View source for Polish Americans

{{Short description|Americans of Polish birth or descent}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group            = Polish Americans
| native_name      = {{lang|pl|Polscy Amerykanie}}
| population       = '''Alone (one ancestry)'''<br>'''2,686,326''' ([[2020 United States census|2020 census]])<ref name= "Ethnic groups by the 2020 US census">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/detailed-race-ethnicities-2020-census.html|title=Races and Ethnicities USA 2020|publisher=[[United States census]]|date= September 21, 2023|access-date=October 21, 2023}}</ref><br>0.81% of the total US population<br><br>'''Alone or in combination'''<br>'''8,599,601''' ([[2020 United States census|2020 census]])<ref name= "Ethnic groups by the 2020 US census"/><br>2.59% of the total US population
| popplace         = {{flatlist|1=
* [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]] 
* [[Northeastern United States|Northeast]] 
* [[California]]
* [[Florida]]
* [[Texas]]
}}
| languages        = {{hlist | [[English language|English]] ([[American English|American English dialects]]) | [[Polish language|Polish]] }}
| religions        = {{hlist | [[Christianity]] | [[Judaism]] }}
| image            = Americans with Polish Ancestry by state.svg
| image_caption    = Americans with Polish ancestry by state according to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey in 2019
| related          = {{flatlist|1=
* [[Polish people|Poles]]
* [[Polish Canadians]]
* [[Czech Americans]]
* [[Lithuanian Americans]]
* [[Slovak Americans]]
* [[Ukrainian Americans]]
}}
| footnotes        = 
}}
'''Polish Americans''' ({{langx|pl|Polscy Amerykanie}}) are [[Americans]] who are of full or partial [[Polish people|Polish]] origin. The Polish American population is well dispersed across the states.  Only Illinois and New York contain more than 10.0% of the Polish American population, though neither state is over 15.0%.{{Citation needed|date=October 2025|reason=This appears to be very out of date and conflict with the other data on the page as of October 2025, but I can't find where it came from to verify if that's true}} However, when viewed at the regional level, there is concentration around the [[Great Lakes]] and the [[Mid-Atlantic (United States)|Mid-Atlantic]].

Poland has a long history of [[republicanism]] going back to the establishment of the first national legislature, the [[Sejm of the Kingdom of Poland]], in 1386. This legislature became bicameral in 1493. Poland and Lithuania formed a federated state in 1569 with the establishment of the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth|Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]]. In this commonwealth of two nations there was a joint legislature called the [[Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth|General Sejm]]. An [[elective monarchy]] was started in 1572. Influenced by the Constitution of the United States, the commonwealth enacted a written constitution called the [[Constitution of 3 May 1791]].

In addition to political liberty, Poland has a long tradition of [[Freedom of religion|religious liberty]]. Statutes for the toleration of specific religious groups date to the 13th century. The [[Warsaw Confederation|Compact of Warsaw]], which was passed in 1573, codified religious tolerance for the nobility and burghers in the commonwealth. Polish Americans have been very active in religion, particularly Christianity and Judaism.

Polish Americans have demonstrated a strong interest in the sovereignty of Poland. During World War I, notable numbers of Polish Americans joined either the [[United States Armed Forces]] or the [[Blue Army (Poland)|Blue Army]] with the goal of re-establishing an independent Poland. The [[Polish American Congress]] was established during World War II to advocate in the United States for a sovereign Poland. The congress lobbied successfully for the admission of Poland to the [[NATO|North Atlantic Treaty Organization]] in 1999.

Polish Americans continue to produce and consume many of the foods from the old country. Festivals centered on food, religion, art, and patriotism are found in many locations throughout the United States. News media is produced in Polish and/or English. There are several museums as well.

==History==
{{Main|History of the Poles in the United States}}[[File:PolishimmigrationmarkerIndianolaTX.jpg|thumb|Marker of immigration from [[Silesia]] into Texas, located in [[Indianola, Texas]]|left]]

The history of Polish immigration to the United States can be divided into three stages, beginning with the first stage in the colonial era down to 1870, small numbers of Poles and Polish subjects came to America as individuals or in small family groups, and they quickly assimilated and did not form separate communities, with the exception of [[Panna Maria, Texas]] founded in the 1850s. For instance, Polish settlers known as the [[Jamestown Polish craftsmen]] came to the [[Colony of Virginia|Virginia Colony]] as skilled craftsmen as early as 1608.<ref name="ALW1977">{{Cite book |last=Waldo |first=Arthur Leonard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kiESAAAAYAAJ |title=True Heroes of Jamestown |date=1977 |publisher=American Institute of Polish Culture |isbn=978-1-881284-11-6 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Obst 2012">{{cite web | last=Obst | first=Peter J. | title=Jamestown 1608 Marker | website=Poles in America Foundation | date=2012-07-20 | url=http://www.poles.org/Jamestown_Marker/ | access-date=2019-08-03}}</ref> Some Jews from Poland even assimilated into cities which were Polish (and also other Slavic and sometimes additionally Jewish) bastions to conceal their Jewish identities.<ref>See the reference to [[Anusim]]. Additionally, refer to the similar case of [[John Kerry]]'s paternal grandfather,  a non-Polish subject who immigrated to [[Boston]] and passed for a [[Czechs|Czech]]-Austrian Hungarian [[Catholic]].</ref>

In the second stage from 1870 to 1914, Poles and Polish subjects formed a significant part of the wave of immigration from [[Germany]], [[Imperial Russia]], and [[Austria Hungary]]. The Poles, particularly Polish Jews, came in family groups, settled in and/or blended into largely Polish neighborhoods and other Slavic bastions, and aspired to earn wages that were higher than what they could earn back in Europe and so many took the ample job opportunities for unskilled manual labor in industry and mining. The main Ethnically-Polish-American organizations were founded because of high Polish interest in the [[Catholic church]], [[parochial schools]], and local community affairs. Relatively few were politically active.

During the third stage from 1914 to present, the United States has seen mass emigration from Poland, and the coming of age of several generations of fully assimilated Polish Americans. Immigration from Poland has continued into the early 2000s and began to decline after Poland had joined the European Union in 2004. The income levels have gone up from well below average, to above average. Poles became active members of the liberal [[New Deal Coalition]] from the 1930s to the 1960s, but since then, many have moved to the suburbs, and have become more conservative and vote less often [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]].<ref name="HEAEG1980">{{cite encyclopedia|last=Greene|first=Victor|editor-last=Thernstrom|editor-first=Stephan|editor-link=Stephan Thernstrom|editor-last2=Orlov|editor-first2=Ann|editor-last3=Handlin|editor-first3=Oscar|editor-link3=Oscar Handlin|title=Poles|pages=787–803|encyclopedia=Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups|url=https://archive.org/details/harvardencyclope00ther|year=1980|publisher=[[Harvard University Press]]|isbn=0674375122|oclc=1038430174}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{See also|List of Polish Americans}}
{{Bar chart
| title       = Number of Polish Americans <br />(self-reported) as per U.S. Census
| label_type  = Year
| data_type   = Number
| bar_width   = 15
| width_units = em
| data_max    = 10000000
| float       = right
| label1   = 1900<ref>{{cite web|title=Waclaw Kruszka, Historya Polska w Ameryce, Milwaukee 1905, p. 65 (in Polish)|url=http://liturgicalcenter.org/media/pdfy/Polonia/Polonia/POL_1.pdf|publisher=The Polish-American Liturgical Center|access-date=2 November 2015|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304132207/http://liturgicalcenter.org/media/pdfy/Polonia/Polonia/POL_1.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| data1 = 1,903,000
| label2   = 1970<ref>Polish Americans, Status in an ethnic Community. by Helena Lopata, p. 89</ref>
| data2     = 5,105,000
| label3   = 1980<ref>{{cite web|title=Rank of States for Selected Ancestry Groups with 100,00 or more persons: 1980|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/files/pc80-s1-10/tab04.pdf|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=30 November 2012}}</ref> 
| data3    = 8,228,037
| label4   = 1990<ref>{{cite web|title=1990 Census of Population Detailed Ancestry Groups for States|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/cen1990/cp-s/cp-s-1-2.pdf|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=30 November 2012|date=18 September 1992}}</ref> 
| data4    = 9,366,106
| label5   = 2000<ref>{{cite web|title=Ancestry: 2000|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_00_SF3_QTP13&prodType=table|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212213043/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_00_SF3_QTP13&prodType=table|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 February 2020|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=30 November 2012}}</ref> 
| data5    = 8,977,444
| label6   = 2010<ref>{{cite web|title=Total ancestry categories tallied for people with one or more ancestry categories reported 2010 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_1YR_B04003&prodType=table|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150118121537/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_1YR_B04003&prodType=table|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 January 2015|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=30 November 2012}}</ref> 
| data6    = 9,569,207
|label7    = 2020<ref>{{cite web|title=Detailed Races and Ethnicities in the U.S.|url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/detailed-race-ethnicities-2020-census.html}}</ref>
|data7     = 8,599,601
}}

