Encyclopedia o f Chicago
Historical Source
Historical Source
I
"Irishmen Attention!," Campaign Poster, 1887

"Irishmen Attention!," Campaign Poster, 1887
This campaign poster captures some of the complexities of nineteenth-century ethnic politics in Chicago. The fusing of identities as "white" and "American" established a framework for difficult relations between Irish and African American Chicagoans. But Irish Catholic hostility toward "Orangemen" could be an even sharper political wedge.