Facts on the Potato Famine Final

In Ireland, many people grew potatoes and relied on them for a source of food. In September of 1845, potato plants all across Ireland were infected with an airborne fungus (phytophtora infestans) which was from ships traveling from North America to England. The fungus was spread across the country through wind, and covered over thousands of plants in just a few days. By October, some news of the potato's fungus had reached British Prime Minister, Sir Robert Peel. He tried to think of the most logical reasoning for the potatoes turning bad.

During the famine, about a half-million Irish men, women and children were evicted. This was because nobody was selling any potatoes, which is what most people got their food or money from. Many people tried to take a trip across the ocean to North America. An estimated one out of five people on the ships dies from disease and malnutrition. Throughout the famine, nearly a million Irish moved to the United States. Most ships arrived in Boston, Massachusetts, and New York. There were three times the amount of Irish in New York than in Boston. New York could handle more people than Boston because of the city size.

After the famine was completely over, hunger was still a problem in Ireland for years after. Many people were still poor because they lost everything they had and didn't have any money to get it back. It was estimated by the British Census Commissioners in 1841 that the population of Ireland was 8,175,124. There were millions of unreported deaths from the famine that need to be counted for in thought. By 1851, the population had scattered down to 6,552,358. This shows how serious the famine was and how it effected all of Ireland.

http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/famine/

The Cause and Defect of the Potato, Final Draft

What Really Caused the Potato Famine?

What Happened to the Potato?

In September of 1845, black leaves began to grow on potato plants. This eventually led to the potato plants rotting. An airborne fungus swept the air due to ships traveling from North America to England. The winds from South England transferred the fungus to Dublin. The leaves of the potato plants began to fall off. The plants looked edible and like nothing had ever happened to them. However, within a few days, they turned dark and rotted. The rot was caused by Phytophthora infestans. These infestans turned the potato into inedible slime.

The severity of the Irish Potato Famine was due to the lack of genetic variation with in the potatoes. Many of the Irish planted “lumper” potatoes. All of these types of potatoes were cloned. They were genetically identical to another. Farmers thought this was a good idea so there would be plenty of potatoes and it would be extremely difficult to run out. When the environment changed and a disease swept through, all of the potatoes were affected due to the lack of genetic variation.

The Irish Potato Famine could have been prevented if cloning was not used. If there were more genetic variation in the potatoes grown, some potatoes would have carried the right genes to pass the epidemic and survive. More potatoes could have been grown in the years following the epidemic.

http://rottenspuds1.blogspot.com/2011/09/outline-of-cause-and-defect.html

Final Draft of an Old Book Document

This is the link to the previous draft of the old book document.
Title: What and Why?
By: Shamus Murphy
                  
                  [ The potato is dying and no one knows when this terrible famine will end.  Since September of three year ago (September of 1845) a strange disease has gripped the potato crop of the entirety of Ireland.  Almost all of the potatoes have gone black and rotten and their leaves have withered.  Scientists have figured out what the disease is and have come up with a name for it Phytophthora infestans.  The people just call it Blight.  As you may be aware, the potato is the staple crop of Ireland.  The potato allows for the support of large families, accounts for most of the jobs, and is a major export.  Many farmers have lost all their money, their homes, and their jobs.  People all over the country are starving to death.  Since the outbreak of Blight, crime rates have shot up.   With out the potato Ireland itself could die.
                   Why is Ireland still in this mess?  For starters, the farmers originally believed that the Blight, like most other potato diseases, would be a one-off and the suffering would be over.  That was not the case.  John  Lindley and Lyon Playfair have been put in charge of figuring out how to solve the problem.  Most farmers have discovered so far that one of the main causes for Blight is damp areas.  So far the scientists have determined that the diseases has something to do with wet roots.  Scientists are getting closer to the solution, but for now the near future is still not very promising.  
            People have very different ways of dealing with this crisis.  Most people, if they could afford it, have fled Ireland to countries like America, Canada, and England.  However, the trip is long and dangerous.  For those who can't afford to leave, the situation is dire.  Some have resorted to stealing, others to killing.  For those who are truly desperate, Protestants have set up soup kitchen where if the Irish revoke their Catholic Faith they can eat...] 

Workshop Group Rotations

Please view "Move to America" and "Letter from a Farmers Daughter". Our overall story is about a 10 year old girl named Anna Dover. She is living during the Potato Famine and writing letters to her friends about what is going on. Her letters are not as sophisticated as a letter would be from an adult. "Letter from a Farmers Daughter" should be read first for the story to make more sense.
Is the setup appropriate?
Do the stories tie together?
Does anything need to be changed?
Does the story make sense?

