The Irish-American contribution to popular entertainment is reflected in the careers of figures such as James Cagney, Bing Crosby, Walt Disney, John Ford, Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Grace Kelly, Tyrone Power, Chuck Conners, Ada Rehan, Jena Malone, and Spencer Tracy.he Irish-American contribution to politics spans the entire ideological spectrum. Two prominent American socialists, Mary Harris Mother Jones and Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, were Irish Americans. In the 1960s, Irish-American writer Michael Harrington became an influential advocate of social welfare programs.
The foreign-born population was less than 20 million or 7.9 percent of the total population in 1990, according to the Census Bureau. The bureau says the first âgreat waveâ of immigration took place between 1880 and 1930, when the foreign-born population represented between 12 and 15 percent of the total population.
Large-scale Mexican migration to the United States began in the early 20 th century, motivated by labor demands in the United States and political unrest in Mexico. Throughout the 20 th century, major reforms to the U.S. immigration system played a role in shaping the size and character of Mexican immigration flows.