The [[United States Census Bureau]] published an infographic in 2023 entitled Detailed Races and Ethnicities in the United States and Puerto Rico:  2020 Census. This data source showed that the number of Americans in 2020 who cited their ethnic group as Polish was 2,686,362 alone and 8,599,601 alone or in any combination.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Detailed Races and Ethnicities in the United States and Puerto Rico: 2020 Census |url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/detailed-race-ethnicities-2020-census.html |access-date=2025-07-06 |publisher=US Census Bureau |language=en}}</ref> The proportion of the former to the latter was 31.2%, thus indicating that a substantial majority were of mixed origin. The adjacent table shows the Polish American population going back to 1900.

While the Polish American population is dispersed across the union, there are four states of note. [[Illinois]] has the largest population both for the alone and combination categories. The alone population of 352,882 equaled 13.1% of the total alone in the United States in 2020. The alone or in any combination figure of 857,583 was equivalent to 10.0% of the national total. Also of note in Illinois is the high concentration of the Polish American population in [[Cook County, Illinois|Cook County]]. 57.6% of the alone population in the state and 48.0% of the combination population were located in that county in 2020. Other counties with notable numbers were [[DuPage County, Illinois|DuPage]], [[Will County, Illinois|Will]], and [[Lake County, Illinois|Lake]].

[[New York (state)|New York]] had the second largest Polish American population in the 2020 Census. The alone category summed to 274,580 while the combination category was 788,624. These figures equaled 10.2% and 9.2% of the national totals respectively. There are two nodes in the state. [[Erie County, New York|Erie County]] had the largest population with 58,949 alone and 147,201 in combination, making it the largest in the state and second largest in the nation. The other node consists of the five contiguous counties of [[New York County|New York]], [[Kings County, New York|Kings]], [[Queens County, New York|Queens]], [[Nassau County, New York|Nassau]], and [[Suffolk County, New York|Suffolk]].[[File:Distribution of Americans claiming Polish Ancestry by county in 2018.png|thumb|Distribution of Polish Americans by county in 2018|left]]The third highest ranking state is [[Michigan]]. Its alone population of 256,398 comprised 9.5% of the national figure in 2020. The combination population of 752,515 was 8.8% of the national total. The population is concentrated in the three contiguous counties of [[Macomb County, Michigan|Macomb]], [[Wayne County, Michigan|Wayne]], and [[Oakland County, Michigan|Oakland]]. These three counties were the third, fourth, and fifth largest in the United States respectively. Their populations for both the alone and combination categories were close.

[[Pennsylvania]] had the fourth highest ranking population in 2020. Its alone population was 206,264 and its combination total was 710,565. The Polish American population is very dispersed in the commonwealth. [[Allegheny County, Pennsylvania|Allegheny County]] had 12.3% of the alone and 14.6% of the combination population in Pennsylvania, lower ratios for the leading county compared to the top three states. Other counties of note were [[Luzerne County, Pennsylvania|Luzerne]], [[Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]], [[Bucks County, Pennsylvania|Bucks]], and [[Montgomery County, Pennsylvania|Montgomery]].

Other states with 5% of the total Polish American population in either category were [[Florida]], [[New Jersey]], [[Wisconsin]], and [[California]].

===Polish Language===
{| class="wikitable floatright"
|-
! scope="col" style="width: 50px" |Year<ref>{{Cite web |title=Language Use in the United States: 2019 |url=https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2022/acs/acs-50.html |access-date=2025-05-26 |publisher=US Census Bureau |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Tech Paper 29: Table 6. Mother Tongue of the Foreign-Born Population: 1910 to 1940, 1960, and 1970 |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0029/tab06.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190908180659/https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0029/tab06.html |archive-date=2019-09-08 |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=www.census.gov |language=en}}</ref>
! scope="col" style="width: 70px" |Speakers
|-
| 1910|| 943,781
|-
| 1920|| 1,077,392
|-
| 1930|| 965,899
|-
| 1940|| 801,680
|-
| 1960|| 581,936
|-
| 1970|| 419,912
|-
| 1980 || 820,647
|-
| 1990 || 723,483
|-
| 2000 || 649,649
|-
| 2010 || 608,333
|-
|2019
|510,430
|}
The [[United States Census Bureau]] began to count language use in its decennial census starting in 1890. In addition, the bureau conducts an annual service called the [[American Community Survey]] which began estimating language use in 2005. The most recent publication of language use from this survey is dated 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Language Use in the United States: 2019 |url=https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2022/acs/acs-50.html |access-date=2025-05-26 |publisher=US Census Bureau |language=en}}</ref> In that year 510,430 people over five years old reported [[Polish language|Polish]] as the language spoken at home. The adjacent table gives the historical figures for Polish language use in the United States. The peak year for Polish language in the United States was 1920 when 1.08 million people reported it as their language spoken at home.

At the state and local level several governments provide language service in Polish. The [[Illinois Department of Human Services]] as well as the [[Illinois Department of Employment Security]] offer services in the language.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Illinois Department of Human Services |url=https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=27893}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Illinois Department of Employment Security |url=https://ides.illinois.gov/}}</ref> The City of Chicago provides language assistance in Polish.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Language Access - Chicago Office of Inspector General |url=https://igchicago.org/language-access/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231105021347/https://igchicago.org/language-access/ |archive-date=2023-11-05 |access-date=2025-05-26 |work=Chicago Office of Inspector General |language=en-US}}</ref> The [[New York State Department of Labor]] provides services in Polish.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NYS DOL Language Services |url=https://dol.ny.gov/nys-dol-language-services |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=Department of Labor |language=en}}</ref> Local Law 30 of 2017 in New York City designated Polish as one of ten languages guaranteed interpretation and translation services for interaction with the city government.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NYC Service {{!}} Language Access |url=https://www.nycservice.org/language_access |access-date=2025-05-26 |website=www.nycservice.org |language=en}}</ref>