Letter from a Farmer's Daughter, Final Draft

Dear Lucy,

If you came to Ireland I don't know if you'd even recognize it. The great Potato Famine has killed off everything. Our food is gone, and so are the people. Landlords and Protestants have been kicking the small farmers out of their land, leaving them with nothing. Pa says we should be all right for a little bit because we were able to save a quarter of our land. Most of the small farmers only grew potatoes. We mainly only grew them too, but the quarter of the land saved was the part where we grew cabbage. If we didn't have the cabbage field I don't think we'd be living on our farm anymore. Unfortunately cabbage can only last so long. I’ve gone into town a few times with my brother to get bread. We no longer have cattle anymore. Pa had to sell them so we could keep our farm a little bit more. With the cattle gone we haven’t had milk in weeks, just water.

Almost all our neighbors are gone. Ireland seems so empty, everyone’s either leaving to go to America, or have died from starvation. I went to pick up a potato the other day and it turned into mush right in my hand. For the farmers that only grew potatoes, they have nothing to eat but mush, and you cannot survive on that. All I can say is be happy you are already in America Lucy. Pa keeps telling me everything will be all right, but I can see it in his eyes that he's worried. Maybe we'll move to America too and then I'll be able to see you again.

Sincerely,

Anna Dover

This is the the link to the rough draft: http://rottenspuds1.blogspot.com/2011/09/rough-draft-letter-from-farmers.html

The Move to America

This post is the story I made up to help visualize what the migration is about. The premise of this story is based off the facts of "The Effect on People"

It was mid fall when we were kicked out. Ma and Pa were farmers in Ireland, and the potato just became diseased. Pa had a hard time selling his crops, so our family did not eat that much for a few weeks. Before we were kicked out, we had to go into town where everyone else was, and take the bread that was given out as charity. I was hungry all the time, but we soon got used to it. We couldn't pay for our farm anymore, so we decided to move to America. It was hard to leave the country I grew up in, but it was for the better. It was a Sunday and we had everything packed. The horse and carriage took us all the way to the west coast, where there was mass amounts of people leaving the country. We had to wait in line for tickets. Ma and the rest of the family sat patiently waiting for Pa to get back. It was two hours when he finally arrived with the tickets. We boarded the ship 3 hours later, and we were on our way.
We were at sea for a week and a half when 16 people died on board. The crew threw them off the boat. It was terrifying. To pass time we sang songs and stared at the clouds. But finally, we saw the Statue of Liberty. It was one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen. The whole ship erupted in cheer. We docked and got off the boat. Grabbing the few things we had with us, we walked to the medical wing. Everyone was getting examined and questioned. Luckily no one from my family got sick, or else they would have been quarantined for weeks. With the anticipation to see New York City, we had to write all our names in a book. Once we were done, we walked out of the hot building and we could taste the freedom! The first thing we did was eat at a local pizza joint. The notorious "pizza" was the greatest thing I have ever tasted. But getting here was just the beginning...

Facts on the Potato Famine Rough Draft

In Ireland, many people grew potatoes and relied on them for a source of food. In September of 1845, potato plants all across Ireland were infected with an airborne fungus (phytophtora infestans) which was from ships traveling from North America to England. The fungus was spread across the country through wind, and covered over thousands of plants in just a few days. By October, some news of the potato's fungus had reached British Prime Minister, Sir Robert Peel. He tried to think of the most logical reasoning for the potatoes turning bad.

During the famine, about a half-million Irish men, women and children were evicted. This was because nobody was selling any potatoes, which is what most people got their food or money from. Many people tried to take a trip across the ocean to North America. An estimated one out of five people on the ships dies from disease and malnutrition. Throughout the famine, nearly a million Irish moved to the United States. Most ships arrived in Boston, Massachusetts, and New York. There were three times the amount of Irish in New York than in Boston. New York could handle more people than Boston because of the city size.

http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/famine/

Rough Draft: Letter from a farmer's daughter

Dear Lucy,

If you came to Ireland I don't know if you'd even recognize it. The great Potato Famine has killed off everything. Our food is gone, and so are the people. Landlords and Protestants have been kicking the small farmers out of their land, leaving them with nothing. Father says we should be alright for a little bit because we were able to save a quarter of our land. Most of the small farmers only grew potatoes. We mainly only grew them too but the quarter of the land saved was the part where we grew cabbage. If we didn't have the cabbage field I don't think we'd be living on our farm anymore.

