Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Polish American shopping experience:

1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Polish American offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Polish American at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.

2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about

3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Polish American? Wrong! If the Polish American is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.

4. Questions - Got a question about Polish American then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....

5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Polish American? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Polish American and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.

6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Polish American wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.

7. Feedback - happy with your Polish American then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.

8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Polish American site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site

9. Contact - got a question about Polish American, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.

10. Payment - ready to pay for your Polish American, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.

{{Infobox Ethnic group|group = Polish American|image =


Kazimierz Pulaski • Warner Brothers • Martha Stewart
Karol Bobko • Wachowski brothers
Carl Yastrzemski • Dan Marino • Steve Wozniak, [Midwest, [Polish language|rels = Predominantly Roman Catholic with Protestant, Eastern Orthodox and Muslim minorities.] citizen of Poland descent. There are an estimated 10 million Americans of Polish descent. More than one million Poles migrated to the United States primarily during the early 20th century. Exact immigration numbers are unknown because, due to the partitions of Poland, the Polish state did not exist at a time when the precursor to the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service classified immigrants according to country of origin rather than to ethnicity. In particular, the Partitions of Poland gave rise to the terms Russian Poles, German and Austrian Poles, Polish Germans, respectively, as seen in the context of Polish immigration to the United States. According to the United States 2000 Census, 667,414 Americans of age 5 years and older reported Polish language as the language spoken at home, which is about 1.4% of people who speak languages other than English, or 0.25% of the U.S. population.

History monument in Washington, DC.

As Poland lost its independence at the end of the 18th century through the three Partitions of Poland, Polish patriots, among them Kazimierz Pułaski and Tadeusz Kościuszko, left for America to fight for American Revolutionary War.

While the first Polish immigrants arrived in America in 1608 at Jamestown, Virginia, the largest wave of Polish immigration to America occurred in the early 20th century. Officially, more than 1.5 million Polish immigrants were processed at Ellis Island between 1899 and 1931. Estimating the actual number of Polish immigrants is complicated by Poland's history of frequent division among 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.

Between 1870 and 1914, over 3.6 million people departed Polish territories (of whom 2.6 arrived in the U.S.).Aleksader Gieystezor, History of Poland (Warsaw: Polish Scientific Publishers, 1968) Pg. 585 Serfdom was abolished in Prussia in 1808, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1848 and Czarist Russia in 1861. Coupled with the beginnings of industrialization and commercial agriculture, and a population boom that exhausted available land, Polish peasant-farmers, once considered an immovable fixture of the land, were transformed into migrant-laborers. Initially, Polish emigrants came mainly from the German section of the partition, where they were targeted by Otto von Bismarck’s anti-Catholic Kulturkampf. After 1900, German Poles were outnumbered by migrations from Austrian and Russian Poland.

.The Russian section of the partition, Congress Poland, saw considerable industrialization, particularly the textile capital of Łódź (the Manchester of Russia), and the iron-foundries of Piotrków, but these declined after the Russo-Japanese War and the 1905 Revolution, leading to a mass-exodus, first to Germany, Denmark, France, and, eventually, the U.S., Canada, Brazil and Argentina. At its peak, in 1912-13, annual emigration to the U.S. from the Polish provinces of the Russian Empire exceeded 112,345 (including large numbers of Jews, Lithuanians, and Byelorussians). In the Polish provinces of Austrian Galicia (Central Europe), overwhelmingly rural but a source of labor in the mines and factories of Bohemia, Silesia, Moravia and Lower Austria, land shortages, crop failures and the loosening of travel restrictions led to another exodus, mainly to Germany, Austria proper, France and the United States. Caroline Golab, Immigrant Destinations (Temple University Press: Philadelphia, 1977) Pg. 94The 1910 census found more than 900,000 new immigrants who spoke Polish.http://memory.loc.gov/learn/features/immig/polish4.html

According to the United States 2000 Census, 667,414 Americans of age 5 years and older reported Polish as the language spoken at home, which is about 1.4% of people who speak languages other than English, or 0.25% of the U.S. population.

Occupations Lopata (1976) argues that Poles differed from most ethnics in America in several ways. First, they did not plan to remain permanently and become "Americanized." Instead they came temporarily to earn money, invest in property, and wait for the right opportunity to return to Poland and buy land there which would assure them a desirable social status within the familiar world of a limited reference group. The coming of World War I in 1914 made return almost impossible, and by the time travel became possible again, many of the temporaries had decided to become permanent Americans. Since all the ills of life in Poland could be blamed on foreign occupation, the immigrants did not even resent the Polish upper classes as much as the immigrants of other European countries detested the top layers of their home countries. Their relation with the mother country was, in fact, unique and it strongly influenced Polonia's life.