=== Communities ===
<u>Illinois</u>:    [[Poles in Chicago|Chicago]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Poles |url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/982.html |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Back Home: Polish Chicago |url=https://www.chicagohistory.org/exhibition/back-home-polish-chicago/ |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=Chicago History Museum |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Story of Chicago's Rise as a Distinctly Polish American City |url=https://news.wttw.com/2019/11/18/story-chicago-s-rise-distinctly-polish-american-city |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=WTTW News}}</ref>

<u>Maryland</u>:    [[History of Poles in Baltimore|Baltimore]]

<u>Michigan</u>:    [[History of Polish Americans in Metro Detroit|Detroit]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Liston |first=Karen |title=Research Guides: Ethnic Research in Detroit, Michigan & the Midwest: Poles |url=https://guides.lib.wayne.edu/c.php?g=174928&p=5549916 |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=guides.lib.wayne.edu |language=en}}</ref>

<u>Nebraska</u>:    [[Poles in Omaha, Nebraska|Omaha]]

<u>New York</u>:    Buffalo,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Polonia: The Polish Legacy on the East Side {{!}} New York Heritage |url=https://nyheritage.org/exhibits/buffalos-neighborhoods-exploring-our-migrant-immigrant-heritage/polonia-polish-legacy-east |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=nyheritage.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Polonia Trail |url=https://poloniatrail.com/ |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=Polonia Trail}}</ref> New York City<ref>{{Cite web |last=Horbal |first=Bogdan |title=Research Guides: Slavic and East European Collections: Slavic New York: Poles |url=https://libguides.nypl.org/c.php?g=1402076&p=10410293 |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=libguides.nypl.org |language=en}}</ref>

<u>Ohio</u>:            Cleveland,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-02-25 |title=POLES {{!}} Encyclopedia of Cleveland History {{!}} Case Western Reserve University |url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/p/poles |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=case.edu |language=en}}</ref> Toledo<ref>{{Cite web |title=CONTENTdm |url=https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p16007coll33/id/233553/ |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=ohiomemory.org}}</ref>

<u>Pennsylvania</u>:<ref name="Polish Settlement and Poland">{{Cite web |title=Polish Settlement and Poland |url=https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/essays/polish-settlement-and-poland/ |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia |language=en-US}}</ref>    Anthracite Coal Mining Region,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Knies |first=Jennie Levine |title=Library Guides: Anthracite Coal Mining Region of Northeastern Pennsylvania: Home |url=https://guides.libraries.psu.edu/c.php?g=351766&p=2372214 |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=guides.libraries.psu.edu |language=en}}</ref> Philadelphia,<ref name="Polish Settlement and Poland"/> Pittsburgh

<u>Texas</u>:<ref>{{Cite web |last=Association |first=Texas State Historical |title=The History of Polish Immigration to Texas |url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/poles |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=Texas State Historical Association |language=en}}</ref>    Central, South

<u>Wisconsin</u>:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wisconsin 101 |url=https://wi101.wisc.edu/eastern-european-immigration-to-wisconsin/ |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=wi101.wisc.edu}}</ref>    Milwaukee,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Poles |url=https://emke.uwm.edu/entry/poles/ |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=Encyclopedia of Milwaukee |language=en-US}}</ref> Stevens Point<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.pbs.org/video/little-poland-mqle5b/ |title=Wisconsin Hometown Stories {{!}} Little Poland |language=en |access-date=2025-09-21 |via=www.pbs.org}}</ref>

==Religion==
[[Christianity]] and [[Judaism]] are the most common religions among Polish Americans. However, a small group of [[Lipka Tatars]], originating from the [[Białystok]] region, founded the [[Powers Street Mosque]] in [[Brooklyn]] in 1907.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our History |url=https://www.moslemmosqueinc.org/our-history |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=M.M. Inc |language=en}}</ref>

=== Christianity ===
[[File:St. Stanislaus Kostka Church Chicago.jpg|thumb|upright|[[St. Stanislaus Kostka Church (Chicago)|St. Stanislaus Kostka Church]] in [[Chicago, Illinois]], the city's first Polish parish]]The Central Archives of American Polonia is a research center at the Orchard Lake Schools.<ref>{{Cite web |title=5/3. POLISH PARISHES - THE CENTRAL ARCHIVES OF AMERICAN POLONIA |url=https://www.polisharchives.com/en/polskie-parafie-w-usa |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=www.polisharchives.com}}</ref> The archives compiles data about the history of Christianity among Polish Americans. Its General List of Polish Parishes counts 1.036 [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] parishes of a Polish character that were established over the history of the United States. A portion of these parishes are no longer active. The first parish, Immaculate Conception, was established in [[Panna Maria, Texas]] in 1854.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About {{!}} Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church {{!}} Panna Maria, TX |url=https://www.pannamariachurch.com/history |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church |language=en-US}}</ref> The dioceses with the largest concentration are the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago|Archdiocese of Chicago]] at 64, the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo|Diocese of Buffalo]] at 50, the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton|Diocese of Scranton]] at 49, and the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit|Archdiocese of Detroit]] at 40. The [[Polish Roman Catholic Union of America]] was instrumental in establishing many churches in the dioceses of Chicago, Detroit, and Buffalo.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History |url=https://www.prcua.org/history/ |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=PRCUALife |language=en-US}}</ref> The monumental scale of some of these urban churches led to the creation of a new genre of architecture known as [[Polish cathedral style]].  Parishes were established in rural areas such as farming communities and mining towns as well. The General List of Polish Parishes indicates that 177 parishes were established in Pennsylvania, 122 in New York, 118 in Michigan, 112 in Wisconsin, and 99 in Illinois.[[File:The main and side altars of the Shrine Church of St. Stanislaus.JPG|thumbnail|Inside view of [[St. Stanislaus Church (Cleveland, Ohio)|St. Stanislaus Church]] in [[Broadway–Slavic Village|Slavic Village]] in [[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]]|left]]

The General List of Polish Parishes shows that the most common names for the parishes established were Polish saints such as [[Stanislaus of Szczepanów|St. Stanislaus]], [[Saint Casimir|St. Casimir]], [[Stanislaus Kostka|St. Stanislaus Kostka]], and [[Adalbert of Prague|St. Adalbert]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=5/3. POLISH PARISHES - THE CENTRAL ARCHIVES OF AMERICAN POLONIA |url=https://www.polisharchives.com/en/polskie-parafie-w-usa |access-date=2025-02-17 |website=www.polisharchives.com}}</ref> Also common were [[Sacred Heart]] and [[Saint Joseph|St. Joseph]]. However, the most popular was [[Mary, mother of Jesus|St. Mary]] including as [[Black Madonna of Częstochowa|Our Lady of Czestochowa]].<ref name="marythemessiah">Mary the Messiah: Polish Immigrant Heresy and the Malleable Ideology of the Roman Catholic Church, 1880-1930. John J. Bukowczyk. Journal of American Ethnic History. Vol. 4, No. 2 (Spring, 1985), pp. 5-32</ref> Devotion to this form of St. Mary was confirmed by the opening of The [[National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa]] in 1955. This shrine in Pennsylvania proved so popular that a larger facility was built in 1966.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Czestochowa |first=The National Shrine of Our Lady of |title=History – The National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa |url=https://czestochowa.us/about-us/history/ |access-date=2025-02-17 |language=en-US}}</ref> Several statesmen and bishops have visited including [[Pope John Paul II]].

