White ethnic

White ethnic is a term used in American sociology to refer to whites who are not of or White Anglo-Saxon Protestant background. They consist of a number of distinct groups, and within the United States make up approximately 9.4% of the population.

The term "white ethnic" generally refers to white immigrants and their descendants whose origins come from Southern, Central, and Eastern Europe as well as the Celtic fringe. Starting in the 19th century, the development of the United States into an industrial juggernaut saw the migration of millions of immigrant workers from Europe to the United States in order to provide labor for the industrial growth that took place in the Northeast and industrial Midwest. Various Slavic, Celtic, and Mediterranean ethnic groups settled in the nations growing cities in great numbers . This immigration wave continued unabated up until the passage of the Johnson-Reed Act by Congress, which restricted immigration in 1924.

Separated from the Anglo-Protestant establishment by blood, religion and economic circumstances, white ethnic identities retained a strong sense of group cohesion throughout the early 20th century (see Hyphenated American). During this period, many white ethnics were relegated to menial or unskilled laboring occupations. Often, they were subject to discrimination and lampooned with ethnic stereotypes by the White Anglo Saxon Protestant culture prevailing throughout the nation at the time. White ethnics (i.e. Italians,Irish,Russians, Poles, Spanish, Portuguese, Greeks, Hungarians, Slovaks, Croats among them) experienced some levels of ethnocentric racism and xenophobia by the majority culture. Often included among these European ethnic groups were Jews and Caucasian peoples such as Armenians who were likewise marginalized. In contrast to the mainly Protestant , white ethnics tend to practice Roman Catholicism,Eastern Orthodox Christianity, or Judaism. These cultural and religious differences helped to retain and sharpen a strong sense of separateness from the dominant American culture.

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