Almost all our neighbors are gone. Ireland seems so empty, everyones either leaving to go to America, or have died from starvation. All I can say is be happy you are already in America Lucy. Father keeps telling me everything will be alright, but I can see it in his eyes that he's worried. Maybe we'll move to America too and then I'll be able to see you again.

Sincerely,

Anna Dover

Outline of the Cause and the Defect

What Really Caused the Potato Famine?

What Happened to the Potato?

In September of 1845, black leaves began to grow on potato plants, and then began to rot. An airborne fungus swept the air due to ships traveling from North America to England. The winds from South England transferred the fungus to Dublin. The plants began to fall off the plants and looked like they were good to eat. Within a few days, they turned dark and rotted. The rot was caused by Phytophthora infestans, which turned the potato into inedible slime.

The severity of the Irish Potato Famine was due to the lack of genetic variation with in the potatoes. Many of the Irish planted “lumper” potatoes. All of the lumpers were cloned. They were genetically identical to another. When the environment changed and a disease swept through, all of the potatoes were affected due to the lack of genetic variation.

The Irish Potato Famine could have been prevented if cloning was not used. If there were more genetic variation in the potatoes grown, some potatoes would have carried the right genes to pass the epidemic and survive. More potatoes could have been grown in the years following the epidemic.

Outline of the effect on people

This post describes the general facts and that affected the people of Ireland. These facts influenced my next post, which is titled "Move to America".

Move to America

The Potato Famine had a significant effect on the Irish population. About 1 million people died, and another 3 million people fled the country in search of food. On top of the famine, the Great Depression did not help the situation. Within 5 years, there was a rate of 200,000 people leaving the country every year. Where did everyone go? Many moved overseas to America and Canada. Others moved to England and neighboring countries. To relocate, the immigrants had to travel on boats called "coffin boats". The name came from the amount of deaths that was brought upon the traveling. Many cramped passengers had a fever and were living in unsanitary conditions. Many died from being ill and they were buried at sea. The authorities of the countries the immigrants were traveling to set up quarantine quarters until the sick were in good health. The immigrants were then tested and examined for medical conditions before they could become citizens.

What happened to the abandoned homes? Back in Ireland, homes were being auctioned off and estate values dropped extremely low. There were many evictions and people boycotted their landlords. Western Ireland was hit the hardest and had the most amount of people leave. Many villages were left deserted and they turned into ghost towns. As years went by, the population slowly started to increase, but it took a while to reach the original population.

Old time book document regarding the Potato Famine, as an excerpt from a book

Title: What and Why?
By: Shamus Murphy
                    
                  [ The potato is dying.  Since September of three year ago (September of 1845) a strange disease has gripped the potato crop of the entirety of Ireland.  Almost all of the potatoes have gone black and rotten and their leaves have withered.  Scientists have figured out what the disease is and have come up with a name for it Phytophthora infestans.  The people just call it Blight.  As you may or may not be aware, the potato is the staple crop of Ireland.  The potato allows for the support of large families, accounts for most of the jobs, and is a major export.  Many farmers have lost all their money, their homes, and their jobs.  People all over the country are starving to death.  Since the outbreak of Blight, crime rates have shot up.   With out the potato Ireland itself could die.
                   Why is Ireland still in this mess?  For starters, the farmers originally believed that the Blight, like most other potato diseases, would be a one-off and the suffering would be over.  That was not the case.  John  Lindley and Lyon Playfair have been put in charge of figuring out how to solve the problem.  Most farmers have discovered so far that one of the main causes for Blight is damp areas.  So far the scientists have determined that the diseases has something to do with wet roots.  Scientists are getting closer to the solution, but for now the near future is still not very promising.  
            People have very different ways of dealing with this crisis.  Most people, if they could afford it, have fled Ireland to countries like America, Canada, and England.  However, the trip is long and dangerous.  For those who can't afford to leave, the situation is dire.  Some have resorted to stealing, others to killing.  For those who are truly desperate, Protestants have set up soup kitchen where if the Irish revoke their Catholic Faith they can eat...]  
                
  
    

About

The Potato Famine of 1845 was an event that destroyed Ireland's agriculture. The Famine had a great effect on the population of Ireland. It destroyed farmer's crops, and forced many families to relocate in search of food. The potato was the main source of food in Ireland. The potato gave diseases to people that tried to eat it. Families without food mainly moved to America, Canada, and Australia. 1.3 million fled, creating ghost towns in once highly populated villages. The Irish did not all go overseas, in fact hundreds of thousands ended up in Britain and neighboring countries.

