U S citizens with roots in the country of Syria are known as Syrian Americans 4
WHO ARE SYRIAN AMERICANS Syrian Americans have been part of the United States since the late 1800s Now there is a new chapter Starting in Hardworking and ambitious the early settlers found success in their new country as merchants and business people Part of the nation’s melting pot of cultures Syrian Americans have achieved their piece of the American Dream Today more than 170,000 Americans can trace their heritage to Syria 2015 a new wave of Syrians began to arrive on American soil Unlike earlier immigrants they were refugees unable to go home even if they wanted to Fleeing civil war in Syria they sought a safe place to live 5
Syrian immigrant parents work hard to provide for their families and help their children become successful They want a chance to work and do well They want their children to be happy They want to be safe They want a new home They have come to America to find it At first I was really depressed said a Syrian American woman who recently moved from Syria to Michigan I could not work I had to keep asking people to speak more slowly because my English wasn’t good I couldn’t get an apartment because I had no credit and no one to co-sign the papers But now I have a car I have a home and I’m happy 6 6
DID YOU KNOW The Statue of Liberty Give me your tired your poor your huddled masses yearning to breathe free Those are the words on the base of the Statue of Liberty They have inspired immigrants for more than 130 years The statue stands on tiny Liberty Island in the middle of New York Harbor in New York City She was a gift from the people of France in 1889 Made of copper with an iron frame interior she was designed by French sculptor Frederic Bartholdi Her interior frame was designed by Gustave Eiffel yes the same man who would go on to design the Eiffel Tower in Paris In the early 1900s most immigrants to America arrived on boats The boats sailed right past the Statue of Liberty Immigrants hearts lifted when they saw the grand statue that seemed to be inviting them into the United States Today most immigrants fly to their destinations so they do not see Lady Liberty when they arrive Still she is so famous that she remains an emblem of freedom for the world 7 7
