Ahepan

Reveals the history of how 3,000 Greek children were shipped to the United States for adoption in the postwar period

This book examines the question of historical awareness within the Greek communities in the diaspora, adding a new perspective on the discussion about the Greek Revolution of 1821 by including the forgotten Greeks in the United States and Canada. The purpose of this volume is to discuss the impact of the Greek Revolution as manifested in various discourses. It is celebrated by the Greek communities, taught in Greek schools, covered in the local newspapers. It is an inspiration for literary, artistic, and theatrical creations. The chapters reflect a broad range of disciplines (history, literature, art history, ethnology, and education), offering both historical and contemporary reflections. This volume produces new knowledge about the Greeks in the United States and Canada for the last 100 years. The Greek Revolution and the Greek Diaspora in the United States will attract scholars, students, and public readers of Modern Greek Studies and Greek American Studies, as well as those interested in comparative history, diaspora and ethnic studies, memory studies, and cultural studies.

By the early 20th century, Stark County was one of the fastest-growing regions in the nation. The home of martyred president William McKinley had become a major industrial center, with alloy steel as the engine of growth for the booming local economy. To fill the ever-increasing demand for labor, waves of immigrants from Greece and Asia Minor settled in Canton and Massillon. Some sought economic opportunity; others were fleeing the Pontian Black Sea coast, where ethnic cleansing of Greeks accompanied the creation of the Turkish state. For the immigrant earning less than $3 a day, building a church meant making a commitment to a new life. In Canton, St. Haralambos Greek Orthodox Church was founded in 1913 and Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in 1917. In Massillon, St. George Greek Orthodox Church was established in 1931. Churches and mutual aid organizations provided cohesiveness to the dynamic, often fractious, Greek community, which survived world wars, economic depression, and social discrimination and continues to flourish today.