Polish Americans

Early Immigration

Polish immigrants were among the settlers at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1608 to help develop the colony's timber industry, but it was the Poles who came later in that century who made a lasting mark. The successful exploits of Polish immigrants such as cavalry officer Casimir Pulaski and military engineer Thaddeus Kosciuszko are still commemorated today in communities with large Polish American populations. Polish immigration did not become significant in comparison with the arrival of European American nationals until much later. Admittedly, it is difficult to document the exact size of this immigration because at various historical periods Poland, or parts of the country, became part of Austria-Hungary, Germany (Prussia), and the Soviet Union, and so the migrants were not officially coming from a nation called “Poland.”

Many of the Polish immigrants were adjusting not only to a new culture but also to a more urban way of life. Sociologists William I. Thomas and Florian Znaniecki, in their classic study The Polish Peasant in Europe and America, traced the path to the United States from rural Poland to urban America. Many of the peasants did not necessarily come directly to the United States but instead had traveled through other European countries. This pattern is not unique and reminds us that, even today, many immigrants have crossed several countries, sometimes establishing themselves for a period of time before finally settling in the United States.

Like other White ethnic groups, such as the Italians and Irish, Polish immigrants arrived at the large port cities of the East Coast, but unlike these other groups, Polish immigrants were more likely to settle in cities farther inland or to work in mines in Pennsylvania. In such areas, they would join kinfolk or acquaintances through the process of chain migration, a potent factor contributing to immigration anywhere in the world. In chain migration, one immigrant sponsors several other immigrants who, on their arrival, may sponsor still more immigrants. Immigration law in the United States favors people desiring to enter who already have relatives in the country; having others who can vouch for them financially may facilitate this sponsorship. But probably the most important aspect of chain migration is that it means the Polish arrivals anticipate knowing others already in the country who can help them to adjust to their new surroundings and find jobs, find places to live, and even find the kind of foods with which they are familiar.

...