Noel Ignatiev traces the tattered history of Irish and African-American relations, revealing how the Irish used unions, the Catholic Church and the Democratic party to help secure their newly found place in the White Republic. He explores and challenges the Irish tradition of labor protest and the Irish role in the wave of anti-Negro violence that swept the country in the 1830s and 1840s. The book provides a provocative recounting of the roles of northeastern urban politicians in the Irish triumph over nativism, which allowed for their entry into the "white race.".