Belgians in Michigan

Bernard A. Cook

• Publisher: Michigan State University Press
• Year: 2007
• Print ISBN:
  9780870138126
• eBook ISBN:
  9781628950564
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, Michigan was home to the second-largest Belgian population in the United States, and Detroit had one of the largest Belgian populations in the nation. Although immigration declined after World War I, the Belgian- American community is still prominent in the state. Political, religious, and economic conditions, including a nineteenth- century economic depression, helped motivate the move to America. Belgians brought with them the ability and willingness to innovate, as well as a tradition of hard work and devotion. The Gazette van Detroit, a Flemish-language newspaper first printed in Detroit in 1914, continues to be produced and distributed to subscribers throughout the United States and overseas. Belgian-Americans continue to incorporate traditional values with newfound American values, enabling them to forever preserve their heritage.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Series Acknowledgments
• Contents
• Preface
• Belgian Immigration
• A Short History of Belgium
• The Earliest Belgians in America
• Belgian Emigration to Michigan, 1830-1870
• Belgian Immigrants in Michigan, 1860-1930
• The Social World of the Belgians in Michigan
• Flemish Culture
• Leading Belgian Families in Michigan
• Belgians in Michigan Today
• Sidebar 1: Belgian National Anthem
• Sidebar 2: The First Belgian to Reach Michigan
• Sidebar 4: Belgian-American All-American Athlete
• Sidebar 10: Mussels and Beer at the Cadieux Café
• Sidebar 11: Jazz Accordionist
• Sidebar 13: Congressman Rabaut's Speech on Behalf of Inserting "In God We Trust" into the Pledge of Allegiance
• Appendix 1: Belgian Food
• Appendix 2: Bien (A Card Game)
• Appendix 3: Ethnic Organizations
• Notes
• For Further Reference
• Index