[[Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit|The Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit]], also known as the Pauline Fathers and Brothers, operates the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa. In addition, the monastic order serves several other parishes, primarily in New York.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Parishes and Monasteries in the USA {{!}} The Order of St. Paul the First Hermit |url=https://osppe.us/parishes-and-monasteries-in-the-usa/ |access-date=2025-09-13 |language=en-US}}</ref> Another religious order for men present in the United States is the [[Resurrectionists (Catholic)|Congregation of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ]], more commonly known as the Resurrectionists. As of 2025, the order is stationed at 21 parishes and universities, mostly in Illinois and California.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ministries |url=https://resurrectionists.com/about-us/ministries |access-date=2025-09-13 |website=Congregation of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ |language=en-GB}}</ref> There is a related order for women known as the Sisters of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sisters of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, Castleton, NY |url=https://resurrectionsisters.org/ |access-date=2025-09-13 |website=resurrectionsisters.org}}</ref> There are two orders of note in the [[Franciscans|Franciscan]] tradition as well. The [[Felician Sisters]] arrived in the United States in 1874. Their expansive ministry encompasses education, health care, and social services.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-05-13 |title=What We Do |url=https://www.felician.org/ministry/ |access-date=2025-09-13 |website=Felician Sisters of North America |language=en-US}}</ref> The order founded and sponsors three institutions of higher education:  [[Felician University]], [[Madonna University]], and [[Villa Maria College]]. The [[Order of Friars Minor Conventual]], generally known as the Conventual Franciscan Friars, founded and operate the National Shrine of St. Maximilian Kolbe in Illinois.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Overview |url=https://kolbeshrine.org/overview |access-date=2025-09-13 |website=National Shrine of St. Maximilian Kolbe |language=en}}</ref> In addition, the order serves the [[Basilica of St. Josaphat]], the third church designated a basilica in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Basilica of St. Josaphat |url=https://thebasilica.org/ |access-date=2025-09-13 |website=The Basilica of St. Josaphat |language=en}}</ref>

[[File:Church of St Casimir 2020.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Church of St. Casimir (Saint Paul, Minnesota)|Church of St. Casimir]] in [[Saint Paul, Minnesota]], built in 1904]]

In Michigan the Orchard Lake Schools were established in 1885.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History |url=https://www.orchardlakeschools.com/history |access-date=2025-02-17 |website=Orchard Lake Schools |language=en}}</ref> One of the schools was the [[SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary|SS. Cyril & Methodius Seminary]] which trained foreign-born priests for ministry to Polish-speaking Catholics in the United States. The seminary operated from 1885 to 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=SS. Cyril & Methodius Seminary |url=https://www.sscms.edu/ |access-date=2025-02-17 |website=SS. Cyril & Methodius Seminary |language=en}}</ref> The Archdiocese of Chicago offers Polish language services through its Polonia ministry.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home - Polonia |url=https://polonia.archchicago.org/ |access-date=2025-02-17 |website=polonia.archchicago.org |language=en-US}}</ref> As of 2025 there are 37 parishes in the diocese which offer masses in the Polish language and 38 schools which offer religious education in Polish.

Customs around the liturgical year remain common among Polish Americans. [[Wigilia]] is practiced at [[Christmas Eve]] while [[Święconka|swieconka]] is performed at churches on [[Holy Saturday]].

Though the majority of Polish Americans remain loyal to the Catholic Church, a breakaway church called the [[Polish National Catholic Church]] was founded in 1897.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About |url=https://pncc.org/about/ |access-date=2025-02-17 |website=The Polish National Catholic Church |language=en-US}}</ref> At that time Polish parishioners in Scranton believed that church leadership, then dominated by Irish bishops and priests, was lacking in Polish representation. At the beginning of 2025 the church consisted of 108 parishes of which 27 are in Pennsylvania and 13 are in New York.

=== Judaism ===
[[World Agudath Israel]] was formed in Poland in 1912 by Jews who disagreed with the secular orientation of Zionism. [[Agudath Israel of America]], also known as Agudas Yisroel or Agudah, was established in 1922.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Evans |first=Esther |date=2021-02-03 |title=About - Agudath Israel of America |url=https://agudah.org/about |access-date=2025-02-16 |language=en-US}}</ref> This organization advocates for [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox Jews]] at all levels of government in the United States. It also provides social, educational, and youth services.

==Government==
{{main|Poland–United States relations|Polish-American vote}}
 {{Further|Category:American politicians of Polish descent}}

When drafting the [[Constitution of the United States]], Thomas Jefferson was inspired by the religious tolerance of the [[Warsaw Confederation]].<ref>Sandra Lapointe. ''The Golden Age of Polish Philosophy: Kazimierz Twardowski's Philosophical Legacy''. Springer. 2009. pp. 2-3. [https://books.google.com/books?id=5u84tl5ux0gC&dq=jefferson+american+constitution+warsaw+confederation&pg=PA2]</ref>

The Congressional Poland Caucus is a congressional membership organization.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Congressional Member And Staff Organizations |url=https://cha.house.gov/congressional-member-and-staff-organizations |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=United States Committee on House Administration |language=en}}</ref> The caucus advocates for stronger U.S.-Poland relations around shared values and economic ties.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-08-17 |title=Poland and European Affairs {{!}} Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur |url=https://kaptur.house.gov/issues/foreign-affairs/poland-and-european-affairs |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=kaptur.house.gov |language=en}}</ref>

Polish-Americans founded the [[Polish American Congress]] (PAC) in 1944 to support a free and sovereign Poland at the end of [[World War II]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Polish American History |url=https://www.pac1944.org/polish-american-history/ |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=Polish American Congress |language=en-US}}</ref> In 1948 it successfully lobbied the U.S. government to admit 140,000 Polish displaced persons, war victims, and veterans to the United States. During the communist era the congress organized humanitarian efforts to Poland. PAC encouraged the passage of the Support East European Democracy Act of 1989 which committed $800 million to Poland. The congress urged the admission of Poland into NATO which happened in 1999. The federation comprises six national membership organizations as of 2025:  [[Dziennik Związkowy (Polish Daily News)|Polish Daily News]], [[American Council for Polish Culture]], Polish Army Veterans Association of America, [[Polish Falcons of America]], [[Polish National Alliance]], and [[Polish Roman Catholic Union of America]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Member Organizations |url=https://www.pac1944.org/member-organizations/ |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=Polish American Congress |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Military ==
{{multiple image
| align             = left
| image1            = Thaddeus Kosciuszko. Copy of engraving by H. B. Hall after Joseph Grassi., 1931 - 1932 - NARA - 532919.tif
| width1            = 118
| alt1              = Tadeusz Kościuszko
| caption1          = [[Tadeusz Kościuszko]]
| image2            = Count Casimir Pulaski. Copy of engraving by H. B. Hall, published 1871., ca. 1900 - 1982 - NARA - 530955.tif
| width2            = 130
| alt2              = Kazimierz Pułaski
| caption2          = [[Kazimierz Pułaski]]
}}
Two Polish volunteers, [[Casimir Pulaski]] and [[Tadeusz Kościuszko]], served in the [[Continental Army]] during the [[American Revolutionary War]]. Casimir Pulaski created and led the [[Pulaski's Legion]] of cavalry. He was mortally wounded at the [[Siege of Savannah]]. [[Fort Pulaski National Monument|Fort Pulaski]] is named in his honor.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Park Archives: Fort Pulaski National Monument |url=https://npshistory.com/publications/fopu/index.htm |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=npshistory.com}}</ref> Tadeusz Kosciuszko designed and oversaw the construction of state-of-the-art fortifications, including those at West Point.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brief History of West Point |url=https://www.westpoint.edu/about/history-of-west-point/brief-history-of-west-point}}</ref> The National Monument Audit is an inventory of public monuments in the United States. It counts 51 monuments of Pulaski and 22 of Kosciuszko.<ref>{{Cite web |title=National Monument Audit |url=https://monumentlab.com/audit |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=Monument Lab}}</ref>

