The American diaspora refers to the group of United States citizens who relocate—temporarily or permanently to foreign countries. There are no reliable figures on how many Americans live abroad, but a State Department estimate suggests the number may be between three and six million.[1]
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Americans have traveled to foreign countries since before the country was founded. In recent years, there has been an increase in both the number of Americans who lived abroad, and the number of news articles on the subject.
Americans have a wide range of reasons for leaving the country. While many Americans emigrate for economic reasons, America's position of an affluent country and a country of immigrants means that Americans may leave for a chance to experience other parts of the world, to return to their country of origin, for religious reasons, such as missionary work, or to escape policies of the American government.[2]
With the decline of the American economy, and increase in economic opportunities for skilled laborers in emerging markets, economic opportunities are increasingly driving migration abroad, both for native-born Americans[3] and naturalized immigrants returning to their home country.
Due to the flow of people back and forth between Britain and the colonies, and America and the Caribbean, there has been an American diaspora of a sort since before the United States was founded. Residence in countries outside the British Empire was unusual, and usually limited to the well to do, such as Benjamin Franklin, who was able to self-finance his trip to Paris as an American diplomat.
Thanks to the increase of whalers and clipper ships, Americans began to travel all over the world for commercial reasons.
The early 19th Century also saw the beginning of overseas missionary activity, such as with Adoniram Judson in Burma.
The middle of the 19th century saw the immigration of many New Englanders to Hawaii, as missionaries for the Congregational Church, and as traders and whalers. The American population eventually overthrew the government of Hawaii, leading to its annexation by the United States.
During this time former slaves also migrated to Liberia, becoming the Americo-Liberians, who dominated the country for most of its history.
In Asia, the American government made efforts to secure special privileges for its citizens. This began with the Treaty of Wanghia in China in 1844. It was followed by the expedition of Commodore Perry to Japan 10 years later, and the United States–Korea Treaty of 1882. American traders began to settle in those countries.
Cecil Rhodes created the Rhodes Scholarship in 1902 to encourage greater cooperation between the United States, the British Empire, and Germany by allowing students to study abroad.
In the period between the First and Second World Wars, many Americans , particularly writers such as Ernest Hemmingway, Gertrude Stein, and Ezra Pound migrated to Europe, to take part in the cultural scene.
European cities like Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen, London, Paris, Prague, Rome, Stockholm and Vienna came to host a large number of Americans. Many Americans also participated in the Spanish Civil War in Spain while they lived in Madrid and elsewhere.
Other Americans returned home to the countries of their origin, including the parents of American author/illustrator Eric Carle, who returned to Germany.
During the Cold War, Americans became a permanent fixture in many countries with large populations of American soldiers, such as Germany and South Korea.
The Cold War also saw the development of government programs, to encourage young Americans to go abroad. The Fulbright Program was established in 1946 to encourage cultural exchange, and the Peace Corps was created in 1961 both to encourage cultural exchange and a civic spirit of volunteerism.
With the formation of the state of Israel, over 100,000 Jews made Aliyah to the holy land, where they played a role in the creation of the state. Other Americans traveled to countries like Lebanon, again to take place in the cultural scene.
In the 1960s and 70s many American men also traveled to Canada and Mexico to escape the draft. European nations including neutral states like Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland offered asylum to thousands of American expatriates who refused to fight in the Vietnam War.
Some Americans abandoned the country permanently, defecting to the Soviet Union, or other Communist-inclined countries, such as Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann, current Libyan nominee as UN ambassador.
During this period Americans continued to travel abroad for religious reasons, such as Richard James, inventor of the Slinky, who went to Bolivia with the Wycliffe Bible Translators, and the Peoples Temple establishment of Jonestown in Guyana.
The opening of Eastern and Central Europe, and Central Asia after the Cold War provided new opportunities for American businesspeople.
Additionally, with the global dominance of America in the world economy, the ESL industry continued to grow, especially in new and emerging markets.
Many Americans also take a year abroad during college, and some return to the country after graduation.
One of the biggest issues with the American diaspora is the issue of taxation. Unusually among developed nations, America taxes its citizens even when they live overseas. While America has tax treaties with most countries where Americans work, exemptions only apply to a certain amount, causing problems for more affluent Americans.[4][1]