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AOH in America Brothers, Greeting: Be it known that to you and to all whom it may concern that we send to our few brothers in New York full instructions with our authority to establish branches of our society in America. The qualifications for membership must be as follows: All the members must be good Catholics, and Irish or of Irish descent, and of good and moral character, and none of your members shall join any secret societies contrary to the laws of the Catholic Church, and all times and at all places your motto shall be: ‘Friendship, Unity, and True Christian Charity" * * *. This letter concluded with the date: "This fourth day of May, in the year of our Lord, 1836", and it is signed by fourteen officers representing the organization in Ireland, Scotland, and England. In the beginnings of its existence, the local AOH Divisions were havens for the men of the race coming to America. It was at the Division's meeting place that the immigrant met men whose interests were in common with his, men who extended the hand of brotherhood, who gave counsel and assistance, who made smooth his way and enabled him to provide a better livelihood for himself and his family. In those early years when the spirit of discrimination was rampant, it was within our Divisions that measures were taken to combat and nullify those influences that denied our people the rights accorded others. The divisions were centers for keeping alive Irish nationality and Irish ideals; for caring for the sick, the weak and defenseless; and for doing everything possible to correct the false impressions which were being spread, broadcast by the alien government in justification of its savage oppression of our people. The Nativist Riots On Friday, May 3, 1844, the American Nativist Party, (aka American Republican Party), set up a platform in the almost one hundred percent Irish Third Ward of Kensington, a Philadelphia suburb. Speakers delivered tirades against the Irish, the Pope,. the Catholic Church, and the immigrants. The theme was that "a set of citizens, German and Irish, wanted to get the Constitution of the U. S. into their own hands and sell it to a foreign power. " The crowd jeered and began to tear down the platform. The Nativists retreated temporarily. Philadelphia was a hotbed of nativism for years. The American Nativist Party allied itself with the American Protestant Association in propagating a conspiracy theory: the Pope was planning to take over America. The Irish were considered the most dangerous immigrants since they had demonstrated loyalty to the Pope through centuries of persecution and might rise on a signal from Rome for either a bloody conquest or a political takeover at the ballot box. The Nativists who retreated from Kensington on May 3 returned on May 6, now three thousand strong. Speakers raised the flag and ranted about foreign religious influence in politics. Few Irish were in attendance since they had been told at Sunday Mass to go about their business and avoid confrontation. When a speaker called the Irish "scum unloaded on American wharfs," the only disruption was humorous: an Irish carter, with an innocent air, dumped a load of dirt a dozen feet from the platform. Heavy rain sent the crowd scurrying around the corner to take shelter in Nanny Goat Market. When a speaker jumped onto a stall and continued with inflammatory remarks, fighting broke out. The odds of only 30 Irish against 3000 Nativist were improved when other Irish started sniping from buildings. Many were injured on both sides and two Nativists were fatally wounded. The sheriff and his deputies, who carried only clubs, not guns, were ineffective. The Nativists broke into houses, tore apart furniture, destroyed buildings, beat residents, and drove Irish families into the woods at night. Two more Nativists were killed during attacks on a seminary and a church. The next day the Nativist press called on all good Americans to defend themselves against the "the bloody hand of the Pope." Handbills asked every Nativist to come prepared to defend himself. The Nativists again marched on Kensington and gunfire was met with gunfire. The invaders spent the night burning down houses block by block. On Wednesday they brought their arson tactics to the weavers' streets. Some Irish Protestant weavers, who had first sided with their brothers of the loom rather than their brothers of the Orange Lodge, had second thoughts. To protect their homes and shops, and to show that they were "patriots," they displayed American flags and Native American insignia in their windows. Flushed with victory, the Nativists again attacked and burned to the ground St. Michael's Church and rectory, as well as St. Charles Seminary. They cheered a falling steeple, while a fife and drum group played "Boyne Water. " With little left to burn in Kensington, they marched back to Philadelphia and burned down St. Augustine's Church. On the way they passed a German Catholic Church and never touched it. Rioting in Irish Kensington was one thing, but rioting in elite Philadelphia was another, especially when the Mayor was stoned as he tried to calm the mobs. Martial law was enforced for a week. Troops guarded churches. Dublin-born Bishop Francis Kenrick tried to defuse the situation by closing all churches on the Sunday after the attacks. Declaring that it was better to let all churches burn than shed one drop of blood, he counseled Catholics to take no action and offer no resistance. He also asked his flock to trust the better instincts of the government leaders who were making arrests and having jury trials. The bishop had illusions. The all non-Irish and non-Catholic juries acquitted every Nativist and