Excerpt from Our Slavic Fellow Citizens No critic, perhaps, will be so alive to the defects of this study as is the author, yet it is hoped that the book may have a value of its own. It is at least based upon first hand inquiry both in Europe and in America; and both are necessary. Acquaintance with any immigrant people in America only is not enough. The naturalist might as well study the habits of a lion in a menagerie or of a wild bird in a cage. To understand the immigrant we should know him in the conditions which have shaped him, and which he has shaped, in his own village and among his own people; we should study the culture of which he is a living part, but which he is for the most part powerless to transport with him to his new home. He must, however, be known also as he develops in America in an environment curiously and intricately blended of old and new elements. Convinced of this, I spent the greater part of the year 1905 in Austria-Hungary, studying emigration on the spot, and over a year in visiting Slavic colonies in the United States, ranging from New York to Colorado, and from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to Galveston. California was unfortunately not reached. One autumn was spent as a boarder in the family of a Bohemian workingman in New York City. Everywhere in Europe and this country, whether or not furnished with letters of introduction, I found Slavs of all classes and kinds ready to show me kindness and lend me intelligent and cordial assistance. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

In the last, rootless decade families, neighborhoods, and communities have disintegrated in the face of gripping social, economic, and technological changes. This process has had mixed results. On the positive side, it has produced a mobile, volatile, and dynamic society in the United States that is perhaps more open, just, and creative than ever before. On the negative side, it has dissolved the glue that bound our society together and has destroyed many of the myths, symbols, values, and beliefs that provided social direction and purpose. In A History of the Polish Americans, John J. Bukowczyk provides a thorough account of the Polish experience in America and how some cultural bonds loosened, as well as the ways in which others persisted. Following a chronological format, Bukowczyk explains the historical reasons that led Polish people to come to America, the experience of the first wave of immigrants, the identity problem of second-generation Poles, and the kind of organizations and institutions that Polonia established in America. Throughout the author wrestles with the question faced by all immigrant groups: What does it mean to be a hyphenated American? And more specifically: What does it mean to be a Polish-American? "This is the best survey of Polish-American history yet published. comprehensive yet succinct, highly interpretive but readable, thought-provoking yet not shrill. skillfully weaves together elements of religion, ethnicity, and class. [T]his book should be the starting point for any reader who wishes to understand the four or five million Americans who claim a Polish heritage."--Edward R. Kantowicz, American Historical Review "[A History of the Polish Americans] is the best survey to date of the Polish experience in America. The readable style and profuse illustrations will appeal to students and the wealth of interpretation will stimulate the scholar"--William J. Galush, The Journal of American History John J. Bukowczyk is professor of history at Wayne State University. He is author or editor of four books and author of numerous journal articles. He is also editor of the Journal of American Ethnic History.

"Together, the historical essays in this volume provide the best account of how the Foundation moved away from its roots as a policy think tank.... This book of essays is the only extended treatment of the Foundation's history that includes both its distinguished early years and its emergence after World War II as the principal private foundation devoted to strengthening basic research in the social sciences." —ERIC WANNER, president of the Russell Sage Foundation, in his foreword to the volume