Americanization and the Immigrant Church in the 1920s

Abstract

This chapter recounts the ways the archdiocese tried to overcome the political divide that affected Greek Orthodox life. It highlights how the archdiocese attempted to devise a strategy that would confront the pressures in order to assimilate and “Americanize” what the Greek immigrants faced in the 1920s. It also explores the prospect of a long-term presence in the United States that became a reality. This chapter addresses the question on how best to become part of American society and maintain ties with the homeland in order to preserve Greek ethnic and religious identity. It looks into several strategies that evolved within the Greek community, which ranges from the advocacy of so-called 100 percent Americanism to a more cautious stance that acknowledged the need for the Greeks to demonstrate loyalty and acquire US citizenship.