Luso American
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Luso-Americans, or Lusitanic Americans are people living in the United States whose cultural background derives in part from Portuguese language roots or traditions.
Luso-Americans include Portuguese-Americans, whose roots are directly Portuguese, and Brazilian-Americans hail from Brazil, as well as a few from other parts of the Lusophone world, such as Angola or Mozambique. Because of the wide range of national origins of Luso-Americans, the group is considered a cultural one, rather than a homogeneous ethnic group. People of African, Macanese, Portugese Jewish, and many other origins may be, under certain circumstances, considered Luso-Americans.
A Portuguese-American, in contrast, denotes any person born in the United States whose family came to America from Portugal.
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[edit] History
Portugese people and the speakers of the Portugese language have had a long history in America, which may even be pre-Columbian, although there is lack of solid historical evidence. Navigators, like the Corte-Real family may have visited the North American shores.[citation needed] There is a monumental landmark, the Dighton Rock, in Massachusetts, that testifies their presence in the area.
During the Colonial period, there was some limited Portugese emigration to the present day United States, although most emigration from Portugal was to Brazil, rather than to North America.
In the late 19th century, many Portuguese, mainly Azorean and Madeiran, immigrated to the United States, establishing in cities like East Providence, Rhode Island; Bristol, Rhode Island; New Bedford, Massachusetts; Tulare, California; Fall River, Massachusetts; Newark, New Jersey; and Jacksonville, Illinois.
Although Luso-Americans can be found in all states, there are sizeable Luso-American communities in California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, New York, Hawaii, and Florida. In total, the members of this community may be more than 3.5 million Americans. Two United States counties, namely Bristol County, Rhode Island and Bristol County, Massachusetts, are home to pluralities of people of Portugese ancestry.
[edit] Jewish Luso-Americans
In September, 1654, shortly before the Jewish New Year, twenty-three Jews of Portuguese ancestry from Recife, Brazil, arrived in New York, which at the time was under Dutch rule and known as New Amsterdam. This arrival was the beginning of Jewish-American history. Sephardi Portuguese Jews were also the early settlers of Newport (where the country's first synagouge was founded), Charleston, Philadelphia and Baltimore.
[edit] Language
Portuguese has been spoken in the United States by small communities of immigrants, especially in Miami; Pompano Beach; Orlando; Ludlow, Massachusetts; New Bedford, Massachusetts; Framingham, Massachusetts; New Jersey; Bristol, Rhode Island; East Providence, Rhode Island; San Francisco, California; San Jose, California, Tulare, California; San Pedro, California and the metropolitan New York City area. The Ironbound section of Newark, New Jersey is also called "Little Portugal", and 46th Street in Manhattan is also named "Little Brazil Street". Portugese is also spoken spoken by some Chinese and Macanese immigrants from Macau, especially in California.
Luso-Americans also include speakers of Portuguese-based creoles, such as Macanese (Patuá or Macaista Chapado) and Papiamento. Elements of the Portuguese language can also be found in other former colonies such as Goa and Timor.
In the Luso-American community, there is a significant difference between Continental Portuguese and other regional variations, notably Brazilian Portuguese. Language schools (especially in the U.S.) classes often teach the Brazilian dialect.[citation needed]
[edit] Famous Luso-Americans
Other Luso-Americans (not Brazilian nor Portuguese):
Angolan
Cape-Verdean
Guinea-Bissauan
Indian
- Dinesh D'Souza
- Sid D'Souza
- Leon D'Souza
Chinese
São Tomean
Sephardic
- Judah P. Benjamin - politician and lawyer
- Albert Cardozo - jurist
- Benjamin Cardozo - a Sephardi Supreme Court Justice.
- Emma Lazarus - a Sephardi New Yorker poet
- Mordecai Manuel Noah - playwright, diplomat, journalist, and utopian
- Judah Monis - Hebrew scholar
- Vic Seixas - tennis player and champion
Caribbean
[edit] External links
- Igreja Portuguesa de Nossa Senhora de Fátima — Church of Our Lady of Fatima, Yonkers, New York
- Portuguese American Community Center, Yonkers, New York
- Portuguese-American Historical & Research Foundation Franklin, North Carolina
- Congregation Shearith Israel — the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue (New York, NY, USA)
- Kahal Kadosh Mikveh Israel (Philadelphia, PA, USA)
- Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island
[edit] See also
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