Migration from Poland to the US 1820-1957
Between 1820 and 1957, at least 400,000 people migrated from Poland to the United States. Due to Poland's complicated border-history, many Polish migrants were recorded as having other nationalities, particularly Austrian, German and Russian (all migrants who claimed to be Polish between 1899 and 1919 were recorded as being one of these other nationalities), therefore the exact number of Polish migrants to the United States during this time is unknown. From 1920 onwards, Poland's sovereignty and independence was acknowledged by the United States government (US President Wilson was instrumental in helping to establish the independent Republic of Poland), and the figures become more reliable. The years with the highest number of documented Polish migrants to the US was after the First World War in the early 1920s, with almost 100,000 Poles migrating in 1921 alone, although the number fell below 10,000 again by 1925.