Slovene Americans
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Slovene Americans or Slovenian Americans (Slovene: Ameriški Slovenci, literally "American Slovenes") are Americans of Slovene origin.
Contents |
[edit] History
The first Slovenes in the United States were missionary priests[1]. In the 1600s some Slovenes settled in small farming communities in Georgia[1]. There were a few Slovene soldiers who fought in the American Revolution[2]. Slovene priests built some of the first churches and schools in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and neighboring parts of Canada[3]. Until the 1880s there was a small number of Slovene immigrants to the United States. The largest numbers of Slovenes immigrated to America between 1880 and World War I. Most of these came between 1905 and 1913, although the exact number is impossible to determine because Slovenes were often classified as Austrians, Croats, or under other, broader labels, such as Slavonic or Slavic[4]. These later arrivals migrated to the industrial cities or to mining towns in the Upper Midwest and American West.
[edit] Demographics
[edit] Concentrations
- Chicago, Illinois
- Cleveland, Ohio
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Johnstown, Pennsylvania
According to the 2000 census, the five states with the largest Slovene populations were:
- Ohio – 58,402
- Pennsylvania – 19,006
- Illinois – 15,519
- Minnesota – 10,420
- California – 9,489
These five states are followed, in descending order, by Colorado, Michigan, Florida, New York, Texas, Indiana, Washington, Kansas, and Maryland. The state with the smallest Slovene American population is North Dakota (107). There is no American state that has no Slovene descendants among its population.
[edit] Numbers
In the 2000 US Census, 176,691 Americans declared that they were of Slovene origin (of those, 738 have attained the Ph.D.). The number of reported Americans of Slovene descent undoubtedly is an underestimate. Some Slovenes coming from the Austro-Hungarian Empire avoided anti-Slavic prejudice by identifying themselves as Austrians[5]. Many others were recorded as Slav, Slavic, Slavish, or Slavonian (see above). The true number of Americans of Slovene descent is probably between 200,000 and 300,000[6]; if persons with only one-quarter or one-eighth Slovene ancestry are counted, the number could be as high as 500,000.[7]
[edit] Notable individuals
See List of Slovenian Americans
[edit] Fraternal organizations
A number of fraternal organizations were founded by Slovene immigrants to the United States[8][9]. These organizations allowed members to preserve old traditions as well as to provide insurance against illness and death[10]. This was especially important because other insurance companies at the time discriminated against immigrants or in some cases defrauded them [11]. A number of mergers and name changes took place during the 20th Century[12], so the history of Slovene fraternalism in the United States is difficult to trace. The major extant Slovene fraternals in the United States are:
- Jugoslovenska Katoliška Jednota (South Slavic Catholic Union), founded 1898, became American Fraternal Union (AFU) in 1941.
- Slovenska Dobrodelna Zveza (Slovenian Mutual Benefit Association), founded 1910, became American Mutual Life Association (AMLA) in 1966.
- Kranjsko Slovenska Katoliška Jednota, founded in 1894, became Ameriška Slovenska Katoliška Jednota or American Slovenian Catholic Union (KSKJ).
- Napredne Slovenke Amerike (Progressive Slovene Women of America) (PSWA), founded in 1934.
- Slovenska Ženska Zveza Amerike, founded in 1926, became Slovenian Women's Union of America (SWUA).
- Slovenska Narodna Podporna Jednota, founded in 1904, became Slovene National Benefit Society (SNPJ).
- Zapadna Slovanska Veza, founded in 1908, became Western Slavonic Association (WSA).
For a longer discussion of the history of Slovene fraternalism in the United States, see the following article: Fraternal Benefit Societies and Slovene Immigrants in the USA.
The Slovenian Genealogy Society, International [13] helps members to trace their Slovene roots.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Selected Characteristics for Persons of Slovene Ancestry from U.S. Bureau of the Census
- Slovenians in America
- Slovenian Americans
- Slovene Settlements in the United States of America
- Slavic Heritage Coalition
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
