White ethnic
Encyclopedia
White ethnic is a term used in United States sociology
to refer to whites
who are not of European Protestant background. They consist of a number of distinct groups, and within the United States
make up approximately 9.4% of the population. Only once in the United States Census
(the 1970 US Census) was there an official demographic survey of "white ethnics" and it found about 19 million out of the then 200 million people claimed white ethnic ancestry.
The term "white ethnic" almost always carried the connotation of being blue-collar, northeastern
or Midwestern
. The term generally refers to white Catholic immigrants and their descendants from Northern
, Central
, southern
and eastern Europe
.
White ethnic identities were thought to be the strongest in the late 19th and early 20th century (see Hyphenated American
), but over time when white ethnics became more involved in community and later national politics (esp. from in the 1920s to 1950s), it demonstrated how the country was not strictly Anglo-Saxon
and that white ethnics were an integral part of the national scene. Also a number of ethnic organization groups in the 1960s and 1970s were more vocal and supported promotion of the white ethnic cultures of the United States.
In the early 20th century, many white ethnics claimed to have been placed in a low socio-economic level, due to discrimination
and ethnic stereotypes by the White Anglo Saxon Protestant or "WASP" elite. However, since the mid-20th century, most traditional white ethnic groups have ranked at the top of socio-economic indicators that suggest social status, such as income level, occupational status and level of educational attainment.
White ethnics (i.e. Italians
, Russians
, Poles
, Greeks
, Hungarians
, Slovak
s, Scandinavians
such as Swedes
, French-Canadians, and Jews
among them) experienced some levels of ethnocentric racism and xenophobia
by the majority culture they lived among with. Although in the USA the main racial divide was between light-skinned "White" and darker-skinned "Black" African Americans and so the European immigrants became "white" ethnicities were absorbed, assimilated and integrated into the mainstream in a much faster rate.
There has been some debate among sociologists and other scholars as to whether persons of Irish
and German
ancestry should be considered as white ethnics. One school of thought asserts that since the descendants of these two ethnicities often maintain a strong sense of identification with their origins, they should be deemed as white ethnics. However, another theory holds that since these two northern European elements were among the earliest settlers of colonial America, and today actually form the two largest ancestry groups in the U.S., that they can't really be considered as traditional "ethnic groups" as the term is normally understood in the United States.
According to this line of thought, persons of German and Irish origin have been in the country for so long, and were so instrumental in the formation and development of American culture, that like, say, persons of English descent, they are today indistinguishable from the American white population as a whole and do not possess any unique social habits or cultural characteristics that would set them apart.
White America
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
to refer to whites
Definitions of whiteness in the United States
The cultural boundaries separating White Americans from other racial or ethnic categories are contested and always changing.David R. Roediger argues that the construction of the white race in the United States was an effort to mentally distance slaveowners from slaves...
who are not of European Protestant background. They consist of a number of distinct groups, and within the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
make up approximately 9.4% of the population. Only once in the United States Census
United States Census
The United States Census is a decennial census mandated by the United States Constitution. The population is enumerated every 10 years and the results are used to allocate Congressional seats , electoral votes, and government program funding. The United States Census Bureau The United States Census...
(the 1970 US Census) was there an official demographic survey of "white ethnics" and it found about 19 million out of the then 200 million people claimed white ethnic ancestry.
The term "white ethnic" almost always carried the connotation of being blue-collar, northeastern
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
or Midwestern
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
. The term generally refers to white Catholic immigrants and their descendants from Northern
Northern Europe
Northern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe. Northern Europe typically refers to the seven countries in the northern part of the European subcontinent which includes Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Finland and Sweden...
, Central
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
, southern
Southern Europe
The term Southern Europe, at its most general definition, is used to mean "all countries in the south of Europe". However, the concept, at different times, has had different meanings, providing additional political, linguistic and cultural context to the definition in addition to the typical...
and eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
.
White ethnic identities were thought to be the strongest in the late 19th and early 20th century (see Hyphenated American
Hyphenated American
In the United States, the term hyphenated American is an epithet commonly used from 1890 to 1920 to disparage Americans who were of foreign birth or origin, and who displayed an allegiance to a foreign country. It was most commonly used to disparage German Americans or Irish Americans who called...
), but over time when white ethnics became more involved in community and later national politics (esp. from in the 1920s to 1950s), it demonstrated how the country was not strictly Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
and that white ethnics were an integral part of the national scene. Also a number of ethnic organization groups in the 1960s and 1970s were more vocal and supported promotion of the white ethnic cultures of the United States.
