Greek American
 |
frame |
A
Greek American is a
citizen of the
United States of
Greek heritage or descent. According to the 2000 U.S.
Census Report, there were 1,153,295 people of Greek heritage living in the United States that year, while according to the
State Department in
2005 an estimated 3,000,000 Americans residents in the United States claim Greek descent[
1]. 365,435 Americans spoke
Greek at home. Greek Americans have a heavy concentration in
New York City (most notably in
Astoria, in the
NYC borough of
Queens),
Detroit, and
Chicago.
Tarpon Springs,
Florida is also home to a large Greek-American community.
The first Greek known to have arrived on U.S. soil was a man named Don Theodoro, who landed on Florida with the
Narváez expedition in 1528 [
2][
3]. He died during the expedition, as did most of his companions.
In 1768, about 500 Greeks from
Smyrna,
Crete and
Mani settled in
New Smyrna,
Florida (near present-day
New Smyrna Beach). The colony was unsuccessful, and the settlers moved to
St. Augustine, Florida in 1776, where their traces were lost to history.[
4][
5]
The first significant Greek community to develop was in
New Orleans during the 1850s. By 1866 the community was numerous and prosperous enough to have a Greek
consulate and the first
Greek Orthodox church in the United States.[
6]. During that period, most Greek immigrants to the
New World came from
Asia Minor, and those
Aegean islands still under
Ottoman rule. By 1890, there were almost 15,000 Greeks living in the U.S.
Immigration picked up in the 1890s, mostly because economic opportunity in the U.S., displacement caused by the hardships of Ottoman rule, the
Balkan Wars and
World War I. 450,000 Greeks arrived to the States between 1890 and 1917, most working in the cities of the Northeast and smaller numbers hired labor for the railroads and mines of the
American West; another 70,000 arrived between 1918 and 1924.
Greek immigration, contrasted with most other European immigrantion to the US, at this time was over 90% male (Italian and Irish immigration which averaged 50% to 60% male). Many Greek immigrants expected to work and return to their homeland after earning capital and dowries for their families. Two factors changed attitudes and facilitated permanent immigration. 1) Loss of homeland: In 1913 at the conclusion of the Balkan Wars, the home towns of 60,00 Greeks in America were converted to Bulgarian territory, and in 1923 the homes of approximately 250,000 Greeks in America were converted from Ottoman to Turkish territory and in both cases these Greeks were de jure denaturalized from those homelands and lost the right of return and their familes were made refugees. 2) The first widely implimented US immigration limits against Europeans were made in 1923, creating an impetus for immigrants to apply for citizenship, bring their families and permanently settle in the U.S. Less than 30,000 arrived between 1925 and 1945, many of whom were "
picture brides" for single Greek men.[
7]
The events of the early 1920's also provided the stimulus for the first permanent national Greek American religious and civic organizations.
Greeks again began to arrive in large numbers after 1945, fleeing the economic devastation caused by
World War II and the
Greek Civil War. From 1946 until 1982, approximately 211,000 Greeks emigrated to the United States. These later immigrants were less influenced by the powerful assimilationst pressures of the 1920's and 1930's and revitalized Greek American identity, especially in areas such as Greek language media.
After the 1981 admission of Greece to the
European Union, numbers fell to an average of less than 2,000 annually. In recent years, Greek immigration to the United States has been minimal; in fact net migration has been towards Greece. Over 72,000 U.S. citizens currently live in Greece (1999); most of them are Greek Americans.
The predominant religion among Greeks and Greek-Americans is
Eastern Orthodox Christianity. There are also a number of Americans who descend from Greece's large
Sephardic and
Romaniote Jewish communities.
*1970 Arnie Nuvo show depicted a Greek http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0065274/
*The popular 1970s show
Kojak featured
Telly Savalas as Greek-American police detective Theo Kojak, and his brother
George as Detective Stavros. Kojak was originally supposed to be Polish (hence the name), but this was changed to match Savalas' profile.
*The 2002
comedy film
My Big Fat Greek Wedding portrayed the love story of a Greek-American woman (portrayed by
Greek Canadian Nia Vardalos) and a non-Greek-American man. It also examines the protagonist's troubled love/hate relationship with her cultural heritage and value system. The movie spawned an unsuccessful TV series,
My Big Fat Greek Life.
The Famous Teddy Z was an acclaimed but short-lived TV series about a fictional talent agent named Teddy Zakalakis, portrayed by
Jon Cryer.
*The TV series
Full House was about a family that included Greek-American
Uncle Jesse, portrayed by
John Stamos. Jesse's Greek dad was also recurring character.
*The
Greek Restaurant was a recurring sketch in the early years of
Saturday Night Live. More recently,
Tina Fey has often joked about her Greek heritage on the show.
*
Tom's Restaurant, a Greek-American owned business, has become one of the symbols of urban New York life.
*
Elektra Natchios is a
Marvel Comics superhero, portrayed by
Jennifer Garner in the 2005 movie
Elektra.
*In the
1973 blockbuster
The Exorcist,
Jason Miller starred as Greek-American Father
Damien Karras, one of the priests who exorcised young Regan. In one scene, Karras' mother, played by Greek actress
Vasiliki Maliaros, is listening to a Greek radio station broadcasting the song
Ιστορία μου αμαρτία μου (
My Story, My sin) by the late popular Greek singer
Rita Sakellariou.
*
Tommy Lee, drummer for Motley Crüe, is Greek-American.
There are hundreds of regional, religious and professional Greek-American organizations. Some of the largest and most notable include:
*
AHEPA -- the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association, is the largest community organization of Greek Americans. It was founded in
Atlanta, Georgia in 1922 during a period of anti-Greek attacks by the
Ku Klux Klan. Its current membership exceeds 18,000.
*The
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America is the religious organization most closely associated with the Greek-American community. It was established in 1921, and is under the leadership of the
Orthodox Church of Constantinople. The church operates the
Greek Orthodox Youth of America (GOYA), the largest Greek youth group in the United States.
*The American Hellenic Institute, a lobbying group for Greek Americans.
*The
Council of Hellenes Abroad is a Greek government sponsored umbrella organization for Greek immigrant organizations worldwide.
*Many
topika somatea or clubs representing the local regional homeland of Greeks in America. Among the scores of such clubs, larger ones include the Pan Macedonian Association, the Panepirotic Federation, the Pan Cretan Association, and several associations of refugees from areas in the former Ottoman territories.
*
List of Greek Americans*
Greek Canadians*
Greek Australian*
Greeks in Great Britain*
Greeks*
Greek Cypriots*
Hyphenated American*[
8]
KUED Tribute to Utahs Greek-Americans
*[
9] Greek American Business Directory