During the [[American Civil War]] the [[58th New York Infantry Regiment]] was known as the Polish Legion.[[File:Polish American recruitment WWI.jpg|thumb|Polish American recruitment [[World War I|WWI]]|267x267px]]

Polish Americans who served in the [[United States Armed Forces]] during [[World War I]] created three different veterans associations after the war. These associations merged in 1931 to form the [[Polish Legion of American Veterans]].<ref>{{cite web |title=PLAV History |url=http://www.plav.org/plavhist.htm |access-date=28 August 2017 |website=Plav.org}}</ref> Polish Americans who served in the [[Blue Army (Poland)|Blue Army]] during World War I created the Polish Army Veterans Association of America in 1921.<ref>{{Cite web |title=SWAP - STOWARZYSZENIE WETERANÓW ARMII POLSKIEJ W AMERYCE |url=http://www.pava-swap.org/ |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=www.pava-swap.org}}</ref> Many of the soldiers in the Blue Army, also known as Haller's Army, were members of the [[Polish Falcons of America]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Higher2 |date=2022-03-07 |title=Polish Falcons of America - Polish Falcons of America |url=https://www.polishfalcons.org/national-headquarters/ |access-date=2025-09-11 |website=Polish Falcons of America -}}</ref> Poland regained its independence in 1918 and the Blue Army merged into the [[Polish Land Forces]].

After the end of the [[Cold War]], the [[National Guard (United States)|National Guard]] created the [[State Partnership Program]]. The [[Illinois National Guard]] has been partnered with the [[Polish Armed Forces]] since 1993.<ref>{{Cite web |title=State Partnership Program - The National Guard |url=https://www.nationalguard.mil/Leadership/Joint-Staff/J-5/International-Affairs-Division/State-Partnership-Program/ |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=www.nationalguard.mil}}</ref> The [[United States Navy]] commissioned Naval Support Facility Redzikowo in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Naval Support Facility Redzikowo |url=https://cnreurafcent.cnic.navy.mil/Installations/NSF-Redzikowo/}}</ref> This facility supports the [[Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System|Aegis Ashore]] missile defense system, which NATO announced as operational in 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=NATO |title=NATO missile defence base in Poland now mission ready |url=https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_227649.htm |access-date=2025-09-11 |website=NATO |language=en}}</ref> In 2023 the [[United States Army]] established its eighth garrison in Europe and first in Poland.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of U.S. Army Garrison Poland |url=https://home.army.mil/poland/about/history}}</ref> U.S. Army Garrison Poland is headquartered at [[Camp Kościuszko|Camp Kosciuszko]].

==Benefit Societies==
Fraternal benefit societies are mutual insurance companies whose profits are devoted to a specific social mission.<ref>{{Cite web |title=American Fraternal Alliance |url=https://www.fraternalalliance.org/about |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=American Fraternal Alliance |language=en-US}}</ref> The [[American Fraternal Alliance]] is the umbrella organization for [[Benefit society|benefit societies]] in the United States and Canada. There are several societies with a Polish American characteristic. The oldest is the [[Polish Roman Catholic Union of America]], also known as PRCUA Life, which was founded in 1873.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History |url=https://www.prcua.org/history/ |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=PRCUALife |language=en-US}}</ref> As its name indicates, its original mission was to build Roman Catholic churches and schools with an emphasis on Polish traditions. The [[Polish National Alliance]] of the United States of North America, often referred to as the PNA or Alliance, was established in 1880. It was founded to promote Polish independence and to integrate Polish immigrants into the civic culture of the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Values & History |url=https://pna-znp.org/about-us/values-and-history/ |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=Polish National Alliance |language=en-US}}</ref> Today both organizations offer scholarships and operate Polish language and dance schools.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Language & Dance Programs |url=https://www.prcua.org/schools/ |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=PRCUALife |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=PNA Scholarship Program |url=https://pna-znp.org/fraternal-benefits/pna-scholarship-award-program/ |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=Polish National Alliance |language=en-US}}</ref> Another benefit society is the [[Polish Falcons of America]]. This organization was started in 1887 but did not become a fraternal benefit society until 1928.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Higher2 |date=2022-03-07 |title=Polish Falcons of America - Polish Falcons of America |url=https://www.polishfalcons.org/national-headquarters/ |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=Polish Falcons of America -}}</ref> It emphasizes physical fitness and Polish patriotism due to its heritage in the [[Sokół movement|Sokol movement]].

First Catholic Slovak Ladies Association, also known as FCSLA Life, is a benefit society focused on Catholic values and Slavic traditions that was founded in 1892.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About |url=https://www.fcsla.com/about/ |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=FCSLA Life |language=en-US}}</ref> It purchased both the Polish Union of U.S.A and the Polish Women's Alliance of America in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |title=PUNA Divison U |url=https://www.fcsla.com/fraternal-department/district-pages/puna-divison-u/ |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=FCSLA Life |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=PWAA: Division Z |url=https://www.fcsla.com/fraternal-department/district-pages/pwaa-division-z/ |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=FCSLA Life |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Catholic Financial Life]] is an amalgamation of many benefit societies. In 2017 it merged with Degree of Honor Protective Association which had purchased the Polish White Eagle Association in 2001.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of Catholic Financial Life |url=https://www.catholicfinanciallife.org/cfl/history}}</ref> The [[Knights of Columbus]], which was established in 1882 to unite Catholic men and to help families of the deceased, expanded into Poland in 2006.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of the Knights of Columbus |url=https://www.kofc.org/en/who-we-are/our-history/the-new-millennium.html |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=www.kofc.org}}</ref>

==Culture==
[[American Council for Polish Culture]] is an alliance of Polish American clubs, associations, and institutes that was established in 1948.<ref>{{Cite web |title=American Council for Polish Culture: About |url=https://polishcultureacpc.org/about/ |access-date=2025-03-23 |language=en}}</ref> The council is focused on promoting Polish culture, history, and traditions. There are 42 affiliate and supporting organizations as of 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |title=American Council for Polish Culture: Organizations |url=https://polishcultureacpc.org/organizations/ |access-date=2025-03-23 |language=en}}</ref>

===Cuisine===
[[Kiełbasa]] is commonly marketed in the United States as Polish sausage. It comes in fresh and smoked varieties. In Chicago the sausage is the meat in the sandwich known as [[Maxwell Street Polish]]. Likewise, in Cleveland there is the [[Polish Boy]].

Polish Jews brought the [[bagel]] to the United States. Christians eat [[pączki]] doughnuts before Lent. Other baked goods include [[babka (food)|babka]], [[rugelach]], [[Bialy (bread)|bialy]], and placek.

[[Pierogi]] are stuffed dumplings that are shared with other Eastern European cuisines. [[Kluski]] are another type of dumplings.

[[Gołąbki]] and [[bigos]] are available sometimes in Polish American communities.

