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/