Today, we remember the iconic Kennedy family as the vanguard of wealth, power, and style rather than as the descendants of poor immigrants. Here we meet the first American Kennedys, Patrick and Bridget, who arrived as thousands of others did following the Great Famine - penniless and hungry. Patrick's sudden death left Bridget to raise their children single-handedly. Her rise from housemaid to shop owner kept her family intact, allowing her son P.J. to become a successful businessman. P.J. went on to become the first American Kennedy elected to public office - the first of many.