to make the maize consumable. Because of the local unfamiliarity with this grain, the maize was not as efficient as other resources could have been to the British. The Irish were wary of cornmeal, as dependency led to nutritional deficiencies. But corn, still with its difficult process and poor nutrients, still was able to save some people from bereavement. The British government was satisfied with the cornmeal as a supplement for the Irish people, although it was not satisfactory for the Irish. The British did not improve situations