Greek Americans (
Greek: ΕλληνοαμερικανοίEllinoamerikanoí[eliˌno.amerikaˈni]orΕλληνοαμερικάνοιEllinoamerikánoi[eliˌno.ameriˈkani])[17] are
Americans of full or partial
Greek ancestry. The lowest estimate is that 1.2 million Americans are of Greek descent while the highest estimate suggests over 3 million.[3] According to the
US census, 264,066 people older than five spoke
Greek at home in 2019.[18]
Greek Americans have the highest concentrations in the
New York City,[4][19][20]Boston,[5] and
Chicago[6] regions, but have settled in major
metropolitan areas across the United States. In 2000,
Tarpon Springs, Florida, was home to the highest per capita representation of Greek Americans in the country (25%). The United States is home to the largest number of Greeks outside of
Greece, followed by
Cyprus and
Australia.
History
Early history
The first Greek to ever set foot in America was Johan Griego (
lit.'John the Greek'), in 1492. He was a member of
Christopher Columbus's first expedition.[21] At least two other Greeks followed soon; they were brothers which sailed with Columbus in his second (1493) and third (1498) expeditions.[22] Spanish and English historians mention three Greeks who sailed with
Ferdinand Magellan in 1520 on his voyage to
Patagonia. Their names are listed as:
Nikolao,
Ioanni, and
Mattheo.[21]
Another Greek, Don Doroteo Teodoro, was a sailor who landed in Boca Ciega Bay at the Jungle Prada site in present-day
St. Petersburg, Florida with the
Narváez expedition in 1528.[23][24] He was instrumental in building the rafts that the expedition survivors built and sailed from present-day St. Mark's River in Florida until they were shipwrecked near Galveston Island, Texas. Teodoro had been captured by natives as they sailed along the Gulf coast shoreline toward the west, and was never seen again.[25] He was presumably killed by the natives.[26] Don Doroteo Teodoro is regarded as the first Greek to have set foot on soil which is today part of the
United States.[21]Pedro de Candia (
lit.'Petros the Cretan', a Greek adventurer and soldier from
Crete, is known for being a lieutenant of
Francisco Pizarro who conquered the empire of Peru and founded the city of
Lima.[21]
When
Francis Drake reached
Valparaiso,
Chile in 1578 he found there a Greek pilot, whose name was Ioannis. loannis acted as Drake's pilot as far as
Lima, Peru.[21] Ten years later,
Thomas Cavendish met a Greek pilot by the name of Georgio, who knew the waters of Chile. Both of these Greek pilots must have been in the area for many years in order to have sufficient knowledge of the waters to act as pilots for visiting ships.[21]
There is a report that a Cretan Greek named Konopios operated a coffeehouse in
New England in 1652.[27] Records show that a Greek, Michael Dry (Youris), became a
naturalized citizen by act of the
General Assembly of Maryland in 1725. This makes Dry the first Greek positively known to reside permanently in what is today the United States.[26]
About 500 Greeks from
Smyrna,
Crete, and
Mani settled in
New Smyrna Beach, Florida in 1768. The colony was unsuccessful, and the settlers moved to
St. Augustine in 1776. In November 1777, a Greek chapel was established in St. Augustine, where Greeks could pray with their own
rites.[26] Almost 200 years later, the chapel was designated the
St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine by the
Greek Orthodox Church, and it exists today as a remnant of their presence, having been built atop the site of the Avero House, itself believed to be the first site of Greek Orthodox worship in the United States.[28][29]
The first noted Greek American scholar was
John Paradise.[26] He was persuaded to immigrate to America by
Benjamin Franklin and
Thomas Jefferson, whom he met in Europe. Paradise married into the notable Ludwell family, one of the most prominent colonial families in
Virginia.[26]
Early records show
Michel Dragon (Michalis Dracos) and
Andrea Dimitry (Andrea Drussakis Demetrios) settled in
New Orleans around 1799.
Michel Dragon was a lieutenant in the
American Revolution and
Andrea Dimitry participated in the
War of 1812.
Andrea married Michel Dragon's daughter,
Marianne Celeste Dragon, and established a small community in New Orleans. The marriage between them in 1799 was the first known marriage between Greeks in America.[26] His son was
United States ambassador to Costa Rica& NicaraguaAlexander Dimitry.[31] Another Greek refugee named
George Marshall also came to the United States around this period. He was born in Rhodes in 1782. Marshall joined the United States Navy in 1809 and he wrote Marshall's Practical Marine Gunnery.[32] Marshall had a successful naval career and became master gunner. His son George J Marshall also served in the navy. His son-in-law was
George Sirian. Due to problems with the strait of Gibraltar, America was desperate for trade with Europe. Pirates ransomed Americans which led to two Barbary wars. America eventually formed the Mediterranean Squadron.