convicted Irish Catholics. The grand jury blamed the Irish for the riots; the alien and ignorant customs of the lowborn Irish were a provocation to good clean-living Americans. Following several threats from hostile crowds, the parishoners of St. Philip Neri Church in Southwark, another Philadelphia suburb, got permission from the governor to form a militia and draw twenty muskets from the arsenal. Thousands of enraged nativists marched on Southwark a day after they had shown their strength with a gigantic July 4 parade; a parade that was very pro-American, very anti-Irish, and very anti-Catholic. St. Philip's was doomed. The sheriff confiscated the arms of its Irish defenders. He didn't dare confiscate the arms of the Nativists, or the cannons they brought from the docks. The sheriff accepted the offer of the Nativist leaders to guard the church if the defenders left. This was like letting the fox guard the chickens. The Irish were badly beaten as they were evacuated. The crowds thronged in, set fires, slashed holy pictures, destroyed valuable paintings, and desecrated holy objects. The militia general who belatedly tried to stop the destruction had his troops fired on and killed. A later commission of inquiry blamed the general for favoring immigrants and trampling on the rights of native Americans. As the attacks continued in Philadelphia, Nativists threatened New York City. Tyrone-born Bishop John Hughes told the Nativist Mayor James Harper that he was sending Irish volunteers to defend the churches and that, if one Catholic church was burned, "New York would be another Moscow." "Dagger-John" was known to be a man of his word and no churches were burned. Thousands of Hibernians heeded the call and surrounded old St. Patrick's Church. Archbishop Hughes was also instrumental in stopping the "Draft Riots" of 1863. He spoke on July 17, 1863, "I thank God that I came to this country, where no oppression exists. If you are Irishmen--and your enemies say the rioters are Irishmen--I am also an Irishman, but not a rioter. If you are Catholics, as they have reported--then I am Catholic too...Ireland has been the mother of heroes and poets, but never the mother of cowards." St. Patrick's Day Parades The first St. Patrick's Day parade took place not in Ireland, but in the United States. Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City on March 17, 1762. Along with their music, the parade helped the soldiers to reconnect with their Irish roots, as well as fellow Irishmen serving in the English army. Over the next thirty-five years, Irish patriotism among American immigrants flourished, prompting the rise of so-called "Irish Aid" societies, like the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick and the Hibernian Society The obligation to march in the St. Patrick's Day parade was often written into the requirements for membership in the AOH. The Irish used the parade to demonstrate how they could take care of their own and look just as prosperous as the English. Marching in front of City Hall and being reviewed by the mayor and city officials showed the political might of the organized Irish. In 1853, the Order was chartered by the state of New York and also appeared in its first St. Patrick's Day parade under the name Ancient Order of Hibernians. From this date on, the A.O.H. played a dominant role in the development of the parade and was ultimately destined to assume total responsibility for the parade tradition. The Irish proclaimed their pride and power in parades through out America. By the 1870's, the AOH was the main organizer of the parades in most areas. For many immigrants, the parade heightened their sense of ethnic identity and their emotional links to their homeland. Batt O'Connor from County Kerry remembered, "In the emotion I felt walking as one of that vast crowd of Irish emigrants celebrating our national festival, I awoke to the full consciousness of my love for my country." Writing in 1923, former National Historian John O'Dea stated: "The feature of the Order which impressed the public in the early days of our American annals was the great procession on St. Patrick's Day. The romantic attachment for their native land and the precepts of Ribbonism1 had made a reverence for the immortal apostle a part of the creed of every Irishman. For almost fifty years these St. Patrick's Day processions were the chief public functions of the Order, not only in New York City, but in every city where the Order had found a foothold." During the July 4, 1853 Independence Day parade in New York, members of the A.O.H. were attacked at Abingdon Square when a wagon and team of horses were driven into the marchers and bloody fighting broke out between the Hibernians and elements of the "Know Nothing" organizations led by the shameful bigot Bill Poole. With "Know Nothing" attack a genuine threat, an unusually large number of Irish units of the state militia, including the 69th, the 9th, and the 72nd regiments, as well as many volunteer units, acted as escort to the parade on the following March 17th. Protection of their community in general, and of the marchers in particular, motivated these men (many of whom were A.O.H. members). Their demeanor stood in striking contrast to the proverbial Irish faults of violence, indolence, and intemperance with which the popular media of the time portrayed them. The inclusion of these military units helped transform the St. Patrick's Day procession into the parade we recognize today. St. Patrick's Day started as a religious occasion, became a political event in the late 1800's and has now become a day of entertainment both in Ireland and the United States. Division and Unity The association rapidly increased in membership, but, after