Uploaded March 2025 | Updated September 2026, 16 hours ago
Their history goes deeper than St Patrick's Day parades. Irish Americans weren’t always seen as white. In the 19th century, they were depicted as inferior, even compared to apes in racial hierarchies. This forgotten history shaped their place in America—here’s what really happened.
00:00 The Index of Nigrescence
00:48 Erased History: The "Irishman" in 19th Century Media
01:34 Connecting to My Own Irish Roots
02:05 Phrenology: The Mainstream Science of Racism
03:12 John Beddoe’s Scale of Blackness
04:13 "Human Chimpanzees": British Political Propaganda
04:55 "No Irish Need Apply": The Hostility in America
06:24 The Shift from Marginalized to Mainstream
07:13 Why This History Still Matters Today
Sources:
H. W. H. “The Races of Britain.” Science, vol. 7, no. 155, 1886, pp. 84–86. JSTOR, jstor.org/stable/1762109. Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.
L.P. Curtis, Anglo-Saxons and Celts: A Study of Anti-Irish Prejudice in Victorian England (1968)
Nancy Stepan, The Idea of Race in Science: Great Britain, 1800-1960
Coates, James, Ph.D., F.A.S, and Mcmanus-Young Collection. Phrenology Made Easy. New York: F.M. Lupton, 1894. Pdf. loc.gov/item/93131464
✅Connect with Danielle
👕 NYTN Merch: nytonashville.com
☕Send me a coffee!: ko-fi.com/nytn13#linkModal
📱 Connect on Patreon: patreon.com/NYTN
► 📝 My Free Weekly Newsletter: nytonashville.com/connect
▶Download the first section FREE of my "Be a Good ancestor" course here:
nytonashville.com/shoplola/be-a-good-ancestor-course-digital-download-videos-bjks6
FOLLOW ME 📸
► YouTube: / @NYTN
► Facebook: / facebook.com/findinglolafilm
► Website: nytonashville.com
► X: / twitter.com/ImFindingLola
OTHER VIDEO PLAYLISTS
► Melungeon + Redbones: youtube.com/watch?v=LyLd8rizXCQ&list=PLvzaW1c7S5hS0duqgK5mkBh_9aqIpbooI
► "Who Counts as..." Series in the US: youtube.com/watch?v=yUbLF-tgbB0&list=PLvzaW1c7S5hRisWeiK9K5E8X7asZdz4X1
► Italian American Experience: youtube.com/watch?v=mGCvUFF4-_M&list=PLvzaW1c7S5hRqNP0hfcOXGRuhqgJ0nPZ1
► Mexicans youtube.com/watch?v=IwJyAwnx39Y&list=PLvzaW1c7S5hSU0OWM1p4QUln0iBpI77wf
► Enslaved Ancestor stories youtube.com/watch?v=uAxyz0q0A4s&list=PLvzaW1c7S5hQxDnyRTah5wYRX9b4FSrqR
► My family story of white passing : youtube.com/watch?v=SQp7jeNp_yg&list=PLvzaW1c7S5hQcox9CjaJWA7QKTYXw9Zn2
--------
Come join me on a new docu-series that explores identity, racial tensions in the South during the 20th century, and the unique experiences of those who historically called Louisiana home.
My name is Danielle Romero, and all my life, I have romanticized Louisiana.
Growing up in New York, it represented a place where I could step back the sepia-toned life of my great grandmother, Lola Perot, who died before I was born.
Now, it was time to go back to Louisiana--although I had no idea what the truth would be or what questions to ask---who was Lola really? Who were we?
*Amazon links are affiliate links. If buy something through these links, we may earn affiliate commission. Thank you for supporting this project!
Their history goes deeper than St Patrick's Day parades. Irish Americans weren’t always seen as white. In the 19th century, they were depicted as inferior, even compared to apes in racial hierarchies. This forgotten history shaped their place in America—here’s what really happened.
00:00 The Index of Nigrescence
00:48 Erased History: The "Irishman" in 19th Century Media
01:34 Connecting to My Own Irish Roots
02:05 Phrenology: The Mainstream Science of Racism
03:12 John Beddoe’s Scale of Blackness
04:13 "Human Chimpanzees": British Political Propaganda
04:55 "No Irish Need Apply": The Hostility in America
06:24 The Shift from Marginalized to Mainstream
07:13 Why This History Still Matters Today
Sources:
H. W. H. “The Races of Britain.” Science, vol. 7, no. 155, 1886, pp. 84–86. JSTOR, jstor.org/stable/1762109. Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.
L.P. Curtis, Anglo-Saxons and Celts: A Study of Anti-Irish Prejudice in Victorian England (1968)
Nancy Stepan, The Idea of Race in Science: Great Britain, 1800-1960
Coates, James, Ph.D., F.A.S, and Mcmanus-Young Collection. Phrenology Made Easy. New York: F.M. Lupton, 1894. Pdf. loc.gov/item/93131464
✅Connect with Danielle
👕 NYTN Merch: nytonashville.com
☕Send me a coffee!: ko-fi.com/nytn13#linkModal
📱 Connect on Patreon: patreon.com/NYTN
► 📝 My Free Weekly Newsletter: nytonashville.com/connect
▶Download the first section FREE of my "Be a Good ancestor" course here:
nytonashville.com/shoplola/be-a-good-ancestor-course-digital-download-videos-bjks6
FOLLOW ME 📸
► YouTube: / @NYTN
► Facebook: / facebook.com/findinglolafilm
► Website: nytonashville.com
► X: / twitter.com/ImFindingLola
OTHER VIDEO PLAYLISTS
► Melungeon + Redbones: youtube.com/watch?v=LyLd8rizXCQ&list=PLvzaW1c7S5hS0duqgK5mkBh_9aqIpbooI
► "Who Counts as..." Series in the US: youtube.com/watch?v=yUbLF-tgbB0&list=PLvzaW1c7S5hRisWeiK9K5E8X7asZdz4X1
► Italian American Experience: youtube.com/watch?v=mGCvUFF4-_M&list=PLvzaW1c7S5hRqNP0hfcOXGRuhqgJ0nPZ1
► Mexicans youtube.com/watch?v=IwJyAwnx39Y&list=PLvzaW1c7S5hSU0OWM1p4QUln0iBpI77wf
► Enslaved Ancestor stories youtube.com/watch?v=uAxyz0q0A4s&list=PLvzaW1c7S5hQxDnyRTah5wYRX9b4FSrqR
► My family story of white passing : youtube.com/watch?v=SQp7jeNp_yg&list=PLvzaW1c7S5hQcox9CjaJWA7QKTYXw9Zn2
--------
Come join me on a new docu-series that explores identity, racial tensions in the South during the 20th century, and the unique experiences of those who historically called Louisiana home.
My name is Danielle Romero, and all my life, I have romanticized Louisiana.
Growing up in New York, it represented a place where I could step back the sepia-toned life of my great grandmother, Lola Perot, who died before I was born.
Now, it was time to go back to Louisiana--although I had no idea what the truth would be or what questions to ask---who was Lola really? Who were we?
*Amazon links are affiliate links. If buy something through these links, we may earn affiliate commission. Thank you for supporting this project!
