Belgian immigrants
Belgian immigrants have played a notable role in the economic and cultural landscape of the United States since the 17th century. The initial wave of immigration began when a small number of Belgian Protestants fled religious persecution, followed by a significant influx during the 19th century. Factors such as land shortages and agricultural hardships in Belgium led many farmers and skilled artisans to seek better opportunities in the U.S. The Midwest, particularly Wisconsin, became a popular destination for farmers, while artisans gravitated towards urban centers like Chicago and Detroit, contributing to the industrial growth of these cities.
Throughout their history in the U.S., Belgian immigrants established close-knit communities, preserving their customs while also assimilating into American society. They maintained their cultural heritage through celebrations, such as the Festival of Kermis, which continues today. In the post-World War II era, a new wave of Belgian immigrants, primarily well-educated professionals, further enriched the American landscape. Although the Belgian American population is relatively small compared to other European ancestries, their contributions span various fields, including technology, sports, and the arts, with many individuals achieving fame and recognition in their respective domains. Today, a significant number of Americans trace their ancestry back to Belgian immigrants, reflecting the enduring impact of this community in the U.S.
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Belgian immigrants
SIGNIFICANCE: Early Belgian immigrants, as skilled artisans and farmers, contributed significantly to the economic development of the United States (US). Those who came after World War II made important contributions to the country's scientific and intellectual development.
During the seventeenth century, a small number of Belgian Protestants fleeing religious persecution in Europe immigrated to the Hudson River Valley in what would later become New York State. However, the nineteenth century was the period when significant Belgian immigration to the US began. Due to land shortages and a potato blight in Belgium in 1840, many farmers and farm laborers came to the US from 1840 through 1884. The Belgian government encouraged emigration, and skilled artisans, including carpenters, brick masons, lacemakers, and glassblowers, also left Belgium to find work and improved economic conditions in the US.
After arriving in the US, Belgians typically settled in areas where they could most easily continue to pursue the types of work they had done in Belgium. Farmers settled in the Midwest, especially in the Great Lakes area. Many Belgians settled in Wisconsin, in particular, where they found an abundance of fertile farmland. Glassblowers found employment in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Indiana. Many of those skilled in trades were drawn to urban areas such as Chicago and Detroit. Skilled Belgian artisans made significant contributions to Detroit's rise as a major manufacturing and industrial city, and this legacy continued through subsequent generations. For example, automotive pioneer Henry Ford (1863–1947) was the grandson of Belgian immigrants on his mother's side.
Belgians quickly established close-knit communities in which their customs and traditions thrived. The Festival of Kermis, the traditional Belgian harvest celebration, was first observed in the US in 1858. Since then, it has continued to be celebrated in Belgian American communities throughout rural sections of the US. These communities also founded self-help associations to assist community members who were ill or impoverished. In addition, the associations offered health and life insurance at a low cost.
Although Belgian immigrants often maintained much of the culture of their native country, they did not segregate themselves from the general American population but were willing to assimilate. Learning English and becoming active in both the social and political lives of their new country, they quickly blended into American society. Therefore, they suffered much less discrimination than members of many other immigrant groups.
After World War II, another wave of Belgians came to the US. Unlike the earlier immigrants, who were farmers, laborers, and artisans, these new immigrants were mostly well-educated professionals seeking employment in corporations and universities. From 1950 to 1970, few Belgians came to the US. However, revisions in Belgian tax laws and a generally depressed Belgian economy prompted an increase in Belgian immigration for a short period during the early 1970s. Individuals born in Belgium make up a small percentage of the late twentieth and early twenty-first-century immigrant population. However, many Americans can trace their ancestry to individuals who immigrated to the US from Belgium before 1950. In 2024, there were approximately 356,405 people living in the US that claimed some connection to Belgium through their ancestry. This number includes various ethic groups who identify with Belgian heritage, such as the Flemish, Walloons, and Belgian Luxembourgers. When compared to other European ancestries in the US, the Belgium American population is relatively small, and this is due to their willingness to assimilate and intermarry.
Belgian Americans have risen to fame in a wide array of fields. Technological developments attributed to those of Belgian descent include Ford's assembly line and the innovative Bakelite plastic created by Belgian-born inventor Leo Hendrik Baekeland (1863–1944). Football great Earl Louis "Curly" Lambeau (1898–1965), the grandson of a Belgian immigrant, influenced the sports world as a founder, player, and coach of the Green Bay Packers football team. Influential jazz musician Jean-Baptiste "Toots" Thielemans (1922–2016) was raised in Belgium before launching an American career in the 1950s. Prominent actors with Belgian roots include Audrey Hepburn, action hero Jean-Claude Van Damme, and sitcom star Johnny Galecki.
Bibliography
Amato, Joseph. Servants of the Land: God, Family and Farm: The Trinity of Belgian Economic Folkways in Southwestern Minnesota. Marshall, Minn.: Crossings Press, 1990.
Bayer, Henry G. The Belgians: First Settlers in New York and in the Middle States. 1925. Reprint. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 1987.
"Belgian History." Belgian Heritage Center, www.belgianheritagecenter.org/en-us/history/default.aspx. Accessed 20 May. 2019.
Cook, Bernard A. Belgians in Michigan. Michigan State University Press, 2007. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.14321/j.ctt7zt612. Accessed 27 Aug. 2024.
Morrissey, Robert, and Christina A. Reynen. "Belgians." Encyclopedia of Chicago, Chicago Historical Society, 2005, www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/126.html. Accessed 20 May. 2019.
Smets, Kristine. "How Many Belgian-Americans Are we Talking about?" The Belgian American, 7 Jan. 2019, thebelgianamerican.com/2019/01/07/how-many-belgian-americans-are-talking-about. Accessed 27 Aug. 2024.