The Easter Rising: Dublin 1916

On Easter Monday morning, April 24th, 1916, the Irish hatred of English domination, bottled up for hundreds of subservient years, exploded into an armed uprising. The uprising was led by the nationalist Sinn Fein group. It was perhaps one of the most courageous and foolhardy acts of aggression of all time. The position was hopeless from the start; there were too few men, not enough weapons, and too much opposition. Within twenty-one days nearly all the leaders were dead. Yet within ten years of the Rising, Ireland had practically won freedom, and twenty years later had succeeded in cutting itself off entirely from English domination. Eire today owes its existence to the men who fought in the Easter Rising. This primary source portfolio not only covers the days of the Rising, with documents and an illustrated diary of events, but also fills in the background on the conditions leading up to the Rising, and follows up the fight for independence into the 1920s. This portfolio includes a Study Guide with reproducible student activities. 6 Illustrated Broadsheet Essays: * The Irish Problem * Men and Movements * Years of Crisis * Patriots and Legends * The Rising * The Aftermath 11 Primary Source Documents: * Recruiting poster for the Fianna Eireann, 1914 * Open letter from Francis Sheehy Skeffington to Thomas MacDonagh, May, 1915 * Ticket for a raffle in aid of the Irish Volunteers' Equipment Fund * The Proclamation of the Irish Republic, put out "on behalf of the Provisional Government" on April 24, 1916 * Order from Commandant-General James Connolly * The Irish War News, Volume I, Number 1, issued by the rebels on April 25, 1916 * Surrender order signed by the leaders of the Rising, April 29th, 1916 * Two pages from the Irish Independent, April 26th to May 4th, 1916 * Appeal drafted by Eamon De Valera "To the President and Congress of the United States" June 18, 1917 * Sinn Fein manifesto for the 1918 General Election: censored and uncensored versions * Easter Week: a pictorial diary of events