Examines how the Irish American community, the American public, and the American government played a crucial role in the making of a sovereign independent Ireland
America and the Making of an Independent Ireland centres on the diplomatic relationship between Ireland and the United States at the time of Irish Independence and World War I. Beginning with the Rising of 1916, Francis M. Carroll chronicles how Irish Americans responded to the movement for Irish independence and pressuring the US government to intervene on the side of Ireland.
Carroll’s in-depth analysis demonstrates that Irish Americans after World War I raised funds for the Dáil Éireann government and for war relief, while shaping public opinion in favor of an independent nation. The book illustrates how the US government was the first power to extend diplomatic recognition to Ireland and welcome it into the international community.
Overall, Carroll argues that the existence of the state of Ireland is owed to considerable effort and intervention by Irish Americans and the American public at large.
"A major contribution to the study of Irish nationalism, Carroll's impressive and magisterial analysis of Irish and American relationships between 1916 and 1928 demonstrates that American diplomatic recognition of the Irish Free State was a major contribution to its standing by helping to establish its legitimacy after the Irish Civil War." — Maureen Murphy, Professor Emerita of Teaching, Learning and Technology, Hofstra University
