The first St. Patrick's Day parade took place in New York City in 1762, only 14 years before the Declaration of Independence. It was organized by Irish soldiers serving with the British army.
During the Potato Famine of 1845-1846, close to a million Irish immigrants fled to America to escape starvation.
But they didn't find easy acceptance here.
When Irish Americans celebrated St. Patrick's Day, newspapers portrayed them in cartoons as drunken, violent monkeys.
However, the Irish Americans refused to let prejudice defeat them. They started to organize politically, and their voting bloc, the "green machine," was influential in deciding local and national elections.
Annual St. Patrick's Day parades became must-attend events for a slew of political candidates. In 1948 President Truman attended New York City's St. Patrick's Day parade, a proud moment for the Irish.
Wearing of the green goes global
Today in Ireland, the traditional religious observances are accompanied by events designed to attract tourism. Last year close to one million people took part in the St. Patrick's Festival in Dublin, a multi-day celebration featuring parades, concerts, outdoor theater productions, and fireworks shows.
St. Patrick's Day is celebrated by people of all backgrounds in the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Although North America is home to the largest events, St. Patrick's Day has been celebrated in other locations far from Ireland, including Japan, Singapore, and Russia.