===Festivals and Holidays===
[[File:AIMG 1793.jpg|thumb|right|Polish-American parade in New York City, 2017]]

[[Polish Fest]] in Milwaukee claims to be the largest Polish festival in the United States. The festival encompasses food and drink, music and dance, arts and crafts, genealogy, and religion.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Polish Fest |url=https://polishfest.org/ |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=Polish Fest |language=en}}</ref> It occurs in June and was started in 1982. Another festival vying for the title of the largest in the United States is the [[Taste of Polonia]] festival in Chicago. This festival includes food and beverage, music and dance, gambling, and carnival rides.<ref>{{Cite web |last=thomas |title=Taste of Polonia Festival - 4 Days of Live Music - Chicago Music Fest |url=https://topchicago.org/ |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=Taste of Polonia Festival - Chicago Music Fest |language=en-US}}</ref> It began in 1980 and is held every Labor Day weekend. Just east of Chicago in Whiting, Indiana there is [[Pierogi Fest]]. This annual food festival for Eastern European cuisine was first held in 1993.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About 2022 |url=https://www.pierogifest.net/about-2022 |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=Pierogi Fest® |language=en-US}}</ref> One of the oldest cultural festivals, dating back to 1954, is the Syracuse Polish Festival. This festival focuses on cuisine and activities for children since the festival raises money for a scholarship fund.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Polish Scholarship Fund & Polish Festival {{!}} Welcome! Witamy! |url=https://polishscholarship.org/ |access-date=2025-04-06 |language=en-US}}</ref> The Polish Festival in Portland, Oregon began in 1993.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About {{!}} The Portland Polish Festival |url=https://www.polishfestivalpdx.org/about |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=PolishFestPDX2019 |language=en}}</ref>

Easter Monday is [[Śmigus-dyngus|Dyngus Day]]. This ancient holiday has been celebrated in South Bend since the 1950s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dyngus Day Festivities {{!}} South Bend Celebrations |url=https://www.visitsouthbend.com/events/annual-events/dyngus-day/ |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=www.visitsouthbend.com |language=en-us}}</ref> The largest celebration occurs in the Buffalo metropolitan area. There is a parade, a run, music, folk dancers, food, and drink in the historic Polonia neighborhood as well as other venues in the city and its suburbs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://www.dyngusday.com/ |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=dyngusday |language=en}}</ref> The [[National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa]] holds its Polish American Festival & Country Fair near the feast day of its patroness at the end of August. This five-day celebration of culture and tradition was started in 1966.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About {{!}} Polish American Festival & Country Fair |url=https://polishamericanfestival.org/about/ |access-date=2025-04-06 |language=en-US}}</ref>

[[File:Parada.JPG|thumb|left|[[Polish Constitution Day Parade]] in Chicago, 1985]]

The [[Seattle Polish Film Festival]] was founded in 1992 and is organized by the Seattle-Gdynia Sister City Association.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Seattle Polish Film Festival |url=https://www.polishfilms.org/ |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=www.polishfilms.org}}</ref> Another film festival is the [[New York Polish Film Festival]] which was started in 2005.<ref>{{Cite web |title=XX edition of New York Polish Film Festival - May 27 to May 31 |url=https://nypff.com/about-us-2025/ |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=20th NYPFF |language=en-US}}</ref>

[[3 May Constitution Day|Constitution Day]] is a holiday that remembers the [[Constitution of 3 May 1791]]. This agreement codified the constitutional dual monarchy of the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth|Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]]. After the collapse of Poland it became a rallying cry for the restoration of sovereignty. It became an official holiday in Poland in 1919 after the establishment of the [[Second Polish Republic]]. However, the holiday was banned by Nazi and Soviet occupiers during World War II and by the [[Polish People's Republic]].<ref>{{cite web |title=May 3rd Polish Constitution Day |url=http://ampoleagle.com/may-rd-polish-constitution-day-p6745-105.htm |access-date=17 March 2015 |website=Ampoleagle.com}}</ref> It was restored as a holiday in 1990 after the end of communism. In the United States the oldest and largest celebration is the parade in Chicago which was started in 1891.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-01-05 |title=History – Polish Constitution Day Parade – Polska Parada w USA |url=https://polishparade.org/history/ |access-date=2025-04-06 |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Media===
[[Polvision]] is a Polish language television station that was founded in 1987.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bezpłatna telewizja online za darmo |url=https://polvision.com/o-nas/ |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=polvision.com |language=pl}}</ref> It broadcasts throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. ''[[Dziennik Związkowy (Polish Daily News)|Dziennik Związkowy]]'', also known as Polish Daily News, is a Polish language newspaper in Chicago that was started in 1908. Another Polish language newspaper is ''[[Nowy Dziennik]].'' It serves the New York City metropolitan area and was first published in 1971.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kontakt |url=https://dziennik.com/kontakt/ |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=Nowy Dziennik}}</ref> A bi-lingual news publication is Tygodnik Polski/The Polish Weekly which continues the tradition of a newspaper founded in 1904 in Detroit.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Us |url=https://polishweekly.com/about-us/ |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=The Polish Weekly {{!}} Tygodnik Polski |language=en-US}}</ref> A digital bi-lingual news portal is the Polish News Online which began in 1997.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-01-25 |title=About Us - Polishnews.com |url=https://polishnews.com/about-us |access-date=2025-03-23 |language=pl-PL}}</ref> The Polish American Journal was started in 1911 and switched to printing only in English in 1948.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Journal |first=Polish American |title=News for Polish Americans in English |url=https://www.polamjournal.com/about-us.html |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=www.polamjournal.com}}</ref> Am-Pol Eagle is an English language newspaper that was first published in 1960.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The history of the Am-Pol Eagle |url=https://ampoleagle.com/the-history-of-the-ampol-eagle-p17745-251.htm |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=ampoleagle.com}}</ref> It serves the Buffalo metropolitan area.

[[Hippocrene Books]] is a publishing house with a specialty in Polish-interest books.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About |url=https://www.hippocrenebooks.com/about.html |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=Hippocrene Books |language=en}}</ref> [[Ohio University Press]] has published 19 books in its Polish and Polish-American Studies Series.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Polish and Polish-American Studies Series |url=https://www.ohioswallow.com/series/polish-and-polish-american-studies-series/ |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=Ohio University Press |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Sports ===
The [[U.S. Open Cup]] is the national championship for soccer. It was started in 1914. Two Polish American teams have won the championship:  [[Chicago Falcons]] in 1953 and [[A.A.C. Eagles]] in 1990.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2024 U.S. Open Cup Highlights {{!}} U.S. Soccer Official Website |url=https://www.ussoccer.com/us-open-cup/champions |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=www.ussoccer.com |language=en}}</ref>

The [[National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame]] was founded in 1973 to recognize competitors in the field of sports. The majority of the inductees have been in baseball and American football.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NPASHF {{!}} Inductees |url=https://www.polishsportshof.com/inductees/ |access-date=2025-02-16 |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Architecture ===
[[File:Milwaukee Cathedral 3.jpg|thumb|[[Basilica of St. Josaphat]] in Milwaukee is an example of the Polish Cathedral style of architecture.]][[Polish Cathedral style|Polish cathedral style]] refers to large churches built by Polish Americans that were equivalent in size to cathedrals but not necessarily cathedrals. These religious buildings were built according to architectural styles from different periods in Poland's history. This method of architecture is known as [[Historicism (art)|historicism]]. The largest number of examples of these churches are found in Chicago and Detroit.