The potato was a staple crop in Ireland for many years. It fed large families, and was the main income for farmers. The Irish way of life was centered around the potato. Prior to the blight that destroyed the potatoes, there were only two strains of potato diseases. One was called "dry rot" and the other "curl". When Blight struck, it wiped out the entire crop, spreading across the country. The government of Ireland suggested opening ports for foreign corn, stopping the distillation from grain, or providing public works. The destruction of the potato had an immediate effect on the market. The end result of the Potato Famine left many starving and Ireland depopulated.

Books relating to the cause of the Potato Famine

I was looking for books that explained the cause of the potato famine.  Books that look into the reason why the potatoes stopped growing, or grew with deformities.  Books that look to explain what farmers did wrong or how they brought about their own demise.




http://books.google.com/books?id=fiNPJifJXY0C&q=cause+of+potato+famine&dq=cause+of+potato+famine&hl=en&ei=frxhTvvvLsPJ0AHygrGVCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAQ
This book mainly focuses on the scientific causes of the Great Potato Famine.  The book centers around facts and data, rather than personal experiences of people.  It is a good book because it centers on the scientific close up aspect of research.


http://books.google.com/books?id=EV4YE_0RsywC&pg=PA289&dq=cause+of+potato+famine&hl=en&ei=frxhTvvvLsPJ0AHygrGVCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=cause%20of%20potato%20famine&f=false


This book takes a similar stance as the previous book, however this book gives a little more culture.  It uses a mid ranged cultural analysis. This book looks at the consequences of the potato crop failing.   

http://books.google.com/booksid=D77BvmFwDogC&pg=PA172&dq=personal+experiences+of+potato+famine+victims&hl=en&ei=LjxmTtSeGKjo0QHRrYSLAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false


This book takes a more in-depth look into what happened to the people effected by the potato famine.  Not only does it look at the Irish, but it also looks at the American people and how they were effected by the influx of Irish into the country.  The book mostly focuses on how and why people moved during the Famine.  However, the book still presents facts about the cause of the famine. 
    

http://books.google.com/books?id=SaFnAAAAMAAJ&q=personal+experiences+of+potato+famine+victims&dq=personal+experiences+of+potato+famine+victims&hl=en&ei=LjxmTtSeGKjo0QHRrYSLAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDoQ6AEwAw


This book takes a mid-ranged cultural view of the British's roll in the cause of the Potato Famine.  This book looks into how the British were mainly responsible for the suffering brought upon the Irish from the potato famine.  It also explores the British's treatment years before the potato famine actually happened
.
http://books.google.com/books?id=yoBVH3Nggn0C&pg=PT483&dq=personal+experiences+of+potato+famine+victims&hl=en&ei=LjxmTtSeGKjo0QHRrYSLAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CD4Q6AEwBA#v=onepage&q&f=false


This book provides an interesting view on what was going on around the world during the famine.  This book shows how people who were socially aware and active, such as writers, were trying to bring the dangers of the famine to the attention of others all around the world.  I would consider this book a more mid-ranged cultural analysis.

 http://books.google.com/booksid=mI77lmwmVDkC&pg=PA258&dq=personal+experiences+of+potato+famine+victims&hl=en&ei=LjxmTtSeGKjo0QHRrYSLAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CEgQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q&f=false


This book differs from the others, because it focuses mostly on famine as a whole, not just specifically the Irish Potato Famine.  It does, however, reference the Irish Potato famine, and relates more current information to the Irish Potato Famine.  

The famine's effect on people

http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/users/ireland/past/famine/emigration.html This article is a great source because it maps out the demographics and gives good info about the population during the potato famine. Specifically, this article gives percentages of how many people moved to each country. It also shows a chart of which countries people migrated to overseas. The bad thing about this website is that it does not show where immigrants moved to in Europe on the graph. This site also talks about diseases on the ships.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/07/20/iyw.howtohelp.somalia.famine/index.html This article is legit because it is written by CNN. This article describes the famine causing many to flee in search of food in Africa. Also, it describes the problems many of the somalians are facing. Many flee to Kenya and Ethiopia. This article is good because it helps describe how the people are being helped, rather than just talking about the struggle they face. I feel like this article was written by someone who supports charity organizations strongly. The majority of the article gives statistics of who is doing what to help.

http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/famine/after.htm This website talks about estates being bankrupted and the effects of farmers during the famine. The Irish were furious about the living situations during the famine. They held boycotts to their landlords because they were so mad. This article explains how the English tried helping boost the morale and stabilize the government in Ireland during the famine. It elaborates farther by mentioning how there was tension between groups about the independence of Ireland. This article gives a good background history of how the government was shaped during the famine. It seems like it is biased towards the Irish, and it seems like England is the antagonist.

