Irish in America

爱尔兰裔天主教徒（Irish Catholics)在美国直到二战前都是非常受歧视的。因为美国是个基督教为主的国家。这是事实。肯尼迪的父亲是先发了财，买了官，然后培养了自己的儿子从政。在当时的环境下，肯尼迪能选上总统还是很不容易。大概相当于现在犹太候选人当选总统一样。至于下面说的美国很多英裔总统，绝大多数是苏格兰裔，地位比爱尔兰天主教徒地位高得多，而且很多都是英国的贵族后代。

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Americans

Irish Catholics were popular targets for stereotyping in the 19th century. According to historian George Potter, the media often stereotyped the Irish in America as being boss-controlled, violent (both among themselves and with those of other ethnic groups), voting illegally, prone to alcoholism and dependent on street gangs that were often violent or criminal. Potter quotes contemporary newspaper images: