the most polish immigrants came to america from 1870 to 1914.
the most polish immigrants came to america from 1870 to 1914.
when did the most polish immigrants come to america?
from 1870 to 1914
historians divide polish american immigration into three "waves", the largest from 1870 to 1914, a second after world war ii, and a third after poland's independence in 1989. most polish americans are descended from the first wave, when millions of poles fled polish districts of germany, russia, and austria. this group is often called the "" (for bread) immigrants because most were peasants in poland who did not own land and lacked basic subsistence. the austrian poles were from galicia, unarguably the most destitute region in europe at the time. up to a third of the poles returned to poland after living in the united states for a few years, but the majority stayed. substantial research and sociological works such as "the polish peasant in europe and america" found that many polish immigrants shared a common objective of someday owning land in the u.s. or back in poland. anti-slavic legislation cut polish immigration from 1921 to world war ii, but opened up after world war ii to include many displaced persons from the holocaust. a third wave, much smaller, came in 1989 when poland was freed from communist rule.
history of the poles in the united states
official records of the number of polish immigrants to the united states are highly inconsistent. a general estimate of over 2 million polish immigrants is generally stated. reports as high as 4 million polish immigrants to the united states has been written, which could be possible if non-polish immigrants is considered in the total. polish immigrants were categorized by u.s. immigration agents by nation of origin, usually austria, prussia, or russia (between 1898 and 1919, there was no polish nation). immigrants during this time were allowed to write or say their "race or people" to an agent. documents report 1.6 million immigrants arriving between 1821 and 1924 self-reported as being of "polish race". this is considered an undercount, caused by misinterpretation of the question. ellis island officials checked immigrants for weapons and criminal inclinations. in an 1894 news article, ellis island inspectors identify daggers found on several polish immigrants as a reason for increased inspection techniques.
history of the poles in the united states