Most ethnic Poles came as migrant laborers (known as za chlebem, or 'for bread' immigrants) intending to return home with their American savings, usually to acquire land. Official estimates claimed 30% of the emigrants from the Russian provinces of Poland-Lithuania returned home, while the return rate for non-Jews was closer to 50-60%, while over two-thirds of migrants who left Austrian Galicia for the U.S. returned.Golab, Immigrant Destinations Pg. 86-7, 99 Russian and Austrian Poles came from areas oriented to a feudal society, where classless Jews performed the essential middle roles-as artisans, merchants and moneylenders. American employers considered them better suited than Italians for arduous manual labor in coal-mines, slaughterhouses, and steel mills, particularly in the primary stages of steel manufacture. Consequently, Polish migrants were drawn to the coal mines of Pennsylvania and the heavy industries (steel mills, iron foundries, slaughterhouses, oil and sugar refineries) of the Great Lakes cities of Chicago, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Buffalo, New York, Milwaukee, and Cleveland.

Polish communities as part of urban America One of the most notable of the Polish-American communities is in Chicago, Illinois, and its surrounding suburbs. The Almanac of American Politics 2004 states that "Even today, in Archer Heights, Chicago neighborhood of Chicago, you can scarcely go a block without hearing someone speaking Polish".

There are around 10 million Americans of Polish descent. Chicago bills itself as the largest Polish city outside of Poland with approximately 185,000 Polish Language in ChicagolandThe Polish Community in Metro Chicago:A Community Profile of Strengths and Needs, A Census 2000 Report, published by the Polish American Association June 2004, p. 18. Chicago's Poles in Chicago is felt in the large number of Polish-American organizations located here beginning with the Polish Museum of America, the Polish American Association, the Polish National Alliance and the Polish Highlander's Alliance of North America. Over a million people are of Polish descent in Illinois, third highest after Germans and Irish. Thus, it is said that Chicago is the second largest "Polish" city in the world, as Warsaw, the capital of Poland, is the only city with more Polish residents. Poles in Chicago are concentrated today along the city's Northwest Side, Chicago and Southwest Side, Chicago along Milwaukee Avenue (Chicago) and Archer Avenue (Chicago) avenues, respectively. Chicago's Taste of Polonia festival is celebrated at the Copernicus Foundation in Jefferson Park, Chicago every Labor Day weekend.

The city of Cleveland has a large Polish community, especially in historic Slavic Village as part of its Warszawa Section. Poles from this part Cleveland, have migrated to suburbs like Garfield Heights, Parma, Ohio, and Seven Hills, Ohio. The more affluent of Cleveland's Polish community live in Brecksville, Independence, Ohio, and Broadview Heights. Many of these Poles to return back to their Polish roots by attending masses at St. Stanislaus Church on East 65th Street and Baxter Avenues. Poles in Cleveland celebrate the annual Harvest Festival which is usually held at the end of August. Here Poles return to their roots. There is Polka music, Polish Food, and all things Polish.

Also Cleveland's other Polish section is in Tremont, which is located in Cleveland's west side. Their home parish is St. John Cantuis or St. John Kanty. They too host events in Cleveland for Polish celebrations.

Poles in Cleveland have been instrumental in forming Third Federal Savings and Loan in 1938. Ben Stefanski a Pole seeing his fellow Poles discriminated by Cleveland's banks formed Third Federal. Today the Stefanski Family has control of this bank. Unlike Cleveland's other banks of Keybank and National City which have their headquarters in Downtown Cleveland, Third Federal is on Broadway Avenue in the Slavic Village neighborhood. Today Third Federal is in the top 25 Saving and Loan institutions in the United States. In 2003, they acquired a Florida banking company and have branches in Florida and Ohio.

