Summary
In an appealing manner, Polish Immigrants describes early immigration, the terrible conditions in Poland, the effect of inducements from America, and the changing conditions in the United States and their effect on Polish Americans. The many problems new arrivals faced are explored and the group’s history is then traced. Concluding with a look at Polish Americans in the present day, this book covers recent immigration numbers, census data on Americans with Polish ethnic background, Polish-American communities in U.S. cities today, present-day ties between Polish Americans and Poland, and attempts by Polish Americans to promote cultural heritage.
History covered includes:
- Poland and Polish immigrants during World War II
- Polish refugees’ attempts to assimilate into American culture
- The evolution of a Polish-American consciousness
- Economic factors in Poland that drew people to America after martial law was declared there in the early 1980s
- The low value of Polish currency, problems for illegal immigrants, and the formation of mutual aid societies and charitable organizations in the United States.
- Polish cultural contributions to U.S. society.