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First Wave of Arabic Immigration
Although individual Arabs and their families had been arriving to the United States for almost a century prior, the first significant mass wave of immigrants occurred during the 1870's. The majority of Arab immigrants at this time were Syrian Christians living under the iron boot of Ottoman Islamic imperialist rule. They were welcomed with open arms and intermarried with native population. In fact, since Syrian men outnumbered Syrian women over 4 to 1, nearly 80% of Arabic men had white spouses. -
First Wave Arabic Immigration Reaches its peak
During the 1900's, many Syrians who immigrated from their Ottoman ruled lands to seek a better life had begun to settle in. The majority of whom lived in New York or across the Hudson River in New Jersey, and had begun significant work in the textile industry. By 1924, there were 25 silk and garment factories in Paterson and West Hoboken, New Jersey alone. -
Immigration Act of 1924 barrs continued immigration
Although the Central Powers' crippling defeat by the Entente destroyed Ottoman hegemony over Syria, the British and French took quick haste to incorporate these lands into their own protection. The transition of power quickened Arab immigration, as instability in the region had grown. A rush of Arab immigrants reached the United States in the pursuit for a better life, until the Coolidge Administration signed the Immigration Act of 1924, bringing abruptly an end to the first wave. -
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Second Wave of Arab Immigration
In 1948, war had broken out between Yishuv forces and the Arab states. The Arab-Israeli war that ensued displaced over 750,000 Palestinians, of which 80,000 immigrated to the United States. From 1950-1965, popular revolutions in Egypt, Syria, and Iraq caused thousands of intellectuals and members of the elite to flee to the United States, contributing to significant drainage of intellectuals in the Arab world and more in service to the United States and the American people. -
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Third Wave of Arab Immigration
The ongoing third wave of Arab immigration has resulted in nearly 11 times the number of immigrants compared to the second wave. The rise of Islamism in the Middle East further drained the region's Christian population, while political instability, civil wars, and oppression has resulted in an Exodus of the region's Muslim population as well. With from the emergence of the Islamic Caliphate and the attitudes of the present administration, it remains unseen as to the future of the third wave.