http://www.amazon.com/Three-Famines-Starvation-Thomas-Keneally/dp/1610390652/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1315332590&sr=1-2

This book describes the physical and mental effects of hunger on the human body. The author also talks about religion being a factor for life and death. This source seems biased to the negative sides of society. The book seems more depressing and down more than optimistic and looking for answers. The main examination of this writing is how societies should not function.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sU1gOOlgdZ4

This video illustrates the diseases people get from eating the disease stricken potato. The producer of this video is a 24 year old male who probably did this video as a project for school. There is no source of credibility in the video, so you can infer it is not 100% accurate. This does have a general background of the famine, but it also has a few interesting facts about the lifestyle and hardships of the people living during the famine. I believe this video was made for students like us just for a general introduction to the famine.

The Cause and the Potato Defect in the Irish Potato Famine

I chose this website because it gives information on what happens before, during and after the famine. This article also explains what the people in Ireland did to stop starvation. They relied on Indian corn and other food. This is a very reliable website because it is from The History Place.

http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/famine/begins.htm

I chose this website because it gives information on what exactly happened to the potato. There was a lack of genetic variation. Due to the cloning of these crops, when the environment changed and a disease swept through, all the potatoes were effected. This website shows what should be done to stop the spreading of diseases and the importance of variety.

http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/agriculture_02

I chose this website because it gives information on what else happened to the people besides the starvation. There was live, scurvy and many other viruses and diseases caused by the famine. There is also good information on how it was not a natural disaster and how social changes effected the famine.

http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/historyonline/irish_potato_famine.cfm

I chose this website because it shows a picture and a priest gives a quote about the famine. Also, I found out how people planted twice as much potatoes in the spring to find out that the vegetable was completely wiped out. Cholera is also described in this article which was a main disease back in the time.

http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/users/ireland/past/famine/blight.html

I chose this website because it seemed like more of a personal website. There is a poem on there and it also talks about the cause of the famine. There are many quotes and it describes the Labour Rate Act to Ireland which helped citizens. Overall, this website was good and it gave sources from books and other research sites.

http://www.abitoblarney.com/potatofamine.htm

Potato: The farmers

http://www.history-magazine.com/potato.html
I chose this link because it shows the importance of potatoes in Europe. It also talks about the potato boom and how the potato boom also led to a population boom. Potatoes became one of the most important foods in Europe and one of the easiest for farmers to grow. Ireland became very dependent on the potato, which is why they were so affected by the potato famine. This is a reliable source because it is from history magazine.

http://www.hort.uconn.edu/ipm/veg/htms/Late%20blight%20alert%20for%20gardeners%202.pdf
This link shows the affect the famine had on farmers and gardens. The famine that affected the potato and other crops was easily spread, mainly through the wind. This affected farmers' crops all over Europe. The famine kills crops very quickly so farmers didn't have time to stop it. This source is from an article and I believe it to be reliable.

http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/users/ireland/past/famine/agriculture_pre.html

This link helps show why Ireland was so affected by the potato famine. This is because of the different agriculture that is spread across Ireland. A lot of the land was rich and it was easy to grow potatoes there. By growing faster they also spread faster.

http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/users/ireland/past/famine/agriculture_pre.html

In this link there is a paragraph that talks about why it was hard for farmers to start growing potatoes again when the famine hit. They lost most of their potato seeds and were unable to start growing them again. This link also has a paragraph about how famers' houses were burned down and many of them starved once the famine hit.

http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/famine/introduction.htm

This link talks about the life of Irish farmers. How many of them were poor even before the potato famine. But potatoes were part of their diet and the famine left the starving. The famine effected all Irish but the farmers were probably most effected by it.

Potato Facts

This website gives some fun fact about potatoes, but is more directed towards children. It still gives some interesting facts, it is just in a children's website.
http://www.lovepotatoes.co.uk/kids/fun-facts/
Potato Facts:
-In 1995, the Space Shuttle Columbia took potatoes on-board, and they grew potatoes in space.
-The average American consumes about 103 Kg of potatoes a year.

This website gives 7 facts on what potatoes are used for and how they are good for the environment and for us.
http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/green-living/7-interesting-facts-about-the-potato/923

This website gives interesting facts mainly on where potatoes are made and other fun facts.
http://www.potatopatchrecipes.com/2009/02/interesting-potato-fun-facts-trivia-and-information/

This website gives a bunch of information on how to use potatoes in a healthy way. It tells you how to make them in certain dishes, why they are healthy, and other meals you can cut them up in.
http://www.healthypotato.com/AboutPotatoes/Potato_Fun_Facts.php