In Milwaukee raised cottages are called [[Polish flat|Polish flats.]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Polish Flat |url=https://emke.uwm.edu/entry/polish-flat/ |access-date=2025-03-15 |website=Encyclopedia of Milwaukee |language=en-US}}</ref>

Polish settlers in Texas built houses with high-pitched roofs. The shaded [[veranda]] that was created by these roofs was a popular living space for the settlers. According to oral histories recorded from descendants, the verandas were used for "almost all daily activities from preparing meals to dressing animal hides."<ref name="Abernathy2000">{{cite book |author=Francis Edward Abernathy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2MzC5rRHjMsC&pg=PA132 |title=Publications of the Texas Folklore Society |date=1 August 2000 |publisher=University of North Texas Press |isbn=978-1-57441-092-1 |pages=132– |access-date=10 April 2013}}</ref> The first house built by a Pole in Texas is the John Gawlik House which was constructed in 1858. The house is located in the central historic district of Panna Maria.<ref>{{Cite web |last=pls4e |date=2018-09-20 |title=John Gawlik House |url=https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/TX-01-SF31 |access-date=2025-03-15 |website=SAH ARCHIPEDIA |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Central Historic District {{!}} Panna Maria Texas |url=https://www.pannamariatexas.com/central-historic-district |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=www.pannamariatexas.com}}</ref>

===Museums and Archives===
[[File:20070822 Polish Museum.JPG|thumb|left|The [[Polish Museum of America]] in [[Chicago]] ]]

The [[Polish Museum of America]] in Chicago's [[Polish Downtown]] was founded in 1935. It consists of a museum of Polish and Polish American artifacts, a library of books in both Polish and English, and an archives.<ref>{{Cite web |title=PMA main |url=https://www.polishmuseumofamerica.org/ |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=www.polishmuseumofamerica.org/ |language=en-US}}</ref> The [[Polish Roman Catholic Union of America]] started the PMA and continues to sponsor it. Another sponsor is the [[Ministry of Culture and National Heritage (Poland)|Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland]]. The [[Polish American Museum]] was established in 1977 and is located in Port Washington, New York. This museum focuses on military artifacts and folk art as its two partners are the Center for Military Studies and the Polish Art Center.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Polish American Museum {{!}} Gerald Kochan (Director) {{!}} Center for Military Studies Annex |url=http://polishamericanmuseum.com/ |access-date=2025-04-06}}</ref> The Polish American Cultural Center, which is located in Philadelphia, is a museum of Polish history and culture.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Polish American Cultural Center main page |url=https://www.polishamericancenter.org/culturalcent.htm |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=www.polishamericancenter.org}}</ref>

The Polish Heritage Center at Panna Maria is a museum dedicated to the first and oldest permanent Polish settlement in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Welcome {{!}} Polish Heritage Center |url=http://www.polishheritagecentertx.org/ |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=www.polishheritagecentertx.org}}</ref> This visitor center is located in the [[Panna Maria, Texas|Panna Maria Historic District]] in Texas. A fifth museum of note is the [[Kashubian Cultural Institute & Polish Museum]] located in Winona, Minnesota. [[Kashubians]] are a regional sub-culture from Poland who settled in Wisconsin and Minnesota.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-06 |title=What's a Kashubian? {{!}} Kashubian Cultural Institute & Polish Museum |url=https://polishmuseumwinona.org/what-is-a-kashubian/ |access-date=2025-04-06 |language=en-US}}</ref> The museum was established in 1979.

The Polish Music Center is an institute at the [[USC Thornton School of Music]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Polish Music Center |url=https://music.usc.edu/departments/polish-music-center/ |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=USC Thornton School of Music |language=en-US}}</ref> It consists of a library and archives dedicated to classical music and folk dances from Poland. Cooperation with the Polish State Archives started in 2013.<ref>{{Cite web |title=PMC at 40! – Polish Music Center |url=https://polishmusic.usc.edu/2025/03/06/pmc-at-40/ |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=polishmusic.usc.edu}}</ref> Furthermore, the institute hosts concerts and initiated the annual Paderewski Festival in Paso Robles, California.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Paderewski Festival - The History of the Festival |url=https://www.paderewskifest.com/ignacy-paderewski/the-history-of-the-festival.php |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=www.paderewskifest.com}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|United States|Poland}} 
* [[Poland–United States relations]]
* [[Polish people]]
* [[Polish diaspora]]
* [[History of Poles in the United States]]
* [[Kashubian Americans]]
* [[Kashubians#Diaspora|Kashubian Diaspora]]
* [[Polish Canadians]]
* [[Polish American Immigration and Relief Committee]]

=== Lists ===
* [[List of Polish Americans]]
* [[List of place names of Polish origin in the United States]]

