I have a question about American culture.
Is it easy for non-English speaking people
to addapt to the American Anglo-saxon culture?
I ask this question, because I know that the USA
were dominated from the early period of the founding
fathers until the 20th century by the Prebysterian
and other Protestant, Anglo-saxons.
Was it easy for Catholic Poles (your Polish parents,
grandparents, ancestors or you) to integrate in the
new society?
I read earlier about the resentments against the floods
of jewish and Eastern European immigrants in the
end of the 19th centrury and in the beginning of the 20th century,
and the strict immigration laws (restrictions like the immigration
stop in the early twenties due to the anti-immigrant mood under
the American population of that time).
Now I know (via this forum -you- and my Polish-American family)
that you have succesful Polish-Americans and huge communities
in Chicago, Detroit and New York.
The new generation of young Poles speak English, but in the past
older Poles spoke German or even French, not English (exept
the very few intellectuals, students and academics).
I there an Polish-American accent or dialect, like the Italians
and French have and the Latino's?
America has a strong national identity, but in the same time many
of it's citizens are very proud of their roods, and have strong ethnic
cultural communities and organisations.
It is an exiting, innovative and interesting society and culture.
I never felt more European then when I was in America.
Pieter
