Think about it: if you came to a country and saw the class of people in power abusing another group, and your place in relation to both groups was uncertain, wouldn’t you want to align yourself with the powerful group, and wouldn’t you be tempted to abuse the other to show your allegiance? As they fought to be considered more white than black, Irish people gained a reputation in black neighborhoods as brutal enforcers of the racial hierarchy, attacking those beneath them to ensure their place. “Irish attacks on blacks became so common in New York City that bricks were known as Irish confetti,”
...more