The Greek Slave Movement started in the 1820s during the influx of young refugees to New England. The movement contributed to countless paintings, sculptures, poems, essays, and songs. The death of Greek slave
Garafilia Mohalbi was a trigger for sympathy. She was featured in many poems and songs. The Greek Slave Movement was so popular in American media that sculptor
Hiram Powers created
The Greek Slave. The Greek Slave Movement was an abolitionist tool to abolish slavery in the United States. The theme eventually exploded some examples include:
The Slave Market (Gérôme painting),
The Slave Market (Boulanger painting), and the slave Market
Otto Pilny.[35] Some of the young Greek refugees became abolitionists.
John Celivergos Zachos became a prominent educator. He was also a woman's rights activist and abolitionist.
Photius Fisk was another abolitionist who fought for the anti-slavery cause.
Gregory Anthony Perdicaris was a wealthy millionaire who created the framework for gas and electric companies.
George Colvocoresses was a captain in the United States Navy.
Colvos Passage is named after him.
George Sirian was another seaman in the United States Navy. The George Sirian Meritorious Service Award is named after him. Harvard created an entire department for
Evangelinos Apostolides Sophocles. Greek orphan
Lucas Miltiades Miller became a U.S. Congressman.
After the Civil War, the Greek community continued to flourish in
New Orleans,
Louisiana. By 1866, the community was numerous and prosperous enough to have a Greek
consulate and the first official
Greek Orthodox Church in the United States.[38] 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 again in the 1890s and early 20th century, due largely to economic opportunity in the U.S., displacement caused by the hardships of
Ottoman rule, the
Balkan Wars, and
World War I. Most of these immigrants had come from southern Greece, especially from the Peloponnesian provinces of Laconia and Arcadia.[39] 450,000 Greeks arrived to the States between 1890 and 1917, most working in the cities of the
northeastern United States; others labored on railroad construction and in mines of the
western United States; another 70,000 arrived between 1918 and 1924. Each wave of immigration contributed to the growth of
Hellenism in the U.S.
Greek immigration at this time was over 90% male, contrasted with most other European immigration to the U.S., such as
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. However, the loss of their homeland due to the
Greek genocide and the 1923
population exchange between Greece and Turkey, which displaced 1,500,000 Greeks from
Anatolia,
Eastern Thrace, and
Pontus caused the initial economic immigrants to reside permanently in America. The Greeks were
de juredenaturalized from their homelands and lost the right to return, and their families were made refugees. Additionally, the first widely implemented
U.S. immigration limits against non Western European immigrants were made in 1924, creating an impetus for immigrants to apply for citizenship, bring their families and permanently settle in the U.S. Fewer than 30,000 Greek immigrants arrived in the U.S. between 1925 and 1945, most of whom were "
picture brides" for single Greek men and family members coming over to join relatives.[40][41]
The events of the early 1920s also provided the stimulus for the first permanent national Greek American religious and civic organizations. In 1922, as a response to the anti-Greek campaign and actions of
Ku Klux Klan, the
American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association was founded, which sought to organize and
Americanize the Greek immigrant in America.[42]
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 1945 until 1982, approximately 211,000 Greeks immigrated to the United States. These later immigrants were less influenced by the powerful assimilation pressures of the 1920s and 1930s and revitalized Greek American identity, especially in areas such as Greek-language media.
Greek immigrants founded more than 600
diners in the New York metropolitan area in the 1950s through the 1970s. Immigration to the United States from Greece peaked between the 1950s and 1970.[43][44] After the 1981 admission of Greece to the
European Union, annual U.S. immigration numbers fell to less than 2,000. 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.
