Poles and Italians in Detroit
In the late 17th century and early 18th century Detroit was a hotbed for foreign immigration. The booming automobile industry and resulting growth of the city ensured that many jobs were available for those able to take them. Among these immigrants were distinct groups originating from many different countries. Two of these groups were the Poles and the Italians, who arrive to Detroit looking for a new beginning. Although many similarities can be found between the groups there are an equal number of differences, which defined each separate culture. In this paper I'd like to focus on the similarities and differences between the Poles and Italians in Detroit by looking at their reasons for leaving their countries and subsequent arrivals into Detroit, their lifestyles upon moving to Detroit, and the Americanization process that occurred when they arrived. In my opinion both the Poles and Italians left their homelands not necessarily because they wanted to, but more as a means of survival. Both of these groups suffered from insufficient family incomes due to overpopulation, lack of peasant landholding, and changing word economy. Although they shared these similarities their were also striking
1999American Cities/Detroit/Poles/Neighborhood/In Streets/Location of Polish Colonies. The other reason I believe it took the Poles longer to Americanize had to do with the role of the family. However their emigration rate was the highest among immigrants, which leads me to believe that their reason for leaving was almost purely a matter of money. Finally another difference was the importance of religion. Their departure took place during World War I when the countries that were ruling them also persecuted them because of beliefs and political differences. Jobs held by Italians included (but were not limited to) unskilled labor in the fields of auto, shipbuilding, and construction. "Poland was partitioned among three neighboring empires and disappeared as a state in Europe until after World War I" (Global View/Origins/Europe/Poland). Because the Polish immigrations were more permanent than the Italians it is understandable why a nice home would be important. Most of the Poles in Detroit worked in the automobile or metal industries, and quite a few actually had skilled labor jobs. However the Italians didn't put near as much importance in religion, as is evident in the fact that many more Italian children attended public schools than did the Polish children (who were enrolled in parochial schools. For the Polish, "a church is considered the first need of a colony" (American Cities/Detroit/Poles/Neighborhood/In Streets/Location of Polish Colonies).
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