St. Patricks Day is a longstanding national tradition that has been around for centuries, however many people question its relevance in modern-day celebrations due to the lack of knowledge about the holiday and its historical significance.

St. Patrick’s Day was first celebrated in the year 1600 at St. Augustine, Florida, and was originally intended to commemorate Ireland’s patron saint, St. Patrick. The religious tales of St. Patrick describes him as a slave who was forcibly taken from Roman Britain to Ireland as a slave during the 4th century. Although St. Patrick did eventually escape Ireland, he soon returned and was accredited for converting parts of Ireland towards Christianity.

When St. Patrick’s day was first celebrated, Ireland began to face economic hardships, which ultimately led to the Great Famine. In turn, many Irish citizens began to emigrate to the United States during the 19th century to seek refuge.

At the time, many Americans discriminated against the Irish immigrants because of religion. America was a mostly Protestant country, whereas many immigrants coming from Ireland were Catholic.

Irish immigrants began to find solace in the American celebrations of St. Patrick’s day and used the holiday as a way to share their culture and traditions with Americans. This led to a larger acceptance of Irish immigrants among American society, and helped pave the way for more acceptance for immigrants in general.