Greek Immigration to the United States

1. Greek Immigration to the United States By Maura McCarthy and Ali Hassan

2. Typical Reasons for Immigration (and why the Greeks did not have these problems) Political – Many immigrants leave their homelands for political reasons, however, Greece is a very democratic country. There is no true political oppression and no harsh military requirements. Religious – Another typical reason to leave one’s native land is for religious persecution. In Greece, 98% of the population is Greek Orthodox. Muslims account for 1.3% and they do not suffer from any religious persecution. Social – The Greek society does have obvious social classes but they are mainly defined by wealth.

3. Why Greeks immigrated during “The Great Wave” (Economic Problems) 1. Greece is a primarily agricultural economy and secondarily mercantile. a. Agricultural methods were primitive b. The land was inadequately cultivated c. The natural landscape is very rocky and difficult to work with. d. Economy was completely dependent on one type of crop (currant).

4. E c o n o m i c P r o b l e m s C o n t i n u e d 2. Most Greeks lived in small towns a. These towns, for the most part, were very independent. b. The majority of families raised their own food/living materials c. Each man’s products were identical to his neighbors. Thus, internal commerce was non existent.

5. E c o n o m i c P r o b l e m s C o n t i n u e d Above: A boat off of the island of Crete. Right: A current Greek Highway. 3. Transportation facilities were inadequate a. Too much effort was required to transport items for a profit to be gained b. External trade was limited.

6. W h e n T h e y C a m e t o t h e U S • 1. The Great Wave a. More than 500,000 Greeks, mostly men b. 1890-1924 c. Great Wave ended with congressional legislation • 2. Closed Door period a. 30,000 Greeks, mostly brides of previously settled Greeks • b. 1925-1945 • 3. Postwar Migration • a. 75,000 Greeks. Most attend college/universities after legislation provided for immigrants under displaced persons acts • b. 1946-1965 • 4. The New Wave • a. 160,000 Greeks • b. Easier entrance if relative already settled in America. • 5. Current Phase • a. Declining immigration • b. 1980’s – approx. 2500 Greeks annually • c. 1990’s – approx. 1,500 Greeks annually • d. 2000 Census – 1,175,591 reported Greek ancestry

7. 1860-1890 -Majority CA, AR, NY, MA -Industrial Cities- NE, Midwest Settling Patterns • 1920s Settling Patterns • -Largest of 20th Century- NY • -Midwest-Detroit, Milwaukee, Cleveland • -South- TX, Tarpon Springs, FL • -Pacific Coast- Salt Lake City, San Francisco, CO, WY, ID, NV • Statistics: Greek 1st Generation Population Living in the US (Lerner 117) • 1870- 390 • 1880- 776 • 1890- 1,887 • 1900- 8,515 • 1910- 101,282 • 1920- 175,976 • 1930- 174,526 • 1950- 169,335 • 1960- 159,169

8. The Workplace • Occupations of 1st-generation immigrants: • Factory laborers, peddlers, busboys, bootblacks (Vecoli 588) • Padrone System- exploitative (Saloutos 52) • Savvy businessmen- development of professional class (1940s) • - doctors, lawyers, dentists, etc. (Saloutos 46) • -upwardly mobile -entrepreneurial abilities • -shoeshine business (Saloutos 48-49) • -candy manufacturing business (Vecoli 588)

9. Religious Traditions “Hellenism and Greek Orthodoxy-the one intertwined with the other-served as the cord that kept the immigrant attached to the mother country, nourished his patriotic appetites and helped him preserve the faith and language of his parents” (Vecoli 586). -Early churches grew out of “kinotitos” (communities) (Vecoli 586) -1864- 1st Church- New Orleans (Vecoli 586) -By 1930- approximately 200 churches (Moskos 337)

10. The Family • Ideal Family = patriarchal -man- husband, father, center, authority figure, -woman- wife, mother, preserver of culture (Vecoli 584) • Philotomo- “love of honor” -obligation to family/community (584) • Parents sacrifice great deal for children, strict discipline code (Moskos 339) • Common for parents to live w/ children, once parents elderly (Vecoli 584)

11. Continuation of Culture Extremely Important • Organizations for Cultural Preservation- (Voceli 593) -AHEPA (1922) -GOLPS (1931) • Greek Newspapers -1st- 1892- Boston -since then, more than 100 have appeared -New York daily- -conservative- Atlantis (1894-1971) -liberal- National Herald (1915-present) (Moskos 341)

12. American born generation begins to replace immigrants: ~ English introduced into liturgy in 1960’s ~ Women’s role in church increases ~ Increasing incorporation of non-Greeks through marriage A m e r i c a n i z a t i o n

13. Changing Traditions ~Used to hold wakes in home of deceased and have a meal following the funeral at the home. Now, the wake is held in a funeral home and meal is at a restaurant. ~Used to celebrate the name day of a child’s saint. Now they typically celebrate birthdays

14. G r e e k s T o d a y ~ Greeks initially made up the proletarian class right after the Great Wave. ~ In the 1920’s they began to open shops, own small businesses ~ Since 1960’s, Greeks have been an upwardly moving ethnic group. Their education has surpassed the levels of Americans of N. European decent. Greeks have also been very visible in Politics – Michael Dukakis, Paul Sarbanes, Olympia Snow.) Senator Paul Sarbanes from Maryland (YEAHHHH MARYLAND)

15. Famous Greeks Science and Technology-George Papnicolaou Literature- Mary Vardoulakis Journalism- Constantine Phasoularides Music- Dimitri Mitropoulos Education- Michael Anagnos Sports- Jimmy Londos (wrestling), Harry Agganis (baseball) Politics- Michael Dukakis, Paul Tsongas (Vecoli 591),(Moskos 337) Michael Dukakis Harry Agganis

16. Where are they now? Most Greeks live in the following cities: New York City- 250,000 Chicago – 120,000 Boston – 100,000 Los Angeles – 45,000 Detroit – 40,000 Philadelphia – 25,000 Baltimore – 20,000 Cleveland – 20,000 Pittsburg – 20,000

17. Today, Greeks continue to establish themselves as an influential ethnic group in the worlds of politics, arts, and humanities. At the same time, they have been able to uphold their cultural values.