a few years, factions arose. They vainly attempted to heal the breach by consultation among themselves, and then referred their difficulties to the present writer, who was selected as arbitrator. Mr. P.J. O'Connor, of Savannah, Georgia, was national president of the faction called, "The Ancient Order of Hibernians of America", and Rev. E. S. Phillips, of the Diocese of Scranton, national delegate of the other faction, called "The Ancient Order of Hibernians of the Board of Erin". The arbitrator, after several months' deliberation with the principal leaders of both organizations successfully adjusted all difficulties, and the unified body became henceforth known as "The Ancient Order of Hibernians in America". This union was ratified at the national convention held at Trenton, New Jersey, from 27 June to 1 July, 1898. Preamble of constitution revised and adopted at the national convention held at Indianapolis, Ind., 21-26 July, 1908: The members of The Ancient Order of Hibernians in America declare that the intent and purpose of the Order is to promote Friendship, Unity and Christian Charity among its members by raising or supporting a fund of money for maintaining the aged, sick, blind and infirm members, for the payment of funeral benefits, for the advancement of the principles of Irish nationality, for the legitimate expenses of the Order, and for no other purpose whatsoever. The motto of this Order is Friendship, Unity and Christian Charity. Friendship shall consist of helping one another and in assisting each other to the best of our power. Unity, in combining together for mutual support in sickness and distress. Christian Charity, in loving one another and doing to all men as we would wish that they should do unto us. (1) This Order is to be formed exclusively of practical Catholics. Therefore, each member is expected to comply with all his Christian duties. (2) Should any of the members fail in the above, and instead of giving edification and encouragement, become a stumbling block and a disgrace to the Organization, such a one, after proper charitable admonition, unless there be an amendment in his conduct, shall be expelled from the Order. (3) In order, however, that all may be done with justice, Christian Charity and edification, there shall be in each county a Chaplain, appointed by the Ordinary of the Diocese, to be consulted by the Division before determining anything relating to morality or religion. (4) The Chaplain in each county shall see that nothing is done or countenanced within his jurisdiction which is contrary to the laws of the Catholic Church, the decrees of the Plenary Councils of Baltimore, and the Synodical Constitutions of the Diocese. In any difficulty or doubt which he may not be able to solve, he shall consult the Ordinary of the Diocese. (5) All Divisions of this Order shall adopt the foregoing preamble, and their special Constitution and By-Laws shall be in harmony with the Constitution and By-Laws of this Order. The constitution of 1908 gives full directions regarding the government of the organization and the manner of joining it. Article XXXV, sect. 1, treats of the place of joining the order: "Members of this Order shall join and belong to a Division in the city or town in which they reside if the Order exists therein or in the nearest locality in which a Division is located."
1 (RIBBONISM, the name given to an Irish secret-society movement, which began at the end of the 18th century in opposition to the Orangemen, and which was represented by various associations under different names, organized in lodges, and recruited all over Ireland. The actual name of Ribbonism (from a green badge worn by its members) became attached to the movement later, about 1826; and, after it had grown to its height about 1855, it declined in force, and was practically at an end in its old form when in 1871 the Westmeath Act declared Ribbonism illegal.) Under the names of Rapparees, Whiteboys, Defenders,Ribbonmen, etc., the Confederation of Kilkenny was carried on through the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries until the nineteenth. At various times the duties of these organizations were subject to local conditions. Thus the Defenders were occupied protecting themselves and their priests against the hostility of the Penal Laws, engaging in armed conflict with the Orangemen in the north, while the Whiteboys were waging war against the atrocities of landlordism in the south. Between these two organizations there was a secret code, which operated until they were combined, under the name of Ribbonmen, in the early nineteenth century. The contentions of the Whiteboys regarding Irish landlordism have since been acknowledged to be just, and have been enacted into statutes. The Defenders joined with Wolf Tone in the formation of the United Irishmen. About 1825 the Ribbonmen changed their name to St. Patrick's Fraternal Society, and branches were established in England and Scotland under the name of the Hibernian Funeral Society.
Ann Bradley, History of the Irish in America, New Jersey, Chartwell Books, 1986.
David Brownstone, Irish American Heritage, New York, Facts on File, 1989.
Michael Coffey, ed, The Irish in America, New York, Hyperion, 1997.
Maureen Dezell, Irish America Coming into Clover, New York, Double Day, 2001.
Joseph Dunn & P.J. Lennox, eds., The Glories of Ireland, Washington, D.C., Phoenix Limited, 1914
Michael Glazier, ed, Encyclopedia of the Irish in America, Notre Dame,
IN, Univ. of Notre Dame Press, 1999.
Charles Mindel, ed., Ethnic Families in America, New York, Elsevier
Scientific Publishing, 1976.
Kerby Miller, Out of Ireland, Washington, DC, Elliott and Clark, 1994.
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