The city of Detroit also has a very large Polish community, especially historically in areas such as Poletown and Hamtramck. While Poletown was cleared of its residents to make way for the General Motors Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly plant, and Hamtramck has seen the decline of its Polish community to Arab and African-American increases, the Polish influence is still felt throughout the entire Metro Detroit area, especially the suburb of Wyandotte, Michigan, and to a lesser degree, that of Warren and Sterling Heights. Michigan's Polish population is 3rd behind New York and Illinois with over 850,000, while Polish-Americans make up 8.6% of Michigan's total population. The northern suburb of Orchard Lake, Michigan is also home to the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame, which includes greats such as Stan Musial and Mike Krzyzewski.Other cities with major Polish communities include Buffalo, New York, a city that once had a vibrant Polish neighborhood which is now completely integrated, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Columbus, Ohio, Boston, Baltimore, New Britain, Connecticut, Portland, Oregon, Minneapolis,Los Angeles, Rochester, New York, San Francisco and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Despite the lack of new large-scale Polish immigration, some cities are emerging with strong Polish American communities. South Bend, IN. has a large Polish population for a mid-sized city. Milwaukee and Denver experienced major increases in their Polish populations during the last 10 years. There is also a tendency among Poles to move to Florida from Chicago and Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

Religion 's Polish Cathedral's. Most Poles immigrants who settled in North America were Roman Catholic, and built many of the so-called Polish Cathedrals that dot the Great Lakes and Northeast regions today. Poles in Cleveland and its suburbs have founded some of the following churches: St. Stanislaus, St. John Kanty, Immaculate Heart of Mary, St. Hyancinth, St. Lawrence, Sacred Heart of Jesus, Our Lady of Czestochowa, St. Timothy (Garfield Heights), Sts Peter and Paul (Garfield Heights), St. Therese, St. Monica (Garfield Heights), including Marymount Hospital (Garfield Heights). A group of Roman Catholics who perceived their treatment by the American Catholic church as unfair broke away to form the Polish National Catholic Church headquartered in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

A small group of Polish Muslims of Lipka Tatars origin from the Bialystok region helped cofound the first muslim organization in Brooklyn, New York in 1907 and later a mosque which is still in use today.http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,758343,00.html

Polish American culture Cultural contributions of Polish Americans extend from Polish dance classes, Polish newspapers, like Dziennik Zwiazkowy in Chicago or Nowy Dziennik in New York, several TV stations like international TVP Polonia or Polsat 2 International and culture groups like the White Eagle Lodge and Polish Falcons of America to the wider appeal of Polish foods such as kiełbasa (Polish sausage), babka, or pierogi. Even in long-integrated communities, remnants of Polish culture and vocabulary remain. Roman Catholic churches in Polish American communities often serve as a vehicle for cultural retention.

The Polish wedding, still very important in Poland, was often during the 1950s-1970s an all day event. Polish weddings of this time in Chicagoland, in places such as the southeast side of Chicago, inner suburbs like Calumet City, and Hegewisch, and northwest Indiana suburbs such as Whiting, Hammond, and East Chicago, always occurred on Saturdays, and typically occurred in a large hall such as a VFW Hall. A polka band of drums, singer, accordion, and trumpet entertained the people as they danced traditional dances such as the oberek, "Polish Hop," and the waltz. Always an important part of Slavic culture, food played a very important role. The musicians as well as the guests were expected to enjoy ample amounts of both food and drink. Foods such as Polish Sausage, sauerkraut, pierogi, and kluski were common foods. Common drinks were either beer, screwdrivers, or highballs.

The Polish community was long the subject of Anti-Polonism in America. Much of it was associated with a more generalized Anti-Catholicism and distrust of Eastern European arrivals in general. This has become less common recently. There are however some instances of Anti-Polonism still occurring in America.

Bibliography

Appendix 1: Polish-American communities {| cellspacing="20"|-|













|











|}

Appendix 2: Polish Americans by state totals of Polish Americans according to the United States Census, 2000According to the United States 2000 Census, American states with the largest numbers of self-reported Poland and Americans of Polish ancestry are:{| cellspacing="20"|-| | ... |} Appendix 3: Polish Americans by percentage of the total population {| cellspacing="20"|-| | |} Famous Polish-Americans See: List of Polish Americans

References

See also

External links

{{Infobox Ethnic group|group = Polish American|image =


Kazimierz Pulaski • Warner Brothers • Martha Stewart
Karol Bobko • Wachowski brothers
Carl Yastrzemski • Dan Marino • Steve Wozniak, [Midwest, [Polish language|rels = Predominantly Roman Catholic with Protestant, Eastern Orthodox and Muslim minorities.] citizen of Poland descent. There are an estimated 10 million Americans of Polish descent. More than one million Poles migrated to the United States primarily during the early 20th century. Exact immigration numbers are unknown because, due to the partitions of Poland, the Polish state did not exist at a time when the precursor to the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service classified immigrants according to country of origin rather than to ethnicity. In particular, the Partitions of Poland gave rise to the terms Russian Poles, German and Austrian Poles, Polish Germans, respectively, as seen in the context of Polish immigration to the United States. According to the United States 2000 Census, 667,414 Americans of age 5 years and older reported Polish language as the language spoken at home, which is about 1.4% of people who speak languages other than English, or 0.25% of the U.S. population.

