Thomas Zanslaur Lee,
Secretary-General.
Providence, R. I., April 1, 1909.
American Irish Historical Society.
PREAMBLE, CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS OF THE AMERICAN IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY ADOPTED AT THE ORGANIZATION MEETING JANUARY 20, 1897.
Preamble.
Believing that the part taken in the settlement, foundation and upbuilding of these United States by the Irish race has never received proper recognition from historians, and inspired by love for the republic, a pride in our blood and forefathers and a desire for historic truth, this Society has met and organized.
Its mission is to give a plain recital of facts, to correct errors, to supply omissions, to allay passion, to shame prejudice and to labor for right and truth.
While we as loyal citizens of this republic are earnestly interested in all the various phases of its history, we feel that we should be false to its honor and greatness and recreant to our own blood if we did not make a serious effort to leave to those generations which will follow us a clearer and better knowledge of the important work done by men and women of the Irish race on this continent.
People of this race—men and women born on Irish soil—have been here from the first, prompted in their flight by the motives common to all immigration, dissatisfaction with the old order of things and the resolve to obtain a freer and better life in the new land under new conditions.