Russian Americans
Where Were They From: The first Russians reached America in 1747 when fur traders arrived in Alaska, long before it was purchased by the United States in 1867. Some settled in the area and the Russian Orthodox Church became active in the region in 1795.
The term ‘Russian’ includes immigrants of Russian ethnicity, along with eastern Slavs from Belorussia, Ukraine, and members of the former Hapsburg Austrian province of Galicia.
When Did They Arrive in US: Many Russian Jews immigrated to America in the late 19th century and early 20th century. The main reason for their emigration was the wave of pogroms in southern Russia against the Jewish community that followed the assassination of Alexander II in 1881.
What region of the US did they settle: Russian immigrant communities in the USA are generally clustered around major Eastern Orthodox or Russian churches, like in Alaska, or in and around major US cities like New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Detroit, and Boston.
What occupations did they take part in: Russian immigrants contributed a great deal to the development of science. Important figures included the aircraft engineers Igor Sikorsky and Alexander de Seversky, the biologist Selman Waksman, and the pioneer in the development of television, Vladimir Zworykin.
What are the family patterns, rituals: The Russian family is dependent upon all its members. Most families live in small apartments, often with 2 or 3 generations sharing little space. Most families are small, often with only one child because most women must also work outside of the house in addition to bearing sole responsibility for household and childrearing chores.
What are the basic demographics today: According to the US 2002 census, ethnic Russians make up 80% of the total population, while six other ethnicities have a population exceeding 1 million. The ethnicities include:
Tatars (3.8%)
Ukrainians (2%)
Bashkir (1.1%)
Chuvash (1.1%)
Chechens (0.9%)
Armenians (0.8%)
In total, 160 different ethnic groups and indigenous people live within the Russian federation's borders.
Of Russia's estimated 150m population, over 81% speak the official language of Russian as their first and only language. Most speakers of a minority language are also bilingual speakers of Russian. There are over 100 minority languages spoken in Russia today, the most popular of which is Tartar, spoken by more than 3% of the country's population. Other minority languages include Ukrainian, Chuvash, Bashir, Mordvin and Chechen. Although few of these groups make up even 1% of the Russian population, these languages are prominent in key regional areas.
Fun Facts:
If you are invited to a Russian house:
Do not begin eating until the host invites you to start.
Arrive on time or no more than 15 minutes later than invited.
Remove your outdoor shoes. You may be given slippers to wear.
Dress in clothes you might wear to the office. Dressing well shows respect for your hosts.
Expect to be treated with honor and respect.
Offer to help the hostess with the preparation or clearing up after a meal is served. This may be turned down out of politeness. Asking 'are you sure?' allows the hostess to accept your offer.
Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups
http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674375123
Immigrating to the USA
Russian Immigrant
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAErussia.htm
Libcom's guide to further reading about the Russian revolution and counter-revolution of 1917 to 1921: http://libcom.org/library/russian-revolution-1917-further-reading-guide