Portugal has one of the highest emigration rates in all of Europe. Over the past one hundred and fifty years, two waves of Portuguese immigrants have entered the United Sates. Portuguese people from the Azores, the Maderias, the Cape Verde islands and continental Portugal have arrived on US shores. Portuguese immigrants have formed communities in Southern New England, California and Hawaii. In these communities, the Portuguese have strove to maintain their culture through clubs associations, and the church.
Frist
Wave of Immigration
In 1820, the first recorded group of Portuguese immigrants arrived in the United States. Many of these immigrants were Azorean men whom worked on American whaling vessels. The men who joined the crews of the whaling ships saw America as a way to avoid the mandatory eight years of military service for the Portuguese army. Later, the men sent for their wives and children. During the 1870's the number of immigrants from Portugal rose. Many of those who arrived in the United States emigrated form Portugal to escape slow economic advancement, poverty, and rising taxes. Most Portuguese did not settle in the US for educational, political and religious freedom. Instead many arrived seeking a higher standard of living.
Second Wave of Immigration
Portuguese immigration to the United States peaked in the early 1900's. During the first decade of the twentieth century, 69,149 Portuguese immigrants arrived in the US. From 1911 to 1920 almost 90,000 Portuguese emigrated to America. These numbers reflect the evens which occurred in Portugal at the time. In 1904 a draught in the Cape Verde Islands and a revolution in 1910 caused many Portuguese people to leave their homeland.
In 1917 the US government required that every person over the age of sixteen wishing to immigrate to the United States must be able to read or write some language in order to reside in the country. This literacy test kept many Portuguese out of he country, because Portugal had a rather low literacy rate. The US immigration act of 1924 set up a quota system , and allowed only a small number of Portuguese to enter the country. However, the Immigration and Nationality act of 1965 got rid of the quota system. Now Portuguese immigrants arrive in the US at a rate of 3,000 to 4,000 per year.
The Portuguese who settled on the East coast mainly found jobs in factories, whaling, fishing, and truck farming. In California, many people form Portugal became miners, fishers and whalers. At first, Por6tuguese settlers in Hawaii mostly worked on sugar plantations, but later found more skilled jobs in cities. As the English proficiency and educational level of many Portuguese immigrants increased, they opened stores, hotels, restaurants and banks.
Many Portuguese come from close families, and reside in towns rather that cities. In earlier years, the father of a Portuguese family made most of the household decisions. At that time, many Portuguese children only attended school for as long as the law required. After attending school, these children would often work in order provide their family with money. Since education is required for all American children, young people were more capable of assimilating to American culture.
Due to the educational opportunity in the United States, many descendants of Portuguese immigrants have impacted American society. Portuguese - Americans have made an impact in the areas of farming, business, art, music, architecture, film television , theater, government, literature, science, medicine, sports, and technology. Today many Portuguese - American societies exist , such as UPEC (Uniao Portuguesa Continental dos Estados Unidos da America or the Portuguese Continental Union of the United States of America) which claims to have nearly 12,000 members. Many other Americans of Portuguese descent belong to clubs or groups which are closely related to the church.
The Portuguese people who emigrated from their homeland all sought a better life in America. The children of these immigrants and even the immigrants themselves assimilated into the "melting pot" of American culture. Their contributions to American culture and lifestyle, has helped to make the United States what it is today.
Bibliography
Thernstrom, Stephan, eds. Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1981.813 - 820
Vecoli, Rudolph J., eds. Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America. New York: Gale Research Inc., 1995. Vol.2. 1103 - 1112