Polish American

Polish-American refers to American citizens of Polish descent. More than 1 million Poles have migrated to the United States, most in the early 20th century. Exact immigration numbers are impossible to obtain, since after the partitions of Poland the state ceased to exist, while U.S. Census classified immigrants according to the country of origin, rather than etnhicity. In particular, this partition gave rise to the terms Russian Poles, German Poles and Austrian Poles, respectively, sometimes seen in the context of Polish immigration to the United States.

Immigration waves from Poland

When Poland lost independence at the end of 18th century in three partitions, Polish patriots, between them Kazimierz Pulaski and Tadeusz Kosciuszko left for America to fight for American Independence.

Related Topics:
Poland - 18th century - Partitions - Kazimierz Pulaski - Tadeusz Kosciuszko - American Independence

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While the first Polish arrived in America in 1608 at Jamestown, the largest portion of the Polish immigration to America was the early 20th century. More than 1.5 million Polish immigrants were processed at Ellis Island between 1899 and 1931. Estimating the number of Polish immigrants is made more difficult by the history of Poland and its frequent division between neighboring countries. Poland ranks tenth as a source of illegal immigrants to the U.S. with an estimated 70,000 in the early 21st century. http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art905.asp

Related Topics:
1608 - Jamestown - 20th century - Ellis Island

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