Presentation on Irish-American Soldiers and Massachusetts' "Fighting Ninth" Infantry

The Ninth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was a unit of Irish Bostonians who chose to bear arms for the Union. Boston’s Irish American soldiers exhibited their loyalty to the United States and acted as citizens, strengthening their identity as Americans in the process.

The wartime experiences of Irish Americans helped bring about recognition of their full citizenship through naturalization, and also caused the United States to pressure Britain to abandon its centuries-old policy of refusing to recognize the naturalization of British subjects abroad.

Christian G. Samito, who will speak on the “Fighting Ninth,” earned a law degree from Harvard Law School and a doctorate in American history from Boston College. His most recent book is Becoming American Under Fire: Irish Americans, African Americans, and the Politics of Citizenship during the Civil War Era. He teaches at Boston College and Boston University School of Law and practices law.

Event info provided by BPL.