From Jumping Ship to Jumping Bureaucratic Hurdles: The Evolution of U.S. Immigration Policy and The Story of My Greek Family’s Immigration to America
Abstract
From Jumping Ship to Jumping Bureaucratic Hurdles is a compilation of interviews, research of primary and secondary sources, and my own personal experiences that documents the immigration process of a Greek family from 1900 - 1962. This work seeks to answer three primary questions: What is my family’s immigration story? How does it illustrate the evolution of immigration policy? How and why did we eventually settle in Rapid City, South Dakota? The work documents the experiences and memories of my father, a Greek immigrant to the United States. Included is a discussion on the evolution of U.S. immigration policy as it relates to emigration from Greece to America, and the domestic environment in Greece from 1900–1962, which was conducive to emigration from Greece. The work includes an extensive discussion of the Greek Civil War, in order to describe the need for such U.S. involvement in Greece as the Truman Doctrine and the Displaced Persons Act of 1948. Additionally, the work includes an explanation of the first family member’s arrival in America and his reasons for settling in Rapid City, SD.