The Irish Unrest
An Irish rebellion in 1798, led to Ireland becoming incorporated into the United Kingdom. This meant that Ireland was now dominated by English rule. The constituents of Ireland divided into two main groups; the nationalists, who supported an independent republic, and the conservatives, who favored the union. The Act of Union of 1801 sparked discrimination against religions, controversy over English influence, and rebellion from inhabitants that favored an independent republic.
Religion was a main issue that came to a head when the Act of Union of 1801 was integrated. Protestants that originally settled in Ireland began to out lash at the government for not incorporating religion into the constitution. Document 2 references Protestants claiming inheritance of the constitution due to their ancestors fight for a Protestant government. Even though Protestants claimed a Protestant government, Document 9 references four provinces that are mostly dominated by Roman Catholics. Protestants did not only claim the constitution, but reflected hostility onto Catholicism. The Nationalist journalist, William Bulfin, in Document 10 believed that with a Protestant government, Catholicism would cease to exist in the country. Contrary to believers of Protestant rule, Document 11 references that others argued that since Protestants were not the majority they were not more influential than other minorities. Once the union formed, English influence and rule become a huge part of Ireland and how the country operated. The conservative party, although the minority, believed that home rule would ultimately lead to the destruction of the country and put the disloyal, dishonest, and thriftless people in charge. As Documents 7 and 12 reference the consequences of home rule, Document 1 plainly states that Ireland’s success rests in the hands of English rule. John Wilson Croker, in Document 5, believed that all civilized and successful aspects of Ireland were direct effects of English’s influence on Ireland.