History monument in Washington, DC.

As Poland lost its independence at the end of the 18th century through the three Partitions of Poland, Polish patriots, among them Kazimierz Pułaski and Tadeusz Kościuszko, left for America to fight for American Revolutionary War.

While the first Polish immigrants arrived in America in 1608 at Jamestown, Virginia, the largest wave of Polish immigration to America occurred in the early 20th century. Officially, more than 1.5 million Polish immigrants were processed at Ellis Island between 1899 and 1931. Estimating the actual number of Polish immigrants is complicated by Poland's history of frequent division among 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.

Between 1870 and 1914, over 3.6 million people departed Polish territories (of whom 2.6 arrived in the U.S.).Aleksader Gieystezor, History of Poland (Warsaw: Polish Scientific Publishers, 1968) Pg. 585 Serfdom was abolished in Prussia in 1808, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1848 and Czarist Russia in 1861. Coupled with the beginnings of industrialization and commercial agriculture, and a population boom that exhausted available land, Polish peasant-farmers, once considered an immovable fixture of the land, were transformed into migrant-laborers. Initially, Polish emigrants came mainly from the German section of the partition, where they were targeted by Otto von Bismarck’s anti-Catholic Kulturkampf. After 1900, German Poles were outnumbered by migrations from Austrian and Russian Poland.

.The Russian section of the partition, Congress Poland, saw considerable industrialization, particularly the textile capital of Łódź (the Manchester of Russia), and the iron-foundries of Piotrków, but these declined after the Russo-Japanese War and the 1905 Revolution, leading to a mass-exodus, first to Germany, Denmark, France, and, eventually, the U.S., Canada, Brazil and Argentina. At its peak, in 1912-13, annual emigration to the U.S. from the Polish provinces of the Russian Empire exceeded 112,345 (including large numbers of Jews, Lithuanians, and Byelorussians). In the Polish provinces of Austrian Galicia (Central Europe), overwhelmingly rural but a source of labor in the mines and factories of Bohemia, Silesia, Moravia and Lower Austria, land shortages, crop failures and the loosening of travel restrictions led to another exodus, mainly to Germany, Austria proper, France and the United States. Caroline Golab, Immigrant Destinations (Temple University Press: Philadelphia, 1977) Pg. 94The 1910 census found more than 900,000 new immigrants who spoke Polish.http://memory.loc.gov/learn/features/immig/polish4.html

According to the United States 2000 Census, 667,414 Americans of age 5 years and older reported Polish as the language spoken at home, which is about 1.4% of people who speak languages other than English, or 0.25% of the U.S. population.

Occupations Lopata (1976) argues that Poles differed from most ethnics in America in several ways. First, they did not plan to remain permanently and become "Americanized." Instead they came temporarily to earn money, invest in property, and wait for the right opportunity to return to Poland and buy land there which would assure them a desirable social status within the familiar world of a limited reference group. The coming of World War I in 1914 made return almost impossible, and by the time travel became possible again, many of the temporaries had decided to become permanent Americans. Since all the ills of life in Poland could be blamed on foreign occupation, the immigrants did not even resent the Polish upper classes as much as the immigrants of other European countries detested the top layers of their home countries. Their relation with the mother country was, in fact, unique and it strongly influenced Polonia's life.

Most ethnic Poles came as migrant laborers (known as za chlebem, or 'for bread' immigrants) intending to return home with their American savings, usually to acquire land. Official estimates claimed 30% of the emigrants from the Russian provinces of Poland-Lithuania returned home, while the return rate for non-Jews was closer to 50-60%, while over two-thirds of migrants who left Austrian Galicia for the U.S. returned.Golab, Immigrant Destinations Pg. 86-7, 99 Russian and Austrian Poles came from areas oriented to a feudal society, where classless Jews performed the essential middle roles-as artisans, merchants and moneylenders. American employers considered them better suited than Italians for arduous manual labor in coal-mines, slaughterhouses, and steel mills, particularly in the primary stages of steel manufacture. Consequently, Polish migrants were drawn to the coal mines of Pennsylvania and the heavy industries (steel mills, iron foundries, slaughterhouses, oil and sugar refineries) of the Great Lakes cities of Chicago, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Buffalo, New York, Milwaukee, and Cleveland.