While most Greek-Americans are white, some are
people of color, including Black Greek Americans. The Greek-American community's celebration of Black Greeks such as
Milwaukee Bucks basketball player
Giannis Antetokounmpo has contributed to an evolution of Greek-American identity beyond skin color or ancestry.[47]
Greek-born population in the U.S. since 2010 (ACS 1 Tear Estimates):[60]
Year
Number
2010
135,639
2011
138,269
2012
134,956
2013
137,084
2014
136,906
2015
141,325
2016
135,484
2017
130,967
2018
125,699
2019
119,571
Print media
The Atlantis (1894–1973) was the first successful
Greek-language daily newspaper published in the
United States.[61] The newspaper was founded in 1894 by Solon J. and Demetrius J. Vlasto, descendants of the Greek noble family,
Vlasto.[i][62] The paper was headed by a member of the Vlasto family until it closed in 1973. Published in
New York City, it had a national circulation and influence. Atlantis supported the
royalist faction in Greek politics until the mid-1960s. Atlantis editorial themes included naturalization, war relief, Greek-American business interests, and Greek religious unity.[61]
As of 2020[update], Ethnikos Kyrix (
Greek: Εθνικός Κήρυξ, 1915–) is the only Greek-language daily publication based in the United States. Headquartered in New York City, its articles focus on the Greek diaspora in the United States as well as current events in Greece and Cyprus. In contrast to its competitor Atlantis, Ethnikos Kyrix historically supported liberal causes in Greece and America, including the progressive forces of
Eleftherios Venizelos in Greece and the
New Deal stateside.[61][63] A companion weekly edition The National Herald (1997–) is in circulation and features similar content presented in English.[64] The
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America publishes the monthly Orthodox Observer (1934–) in both Greek and English for news and information regarding the Greek Orthodox Church as a whole, as well as its American parishes.[65]
In 1967,
Academy Award-winning film-director
Elia Kazan published a
novel,
The Arrangement: A Novel, about a conflicted Greek American living a double life as an advertising executive and muckraking journalist. Kazan, who died in September 2003, was a Greek American.
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 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 Katsopolis, portrayed by Greek American actor
John Stamos. Jesse's surname was changed from Cochran to Katsopolis after the first season because Stamos wanted to portray his Greek American heritage. Jesse's Greek dad was also a recurring character. Stamos reprises the role of Jesse in the 2016 sequel sitcom, Fuller House.
The
Olympia Cafe 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.
Writer, performer and radio-commentator
David Sedaris satirizes growing up in a Greek American household in
suburbanNorth Carolina in several of his essays.
Any person who is
ethnically Greek born
outside of Greece may become a Greek citizen through
naturalization by proving that a parent or grandparent was born as a national of Greece. The Greek ancestor's
birth certificate and
marriage certificate are required, along with the applicant's birth certificate and the birth certificates of all
generations in between until the relation between the applicant and the person with Greek citizenship is proven.
Organizations
There are hundreds of regional, religious and professional Greek American organizations. Some of the largest and most notable include:
The
American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA) is the largest community organization of Greek Americans. It was founded in
Atlanta, Georgia in 1922 to counter the anti-Greek attacks by the
Ku Klux Klan during that time period. Its current membership exceeds 28,000. 385 active chapters are located in the United States with additional chapters in Canada, and Europe. AHEPA maintains a full-time staff at the AHEPA Global Headquarters located in Washington, DC www.ahepa.org
The Next Generation Initiative, a foundation that works with prominent Greek American leaders and executives to offer educational opportunities such as
internships and master classes through a network of more than 5,500 Greek American students and 2,500 professors on 200+ college campuses.
The
Council of Hellenes Abroad is a Greek government sponsored umbrella organization for Greek immigrant organizations worldwide.
The
Hellenic Society Paideia has been promoting Hellenism and Orthodoxy since 1977 by placing Greek and Byzantium classes in high schools and universities, offering study abroad programs to Greece year round, and with various building projects throughout the country. Anywhere from 200 to 500 students travel to Greece with Paideia per year. Information specifically for the study abroad programs can be found at
www.hellenicstudiespaideia.org Currently "Paideia" is constructing a Classical Greek Amphitheater at the University of Connecticut and a Center for Hellenic Studies at the University of Rhode Island.[67]
The National Hellenic Student Association (NHSA)[68] is the independent network of the Hellenic Student Associations (HSAs) across the United States. By linking all the Greek, Greek-American and Cypriot students of the American educational institutions, the organization can promote ideas and projects and enrich the Hellenic spirit on campuses nationwide.
Many topika somatéa (local councils) or clubs representing the local regional homeland of Greeks in America. Among the scores of such clubs, larger "umbrella" organizations include the Pan Macedonian Association (one example is the Drosopigi Society, in Rochester, New York, hailing from the village of Drosopigi in Northern Greece outside of the city of Florina) the Panepirotic Federation, the Pan Cretan Association, the
Pan-Icarian Brotherhood, the Pan Pontian Federation of U.S.A-Canada, the Chios Societies of America & Canada, the Cyprus Federation of America, the Pan-Laconian Federation of the USA & Canada, the Pan-Messinian Federation of the USA & Canada, the Pan-Arcadian Federation of America and several associations of refugees from areas in the former Ottoman territories.
^Adorno, Rolena; Pautz, Patrick (September 15, 1999). Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca: His Account, His Life, and the Expedition of Panfilo de Narváez. Lincoln:
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^Manny Paraschos (November 18, 2016).
"The Greeks of Boston". Emerson College, Boston. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
^"The Slave Market at Constantinople"(PDF). Vermont Gazette Volume 20 No 39 September 8, 1829 Page 1. Genealogy Bank. September 8, 1829. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
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