America is the melting pot of the world. American heritage comes from all over the world. The Irish are the second largest group to immigrate to the United States and have left their mark on American culture (Gavin 7). Kevin Kenny states that "Famine-era Irish immigrants were the most disadvantaged the United States had ever known." The Irish potato famine was caused by a fungus that caused potatoes to rot in the soil. Between 1845 and 1850, more than a million Irish people died of starvation. Another one and a half Irish people immigrated to other countries. Their main source of food having disappeared, they became refugees from famine. If they had not left, they would have died of starvation or disease. The journey to America was as hard as their life in Ireland. There was no food on the ship and diseases were spreading (Gavin 5). Life wasn't easy in America either. They were unable to find employment or suitable housing (“Adoption and Assimilation”). When the potato famine struck Ireland in the mid-1840s, many people immigrated to New York where they faced discrimination and were unable to find employment because of their Catholic beliefs. The Irish faced many difficulties in Ireland, and even more when they landed in America. Life in Ireland was very hard during the potato famine. They were under British control and their crops were dying. The Irish were very poor at that time. No one could afford to acquire their own land, so they had to rent land from British owners. The Irish planted potatoes because they were easy to grow and very nutritious (Gavin1). The British owned the land while the poor Irish farmed it. The British shipped all Irish crops, except potatoes, to England to make a profit. The Britis...... middle of paper ...... Web. March 3, 2011. “Irish Identity, Influence and Opportunity.” » loc. Immigration, April 6, 2002. Web. March 6, 2011. “The Irish Potato Famine, 1847.” Eyewitness to History. Eyewitness to History, 2006. Web. March 3, 2011.Kenny, Kevin. “Irish Immigrants to the United States.” America.gov. America.gov, February 13, 2008. Web. February 10, 2011. Kinsella, Jim. “Irish Immigrants to America During the 19th Century.” Np, August 2008. Web. February 3, 2011. .Mintz, S. “The Irish Potato Famine.” Digital history. Np, February 9, 2011. Web. February 9, 2011. O'Grady, Joseph. How the Irish became Americans. Boston Massachusetts: Twayne Publishers, 1973. 31. Print. Gangs of New York. Real. Good morning Scorses. Miramax Film Corp. 2002, Movie. Thornton, Mark. “What caused the Irish potato famine?.” bets. Np, March 20, 2008. Web. March 4 2011.