Polish communities as part of urban America One of the most notable of the Polish-American communities is in Chicago, Illinois, and its surrounding suburbs. The Almanac of American Politics 2004 states that "Even today, in Archer Heights, Chicago neighborhood of Chicago, you can scarcely go a block without hearing someone speaking Polish".

There are around 10 million Americans of Polish descent. Chicago bills itself as the largest Polish city outside of Poland with approximately 185,000 Polish Language in ChicagolandThe Polish Community in Metro Chicago:A Community Profile of Strengths and Needs, A Census 2000 Report, published by the Polish American Association June 2004, p. 18. Chicago's Poles in Chicago is felt in the large number of Polish-American organizations located here beginning with the Polish Museum of America, the Polish American Association, the Polish National Alliance and the Polish Highlander's Alliance of North America. Over a million people are of Polish descent in Illinois, third highest after Germans and Irish. Thus, it is said that Chicago is the second largest "Polish" city in the world, as Warsaw, the capital of Poland, is the only city with more Polish residents. Poles in Chicago are concentrated today along the city's Northwest Side, Chicago and Southwest Side, Chicago along Milwaukee Avenue (Chicago) and Archer Avenue (Chicago) avenues, respectively. Chicago's Taste of Polonia festival is celebrated at the Copernicus Foundation in Jefferson Park, Chicago every Labor Day weekend.

The city of Cleveland has a large Polish community, especially in historic Slavic Village as part of its Warszawa Section. Poles from this part Cleveland, have migrated to suburbs like Garfield Heights, Parma, Ohio, and Seven Hills, Ohio. The more affluent of Cleveland's Polish community live in Brecksville, Independence, Ohio, and Broadview Heights. Many of these Poles to return back to their Polish roots by attending masses at St. Stanislaus Church on East 65th Street and Baxter Avenues. Poles in Cleveland celebrate the annual Harvest Festival which is usually held at the end of August. Here Poles return to their roots. There is Polka music, Polish Food, and all things Polish.

Also Cleveland's other Polish section is in Tremont, which is located in Cleveland's west side. Their home parish is St. John Cantuis or St. John Kanty. They too host events in Cleveland for Polish celebrations.

Poles in Cleveland have been instrumental in forming Third Federal Savings and Loan in 1938. Ben Stefanski a Pole seeing his fellow Poles discriminated by Cleveland's banks formed Third Federal. Today the Stefanski Family has control of this bank. Unlike Cleveland's other banks of Keybank and National City which have their headquarters in Downtown Cleveland, Third Federal is on Broadway Avenue in the Slavic Village neighborhood. Today Third Federal is in the top 25 Saving and Loan institutions in the United States. In 2003, they acquired a Florida banking company and have branches in Florida and Ohio.

The city of Detroit also has a very large Polish community, especially historically in areas such as Poletown and Hamtramck. While Poletown was cleared of its residents to make way for the General Motors Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly plant, and Hamtramck has seen the decline of its Polish community to Arab and African-American increases, the Polish influence is still felt throughout the entire Metro Detroit area, especially the suburb of Wyandotte, Michigan, and to a lesser degree, that of Warren and Sterling Heights. Michigan's Polish population is 3rd behind New York and Illinois with over 850,000, while Polish-Americans make up 8.6% of Michigan's total population. The northern suburb of Orchard Lake, Michigan is also home to the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame, which includes greats such as Stan Musial and Mike Krzyzewski.Other cities with major Polish communities include Buffalo, New York, a city that once had a vibrant Polish neighborhood which is now completely integrated, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Columbus, Ohio, Boston, Baltimore, New Britain, Connecticut, Portland, Oregon, Minneapolis,Los Angeles, Rochester, New York, San Francisco and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Despite the lack of new large-scale Polish immigration, some cities are emerging with strong Polish American communities. South Bend, IN. has a large Polish population for a mid-sized city. Milwaukee and Denver experienced major increases in their Polish populations during the last 10 years. There is also a tendency among Poles to move to Florida from Chicago and Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