In the early 20th century, many white ethnics claimed to have been placed in a low socio-economic level, due to discrimination
Discrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
and ethnic stereotypes by the White Anglo Saxon Protestant or "WASP" elite. However, since the mid-20th century, most traditional white ethnic groups have ranked at the top of socio-economic indicators that suggest social status, such as income level, occupational status and level of educational attainment.
White ethnics (i.e. Italians
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
, Russians
Russian American
Russian Americans are primarily Americans who traces their ancestry to Russia. The definition can be applied to recent Russian immigrants to the United States, as well as to settlers of 19th century Russian settlements in northwestern America which includes today's California, Alaska and...
, Poles
Polish American
A Polish American , is a citizen of the United States of Polish descent. There are an estimated 10 million Polish Americans, representing about 3.2% of the population of the United States...
, Greeks
Greek American
Greek Americans are Americans of Greek descent also described as Hellenic descent. According to the 2007 U.S. Census Bureau estimation, there were 1,380,088 people of Greek ancestry in the United States, while the State Department mentions that around 3,000,000 Americans claim to be of Greek descent...
, Hungarians
Hungarian American
Hungarian Americans Hungarian are American citizens of Hungarian descent. The constant influx of Hungarian immigrants was marked by several waves of sharp increase.-History:...
, Slovak
Slovak American
Slovak Americans are Americans of Slovak descent. In the 1990 Census Slovak Americans made up the second-largest portion of Slavic ethnic groups. There are currently about 790,000 people of Slovak descent living in the United States. -Eighteenth century:...
s, Scandinavians
Scandinavians
Scandinavians are a group of Germanic peoples, inhabiting Scandinavia and to a lesser extent countries associated with Scandinavia, and speaking Scandinavian languages. The group includes Danes, Norwegians and Swedes, and additionally the descendants of Scandinavian settlers such as the Icelandic...
such as Swedes
Swedish American
Swedish Americans are Americans of Swedish descent, especially the descendants of about 1.2 million immigrants from Sweden during 1885-1915. Most were Lutherans who affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America ; some were Methodists...
, French-Canadians, and Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
among them) experienced some levels of ethnocentric racism and xenophobia
Xenophobia
Xenophobia is defined as "an unreasonable fear of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange". It comes from the Greek words ξένος , meaning "stranger," "foreigner" and φόβος , meaning "fear."...
by the majority culture they lived among with. Although in the USA the main racial divide was between light-skinned "White" and darker-skinned "Black" African Americans and so the European immigrants became "white" ethnicities were absorbed, assimilated and integrated into the mainstream in a much faster rate.
There has been some debate among sociologists and other scholars as to whether persons of Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
and German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
ancestry should be considered as white ethnics. One school of thought asserts that since the descendants of these two ethnicities often maintain a strong sense of identification with their origins, they should be deemed as white ethnics. However, another theory holds that since these two northern European elements were among the earliest settlers of colonial America, and today actually form the two largest ancestry groups in the U.S., that they can't really be considered as traditional "ethnic groups" as the term is normally understood in the United States.
According to this line of thought, persons of German and Irish origin have been in the country for so long, and were so instrumental in the formation and development of American culture, that like, say, persons of English descent, they are today indistinguishable from the American white population as a whole and do not possess any unique social habits or cultural characteristics that would set them apart.
Resources
http://academic.udayton.edu/race/01race/white13.htm How the Irish Became White, by Dr. Art MacDonald M.D., University of Dayton (Ohio).White America
See also
- White AmericanWhite AmericanWhite Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa...
- Azerbaijani AmericanAzerbaijani AmericanAzerbaijani Americans , or Azeri-Americans, are U.S. citizens and permanent residents of ethnic Azerbaijani background, or those who were born in Azerbaijan...
- Armenian American
- Dutch American
- Portuguese AmericanPortuguese AmericanPortuguese Americans are citizens of the United States whose ancestry originates in the southwest European nation of Portugal, including the offshore island groups of the Azores and Madeira....
- Scottish AmericanScottish AmericanScottish Americans or Scots Americans are citizens of the United States whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in Scotland. Scottish Americans are closely related to Scots-Irish Americans, descendants of Ulster Scots, and communities emphasize and celebrate a common heritage...
- Spanish AmericanSpanish AmericanA Spanish American is a citizen or resident of the United States whose ancestors originate from the southwestern European nation of Spain. Spanish Americans are the earliest European American group, with a continuous presence since 1565.-Immigration waves:...
- Ukrainian American