During the American Civil War, a large number of Irish Catholic immigrants that had left Ireland after the Potato Famine of 1848 volunteered for service in the Union Army. Many of the Irish immigrants blamed the British government for the famine that hit Ireland and had unsuccessfully tried to rebel against British Sovereignty in Ireland before leaving. One such Irish immigrant was Brigadier General Thomas Francis Meagher. The following quotes below are by him in reference to the United States: "Be it for the defence, or be it for the assertion of a nation's liberty, I look upon the sword as a sacred weapon [...]by its redeeming magic the fettered colony became a daring, free Republic."
— Thomas Francis Meagher, 1847
It is not only our duty to America, but also to Ireland. We could not hope to succeed in our effort to make Ireland a Republic without the moral and material support of the liberty-loving citizens of these United States.
— Thomas Francis Meagher, 1861
In reference to the quotes above, what is the most likely reason for the Union support by Irish Immigrants during the American Civil War?
a. Irish immigrants wanted to prevent the Confederacy from developing closer ties to Great Britain.
b. Irish immigrants feared that if the Union lost the war the victorious Confederates would deport them back to Ireland.
c. Irish immigrants viewed the United States as a nation that had achieved freedom from Great Britain and saw this freedom as an example for a future Irish nation free of British rule.
d. Irish immigrants desired to show the British how well the Irish soldier performed on the battlefield.