The Great Famine that took place in Ireland was a tragic event in which.
Ireland produced enough food for twice it's.
population, yet thousands of Irish people died of starvation. The Irish lived.
descent lives until the English came and settled in Ireland. The major conflict was.
the differences of religions, the majority of Ireland was Catholic, but the new.
English settlers were Protestant. This conflict lead to complete chaos and.
destruction in Ireland. .
.
In the 1690's the English developed Penal Laws to repress the Irish. These.
laws basically took away most all of the Irish families rights. They could not own a.
weapon, they were forbidden to receive an education, enter a profession, vote, hold.
public office, practice their religion, attend Catholic worship, engage in trade or.
commerce, purchase land, lease land, receive a gift of land or inherit land from a.
Protestant, rent land worth more than thirty shillings a year, own a horse of.
greater value than five pounds, be the guardian to a child, educate their own.
children or send a child abroad to receive an education. .
.
During this time period Britain was laissez-faire. They didn't think that it.
was the governments job to provide aid for its citizens, or to interfere with the.
free market of goods or trade. In Ireland the price of crops doubled and the price.
of potatoes were ridiculous. In the mean time, Britain was exporting Irelands.
grain crops. The Irish wanted the British to stop exporting grain but import grain. .
This was a problem though because the request went against the doctrine.
Laissez-faire. Britain had to pay a high tax on foreign crops brought into Britain.
under this doctrine. .
Parliament passed the Poor Law Act in 1838. Under this act, the poverty.
stricken citizens were able to go to workhouses. These workhouses provided food.
and shelter for the people, but the conditions of these work houses were horrid. .
The conditions to enter were so strict that people would only go to them as a last.