Religion 's Polish Cathedral's. Most Poles immigrants who settled in North America were Roman Catholic, and built many of the so-called Polish Cathedrals that dot the Great Lakes and Northeast regions today. Poles in Cleveland and its suburbs have founded some of the following churches: St. Stanislaus, St. John Kanty, Immaculate Heart of Mary, St. Hyancinth, St. Lawrence, Sacred Heart of Jesus, Our Lady of Czestochowa, St. Timothy (Garfield Heights), Sts Peter and Paul (Garfield Heights), St. Therese, St. Monica (Garfield Heights), including Marymount Hospital (Garfield Heights). A group of Roman Catholics who perceived their treatment by the American Catholic church as unfair broke away to form the Polish National Catholic Church headquartered in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

A small group of Polish Muslims of Lipka Tatars origin from the Bialystok region helped cofound the first muslim organization in Brooklyn, New York in 1907 and later a mosque which is still in use today.http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,758343,00.html

Polish American culture Cultural contributions of Polish Americans extend from Polish dance classes, Polish newspapers, like Dziennik Zwiazkowy in Chicago or Nowy Dziennik in New York, several TV stations like international TVP Polonia or Polsat 2 International and culture groups like the White Eagle Lodge and Polish Falcons of America to the wider appeal of Polish foods such as kiełbasa (Polish sausage), babka, or pierogi. Even in long-integrated communities, remnants of Polish culture and vocabulary remain. Roman Catholic churches in Polish American communities often serve as a vehicle for cultural retention.

The Polish wedding, still very important in Poland, was often during the 1950s-1970s an all day event. Polish weddings of this time in Chicagoland, in places such as the southeast side of Chicago, inner suburbs like Calumet City, and Hegewisch, and northwest Indiana suburbs such as Whiting, Hammond, and East Chicago, always occurred on Saturdays, and typically occurred in a large hall such as a VFW Hall. A polka band of drums, singer, accordion, and trumpet entertained the people as they danced traditional dances such as the oberek, "Polish Hop," and the waltz. Always an important part of Slavic culture, food played a very important role. The musicians as well as the guests were expected to enjoy ample amounts of both food and drink. Foods such as Polish Sausage, sauerkraut, pierogi, and kluski were common foods. Common drinks were either beer, screwdrivers, or highballs.

The Polish community was long the subject of Anti-Polonism in America. Much of it was associated with a more generalized Anti-Catholicism and distrust of Eastern European arrivals in general. This has become less common recently. There are however some instances of Anti-Polonism still occurring in America.

Bibliography

Appendix 1: Polish-American communities {| cellspacing="20"|-|













|











|}

Appendix 2: Polish Americans by state totals of Polish Americans according to the United States Census, 2000According to the United States 2000 Census, American states with the largest numbers of self-reported Poland and Americans of Polish ancestry are:{| cellspacing="20"|-| | ... |} Appendix 3: Polish Americans by percentage of the total population {| cellspacing="20"|-| | |} Famous Polish-Americans See: List of Polish Americans

References

See also

External links



Polish American - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Polish American is an American citizen of Polish descent. There are an estimated 10 million Americans of Polish descent. More than one million Poles immigrated to the United ...

PAHA * Polish American Historical Association * Polish American ...
Homepage of the Polish American Historical Association, an academic organization devoted to the study of Polish American history, culture, literature, music, and folklore.

Polish American Cultural Center
Describes the museum in historic Philadelphia, provides information about the resident P.K.M. Folk Dancers, and offers links to Polish American organizations, services, and radio ...

Polish American Cultural Center History
HISTORY: A TRADITION OF SERVICE . The Polish American Cultural Center and Museum Exhibit Hall are a focal point for many Polish American affairs in the greater Philadelphia area.

Polish American Students Association
Social events organization devoted to the language, history, and culture of Poland. Includes links to Polish language resources and announces events.

the Polish American Association

Polish American Historical Associaton
What is PAHA? The Polish American Historical Association (PAHA) is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization devoted to the study of Polish-American history and culture.

polishamericannews.com

Polish American Deli
Best Polish food and biggest selection of Polish groceries in South Jersey ... We have kielbasy, lunch meats, pierogies, golabki, cheeses, paczki, cakes and other groceries!

Polish American Club of North Jersey
Polish American Club of North Jersey ... Welcome. To unite people of Polish ancestry in the bonds of friendship, mutual understanding and brotherhood.

 

Polish American



 
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