== Citations ==
{{Reflist}}

== Sources and further reading ==
* Bukowczyk, John J. ''A history of the Polish Americans'' (2nd ed. Routledge, 2017) [https://books.google.com/books?id=KyIuDwAAQBAJ&dq=Polish+americans&pg=PT11 online]
** first edition published as {{cite book |title=And My Children Did Not Know Me: A History of the Polish-Americans|last= Bukowczyk|first=John J.|year=1986|publisher=Indiana University Press|location=Bloomington|isbn= 0-253-30701-5|oclc=59790559}}
* {{cite book |title=Polish Americans and Their History: Community, Culture, and Politics|last=Bukowczyk|first=John J.|year=1996|publisher= University of Pittsburgh Press|location=Pittsburgh, Pa|isbn= 0-8229-3953-3|oclc=494311843|url=http://digital.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/t/text/text-idx?idno=31735057893186;view=toc;c=pittpress}}
* Erdmans, Mary Patrice. "Immigrants and ethnics: Conflict and identity in Chicago Polonia." ''Sociological Quarterly'' 36.1 (1995): 175–195. [https://artscimedia.case.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/12132527/immigrants-and-ethnics.pdf online]
* {{cite book|title=Opposite Poles: Immigrants and Ethnics in Polish Chicago, 1976–1990|last=Erdmans|first=Mary Patrice|year=1998|publisher=Pennsylvania State University Press|location=University Park, Pa|isbn=0-271-01735-X|oclc=37245940|url=https://archive.org/details/oppositepolesimm0000erdm}}
* Esslinger, Dean R. . ''Immigrants and the city: Ethnicity and mobility in a nineteenth century Midwestern community'' (Kennikat Press, 1975); focus on demography and social mobility of Germans, Poles, and other Catholics in South Bend
** PhD version  University of Notre Dame ProQuest Dissertations Publishing,  1972. 7216267.
* {{cite book|title=Princes, Peasants, and Other Polish Selves: Ethnicity in American Literature|last=Gladsky|first=Thomas S.|year=1992|publisher=University of Massachusetts Press|location=Amherst|isbn=0-87023-775-6|oclc=24912598|url=https://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=7575521|access-date=2017-09-08|archive-date=2011-01-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110111172850/http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=7575521|url-status=dead}}
* Greene, Victor. "Poles" in [[Stephan Thernstrom|Thernstrom, Stephan]]; Orlov, Ann; [[Oscar Handlin|Handlin, Oscar]], eds. ''[https://archive.org/details/harvardencyclope00ther Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups]''. {{isbn|0674375122}}. (Harvard University Press, 1980) pp 787–803
* Gurnack, Anne M., and James M. Cook. "Polish Americans, Political Partisanship and Presidential Elections Voting: 1972-2020." ''European Journal of Transformation Studies'' 9.2 (2021): 30–39. [https://czasopisma.bg.ug.edu.pl/index.php/journal-transformation/article/download/7085/6275 online]
* {{cite journal |last1= Jackson|first1=David J.|year=2003|title=Just Another Day in a New Polonia: Contemporary Polish-American Polka Music|journal=Popular Music & Society|volume=26|issue=4|pages= 529–540|issn=0300-7766|oclc=363770952|doi=10.1080/0300776032000144986|s2cid=194105509}}
* Jaroszyńska-Kirchmann, Anna D. ''The exile mission: The Polish political diaspora and Polish Americans, 1939-1956'' (Ohio University Press, 2004).
* Jones, J. Sydney. "Polish Americans." ''Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America,'' edited by Thomas Riggs, (3rd ed., vol. 3, Gale, 2014), pp.&nbsp;477–492.
* {{cite book|title=Polish Americans: Status Competition in an Ethnic Community|last=Lopata|first=Helena Znaniecka|series=Ethnic groups in American life series|year=1976|publisher=Prentice-Hall|location=Englewood Cliffs, N.J.|isbn=0-13-686436-8|oclc=1959615|url=https://archive.org/details/polishamericanss0000lopa|url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book |title=Traitors and True Poles: Narrating a Polish-American Identity, 1880–1939|last=Majewski|first=Karen|series=Ohio University Press Polish and Polish-American studies series|year=2003|publisher=Ohio University Press|location=Athens|isbn=0-8214-1470-4|oclc=51895984}}
* Mello, Caitlin. "Polish Immigration to Chicago and the Impact on Local Society and Culture." ''Language, Culture, Politics. International Journal'' 1.5 (2020): 183–193. [https://bibliotekanauki.pl/articles/1070275.pdf online]
* {{cite book|title=Polish-American Ways|last=Nowakowski|first=Jacek|year=1989|publisher=Perennial Library|location=New York|isbn=0-06-096336-0|oclc=20130171|url=https://archive.org/details/polishamericanwa0000nowa}}
* [[Dominic A. Pacyga|Pacyga, Dominic A.]] "Poles," in Elliott Robert Barkan, ed., ''A Nation of Peoples: A Sourcebook on America's Multicultural Heritage'' (1999) pp 428–45
* [[Dominic A. Pacyga|Pacyga, Dominic A.]]  "To live amongst others: Poles and their neighbors in industrial Chicago, 1865-1930." ''Journal of American Ethnic History'' 16#1 (1996): 55–73.[https://www.jstor.org/stable/27502138 online]
* [[Dominic A. Pacyga|Pacyga, Dominic A.]] ''Polish Immigrants and Industrial Chicago: Workers on the South Side, 1880-1922'' (Ohio State University Press, 1991), [https://www.google.com/books/edition/Polish_Immigrants_and_Industrial_Chicago/pSPzsIKMO44C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Polish+immigrants+and+industrial+Chicago&printsec=frontcover online]
* [[Dominic A. Pacyga|Pacyga, Dominic A.]]  ''American Warsaw: the rise, fall, and rebirth of Polish Chicago'' (University of Chicago Press, 2019).
* [[Donald E. Pienkos|Pienkos, Donald E.]] ''PNA: A Centennial History of the Polish National Alliance of the United States'' (Columbia University Press, 1984) [https://archive.org/details/pnacentennialhis00pien online]
* [[Donald E. Pienkos|Pienkos, Donald E.]] ''For your freedom through ours : Polish-American efforts on Poland's behalf, 1863-1991'' (1991) [[iarchive:foryourfreedomth0000pien|online]]
* [[Donald E. Pienkos|Pienkos, Donald E.]] "Of Patriots and Presidents: America's Polish Diaspora and U.S. Foreign Policy since 1917," ''Polish American Studies'' 68 (Spring 2011), 5–17.
* {{cite book |title=Polish Americans: An Ethnic Community|last=Pula|first=James S.|series=Twayne's immigrant heritage of America series|year=1995|publisher=Twayne Publishers|location=New York|isbn= 0-8057-8427-6|oclc=30544009}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Pula|first1=James S.|year=1996|title=Image, Status, Mobility and Integration in American Society: The Polish Experience|journal=Journal of American Ethnic History|volume=16|issue=1|pages= 74–95 |oclc=212041643|issn=0278-5927}}
* Pula, James S. "Polish-American Catholicism: A Case Study in Cultural Determinism", ''U.S. Catholic Historian'' Volume 27, #3 Summer 2009, pp.&nbsp;1–19; in [[Project MUSE]]
* Radzilowski, John. "A Social History of Polish-American Catholicism", ''U.S. Catholic Historian'' – Volume 27, #3 Summer 2009, pp.&nbsp;21–43 [https://www.jstor.org/stable/40468582 online]
* {{cite book |title=Polish American Folklore|last= Silverman|first=Deborah Anders|year=2000|publisher=Univ. of Illinois Press|location=Urbana|isbn=0-252-02569-5|oclc=237414611}}
* Sugrue, Thomas. ''Origins of the Urban Crisis: Race and Inequality in Postwar Detroit'' (Princeton University Press, 2005). [https://archive.org/details/originsofurbancr0000sugr_m6y8 online]
* Swastek, Joseph. "The Poles in South Bend to 1914." ''Polish American Studies'' 2.3/4 (1945): 79–88. 
* Tentler, Leslie Woodcock. “Who Is the Church?: Conflict in a Polish Immigrant Parish in Late Nineteenth-Century Detroit.” ''Comparative Studies in Society and History'' vol. 25 (April 1983): 241–276.
* {{cite book |title=The Polish Peasant in Europe and America: A Classic Work in Immigration History|last1=Thomas|first1=William Isaac|author-link1=W. I. Thomas|last2=Znaniecki|first2=Florian Witold|author-link2=Florian Znaniecki|year=1996|orig-year=1918–1920|publisher=University of Illinois Press|location=Urbana|isbn=0-252-06484-4|oclc=477221814|url=https://archive.org/details/polishpeasantin02znangoog}}
* Wrobel, Paul. ''Our Way: Family, Parish, and Neighborhood in a Polish-American Community'' (University of Notre Dame Press, 1979).

===Memory and historiography===
* Jaroszynska-Kirchmann, Anna D., "The Polish American Historical Association: Looking Back, Looking Forward," ''Polish American Studies'', 65 (Spring 2008), 57–76.
* [[David Pietrusza|Pietrusza, David]] ''Too Long Ago: A Childhood Memory. A Vanished World'', Scotia (NY): Church and Reid Books, 2020.
* Radzialowski, Thaddeus C. "The View From a Polish Ghetto. Some Observations on the First One Hundred Years in Detroit" ''Ethnicity'' 1#2 (July 1974): 125–150. [https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ103395 online]
* Walaszek, Adam. "Has the" Salt-Water Curtain" Been Raised Up? Globalizing Historiography of Polish America." ''Polish American Studies'' 73.1 (2016): 47-67.
* {{cite book |title=Poles in American History and Tradition|last=Wytrwal|first=Joseph Anthony|year=1969|publisher=Endurance Press|location=Detroit|oclc=29523}}
* Zurawski, Joseph W. "Out of Focus: The Polish American Image in Film," ''Polish American Studies'' (2013) 70#1 pp.&nbsp;5–35 [https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/poliamerstud.70.1.0005 in JSTOR]
* {{cite book |title=Polish American History and Culture: A Classified Bibliography|last=Zurawski|first=Joseph W.|year=1975|publisher=Polish Museum of America|location=Chicago|oclc=1993061}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|display=Polish Americans|commons=Category:Polish Americans|s=Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Poles in the United States|b=no|q=no|v=no|n=no|wikt=no}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120717033702/http://www.polishmigration.org/ PolishMigration.org], immigration records to United States between 1834 through 1897
* [http://flps.newberry.org/ Chicago Foreign Language Press Survey]: English translations of 120,000 pages of newspaper articles from Chicago's foreign-language press from 1855 to 1938, many from Polish papers

{{Polish Americans by location}}
{{Slavic Americans}}
{{European Americans}}
{{Polish diaspora}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Polish diaspora in the United States| ]]
[[Category:American people of Polish descent|*]]
[[Category:European diaspora in the United States]]
[[Category:Polish diaspora|American]]
[[Category:Polish minorities|American]]